The small Dodecanese island of Symi is not for everyone. Just a few miles off the coast of Turkey, it rises like a sun-baked mountain range out of the sea, a scorched and seemingly hostile environment to all things living. It has little natural water (a water boat from Rhodes brings supplies to refill tanks from time to time) and the volcanic rock is jagged. If you like swimming pools or sandy beaches, a party atmosphere and mod cons, do not waste your time coming here. It is the Greece neither of Mamma Mia nor of Shirley Valentine. But equally, if your idea of heaven is sharing a rocky outcrop with a couple of goatherds and a yoga school, best find somewhere else.