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The main road to the south of the island splits at Kanava junction , a dreary place at first glance owing to the large power plant here. But opposite this, indicated by a rusty sign pointing seaward, is the first of Milos's hot springs , which bubble up in the shallows and are much enjoyed by the locals. Taking the left or easterly fork leads to ZEFYRIA , hidden among olive groves below the bare hills; it was briefly the medieval capital until an eighteenth-century epidemic drove out the population. Much of the old town is still deserted, though some life has returned, and there's a magnificent seventeenth-century church. South of here it's a further 8km down a winding road to the coarse-sand beach of Paleohori . Actually a triple strand totalling 800m in length, it's indisputably the island's best; clothing's optional at the westerly cove, where steam vents heat both the shallow water and the rock overhangs onshore. There are a number of places to stay , such as the inland Broutsos (tel 010/34 78 425; ?43-58), the purpose-built rooms at the Artemis restaurant (tel 02870/31 221; ?43-58) nearer the beach, and Panayiota Vikelli's rooms (tel 02870/31 228; ?43-58). The place to eat is Pelagos , which has a large raised patio. The westerly road from Kanava junction leads past the airport gate to Hivadholimni , considered to be the best beach on Milos bay itself. Not that this is saying much: Hivadholimni is north-facing and thus garbage-prone, with shallow sumpy water offshore, although there is a taverna, a disco-bar and a sizeable community of campers during the summer. It's better to veer south to Provatas , a short but tidy beach, closed off by colourful cliffs on the east. Being so easy to get to, it hasn't escaped some development: there are two rooms establishments plus, closer to the shore, a newer, luxury complex, Golden Milos Beach (tel 02870/31 307; ?43 and upwards). The best value for food and accommodation is the Maistrali (tel 02870/31 206; ?34-42). Some 2km west of Provatas, you'll see a highway sign for Kipos . Below and to the left of the road, a small medieval chapel dedicated to the Kimisis (Assumption) sits atop foundations far older - as evidenced by the early Christian reliefs stacked along the west wall and a carved, cruciform baptismal font in the ieron behind the altar screen. At one time a spring gushed from the low-tunnel cave beside the font - sufficiently miraculous in itself on arid Milos. Several kilometres before Provatas, a road forks east through a dusty white quarry to the trendy and popular beach of Firiplaka . Further east, Tsigradho beach is accessible by boat, or by the novel means of a rope hanging down a crevice in the cliff-face. For the most part Halakas , the southwestern peninsula centred on the wilderness of 748-metre Profitis Ilias, is uninhabited and little built upon, with the exception of the monastery of Sidherianos . The roads are memorable, if a little tiring, and several spots are worth making the effort to see. Emborios on the east side of the peninsula has a fine little beach and a great local taverna with a few cheap rooms (tel 02870/21 389; ?34-42). On the mostly rugged west coast, Triadhes is one of the finest and least spoilt beaches in the Cyclades, but you'll have to bring your own provisions. Kleftiko in the southwest corner is only reachable by boat, but repays the effort to get there with its stunning rock formations, semi-submerged rock tunnels and colourful coral.
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