Where is this beach? On Greece's north-west coast, 14 miles (21km) north-west of Párga.

Who's it good for? Adventurous couples; families with children big enough to swim well but not old enough to want serious nightlife.

What is there to do? Body-surfing, visiting ruins, flopping on the sand.

What makes it special? The sense of seclusion close to major resorts; minimal development for such a superior beach.

You have to really want to get to Karavostási – tucked away several kilometres off the main coastal highway between busy Sývota and Párga – but the journey is worth it. The beach here, cradled between two headlands, is an appealing 500 metres of sand, giving on to a rich blue sea. Straight ahead, you’ll glimpse the southern tip of Corfu on the horizon, and the capes of Sývota just to the right. Turn your gaze left past some rock formations, and you will see Paxí, closer in. These islands do not effectively shelter Karavostási, which means “stopping place of the ship” in Greek: you may well feel the maïstros, the prevailing northwesterly of the Ionian, which is the local answer to the notorious Aegean meltémi. It is best reached by a lovely streamside drive under sizeable trees on the southerly, partly-rough approach road via the Ágios Athanásios monastery, wildlife reserve and picnic ground.

^{The 500-m long beach at Karavostási gives onto rich blue sea (Photo: Alamy)}

The sand, light grey to tawny brown, with a shifting fringe of tiny pebbles, is not only long but broad, so that any traffic along the earthy track behind is unlikely to disturb you. Whether flat or choppy, the water is clean, although there is a fairly sharp drop-off, so the sea is not really suitable for toddlers.

Except in high summer, when scattered sunbeds appear up and down the beach, there will likely be only a few other holidaymakers around. Another stream meets the Ionian in an environmentally protected area at the north end of things. Inland, on the plain between the two watercourses, stretch fields and olive groves here and there, dotted with perhaps a half-dozen hotels and self-catering units.

The beach aside, the most compelling reasons why Karavostási remains unspoilt are those nearby nature reserves, and ancient ruins just overhead.

Indeed, for cultural edification, you can hike up a stair-path to a 4th-century town that was a colony of the ancient Corinthians, originally identified as Elina in the 1950s by two British archaeologists, although others dispute this. Unfenced, it sits atop the southerly headland defining the beach, and is known to locals as Dymókastro. It was excavated and minimally restored by Greek archaeologists on a “rescue” dig between 2000 and 2008, after it became evident that plunderers were sampling the site. The scientifically recovered finds are now the fine archaeological museum in the coastal city of Igoumenítsa, 34km north. The remaining perimeter walls, 1,600m around plus an extension west, are superseded by the impressive views – probably what made the ancient Corinthians found it as a colony. Some fortification towers survive.

Did you know?
In antiquity, Karavostási was a large, navigable bay, not a beach as now – the streams have silted it up.

The much more intact and elaborate Agiá castle (open) looms 16km back towards Parga, between the hamlets of Anthoússa and Agiá. Originally Byzantine, then Venetian, it was thoroughly rebuilt in 1814 by the notorious Albanian warlord Ali Pasha of Ioánnina, using Italian engineers. Both adults and children will delight in its dungeons, U-shaped gallery and roof, with two rusty cannon and sweeping views over the Párga area, and as far as distant Lefkáda island on a clear day.

Committed archaeology and castle buffs can make the one-hour drive east, on paved but secondary roads, to the tremendous site of Elea, on a flat-topped bluff with sheer drops. Dating from the same period as Elina, it was once the capital of ancient Thesprotia, although little remains standing, since the Romans levelled it in 167 BC, during their decades-long conquest of Hellenistic Greece. Get there from Karavostasi via Pérdika, Kartéri, Paramythiá and Khrysavgí villages. The site is stoutly fenced, and is open Tues–Sun 9am–2pm (although the keeper may leave early).

Getting there

The closest airport to Karavostási is Préveza, 75km away, served by Thomson (0871 231 4787; flights.thomson.co.uk) and Thomas Cook (flythomascook.com) from Gatwick and Manchester.

Préveza car hire: early in the season, aggregator sites like travelsupermarket.com offer a week’s hire of the most basic compact model from about £100 from Préveza airport, rising to about double that amount in August.There are a limited number of staffed counters in the arrivals terminal, but especially for cheaper hire, don’t be surprised if your car is delivered from Lefkáda or Préveza town on a meet-and-greet basis.

Corfu alternative: you could instead fly to Corfu, although you would then need to factor in travel to the mainland at Igoumenítsa port and then on to Karavostási – about another £100 for the round trip.

Where to stay

All local accommodation works a May-to-October season; hotels have pools for days when the sea is rough. Mosquito repellent devices are advisable.

Coralli £
This eight-unit hotel is the closest to Karavostási's beach. Studio rooms measure a generous 40 sq m, one-bedroom apartments 52 sq m; family-friendly. Doubles from €60 (£47), excluding breakfast. (0030 26650 91380; corallihotel.gr)

^{The Coralli Hotel is the closest accommodation to Karavostási's beach}

Karavostasi Beach £
All of the white-and-marble rooms at this hotel were renovated in 2012, and half of them have sea views. The pool-bar area, where breakfast is taken, is well-designed and attractive. Doubles from €55 (£43), including breakfast; half board available (0030 26650 91104; hotel-karavostasi.gr).

Alexandros Beach Apartments £
This six-unit complex sits well back from the beach in extensive landscaped grounds. Apartments fit four easily, though kitchens are token. From €175 (£138) per week (0030 6932 567715; karavostasiapartments.gr).

Where to eat

There are two snack-and-drink stalls by the northerly river mouth at Karavostási, but for proper meals it's either the hotel restaurants, or Pérdika village, 5km inland. The pedestrianised central square, a convivial circus in summer, is ringed by a dozen tavernas or cafés. The oldest and most characterful, with good fare, is Ta Kavouria (mains from about €7; no phone number).

Taverna tou Christou ££
For something a bit out of the ordinary, point your hire car south-east 13km to Sarakíniko cove (turnoff just before Agiá village), where Taverna tou Christou proves a dab hand at creative vegetable dishes, hot or cold starters, the occasional oven-cooked meat dish and seafood that's served, promises proprietor Christos Vlassiou, fresh or not at all. For the quality, it's worth the price, at €17–20 per person, before you dip into their excellent Greek micro-winery list. You should book in summer (00 30 26840 35207 or 00 30 6977 982207), especially for sunset-view dinners.

The inside track

Karavostási and Pérdika lie within the territory once inhabited by the Muslim Cham Albanianswho were exempt from the 1923 population exchanges with Turkey but expelled to Albania in 1944–45 for collaboration with the Axis occupiers. Pérdika was one of their main villages in Thesprotía, but best don't mention them to the Corfiots, Paxiots and Asia Minor refugees who resettled the place.

Read more

Win one of 40 holidays worth £800,000
Telegraph Travel Awards 2014: vote for your favourite destinations and travel companies for the chance to win one of 40 luxury breaks worth a total of £800,000.

Travel Guides app
Download the free Telegraph Travel app, featuring expert guides to destinations including Paris, Rome, New York, Venice and Amsterdam

Follow Telegraph Travel on Twitter
Follow Telegraph Travel on Facebook
Follow Telegraph Travel on Pinterest
Follow Telegraph Travel on FourSquare