The Floridian beach town that looks like Santorini

The striking all-white architecture of Alys Beach may conjure Europe and the Caribbean, but its walkable streets and luminous Gulf beaches are pure Florida.

Golden sunlight kisses your bare arms as you stroll through a maze of whitewashed concrete buildings, stark against a bright blue sky. Your sandals tread stone pathways, passing Grecian trellises draped in purple bougainvillea. In the distance is a chalk-white beach with sand soft as sifted sugar and an emerald green sea: a backdrop from Homeric myth. But as you make your way past chic boutiques and pavement restaurants, a Moorish archway pops into view; further down, an Andalusian-style courtyard. Elegant homes are topped with Dutch gabled roofs. There's not a car in sight, just the tinkling chime of bicycle bells.

You'd be forgiven for wondering where in the world you are: Amsterdam, Andalusia, Greece. But look closely; it's Gulf oysters on those bistro plates, and your waiter speaks with a southern US drawl. This is no European escape; you're in the Florida panhandle.

Chris Luker, courtesy of Alys Beach, FL

An elusive sense of place

Welcome to Alys Beach, a planned luxury coastal community where bicycles rule the streets and every corner you turn conjures someplace else.

The whitewashed enclave is found towards the eastern end of 30A, Florida's most scenic highway. Along the 20-mile coastal corridor, Gulf-front restaurants serve freshly caught seafood, while state parks, colourful beach towns and sugar-sand beaches beg you to pull over and explore.

But at Alys Beach, you won't find the typical Floridian tiki huts and manatee mailboxes.

"The interesting thing about Alys is [its] architectural language so strongly references familiar architectural languages," says Diana Lane, the town's director of public relations. "It feels like you are somewhere you can't quite place."

Chris Luker, courtesy of Alys Beach, FL

Dating to just 2004, Alys Beach has become a regional icon thanks to its all-white palette, which contrasts sharply with the sherbet-coloured cottages, stilt-built homes and towering condos commonly associated with other coastal areas in the Sunshine State. Most visitors immediately liken it to Greece, says Lane: "I think that's because of the white masonry." But the town's design DNA was actually inspired by Bermuda and Central America, among other places. Oasis-like interior courtyards with flowing fountains recall residences in Antigua, Guatemala, while island-style stepped roofs gently harvest rain. Four steepled Bermudian butteries flank the town's entrance.

There's even a hint of New Orleans. "Walking around, you'll see balcony rails on a second-storey porch or veranda overlooking a courtyard area that feels very reminiscent of Creole design," says Lane.

Better living

Though the town is most recognised for its striking all-white environs, its engineers had something different in mind.

Chris Luker, courtesy of Alys Beach, FL

Founded by the Stephens family, Alys Beach – named for the family matriarch – was planned as a centre of New Urbanism, championing walkability, sustainability and community connection. Pioneering New Urbanist Duany Plater-Zyberk, the designer of neighbouring New Urbanist communities along Highway 30A like Seaside and Rosemary Beach, was tasked with the master plan, while town architects Erik Vogt and Marieanne Khoury-Vogt drew upon their travels to design the town's unique look. They also helped develop its groundbreaking green policies. Every residence in Alys Beach is certified to Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) standards, prioritising energy efficiency, water conservation and hurricane resilience. 

Cars are only allowed in designated parking areas, and the town centre is intentionally dense. A grid of vehicular streets connect to parking courts that link to pedestrian paths.

Chris Luker, courtesy of Alys Beach, FL

"Everything is connected easily to encourage walkability," says Lane. "People are immediately joining common space when they step out of their private residence. The idea is for residents and guests to park their car and walk to anything they need during their stay – restaurants, shops, amenities, even a market for sundries and necessities." The town's custom metal bike racks are strategically placed throughout the community – and painted white, of course.

Alys Beach's pedestrian-friendly nature and aesthetics drew Atlanta-based podcast host Julie Silber and her husband to purchase a holiday home here in 2021. 

"Every community [on 30A] really has its own vibe," says Silber. She describes nearby WaterColor as having a "preppy feel", while Seaside, the pioneering New Urbanist community made famous by the 1998 film The Truman Show, skews a "bit more bohemian" with its sea of lavender and pink homes.

She likens Alys Beach's sophistication – with its excellent restaurants and cafes and exclusive beach club above the dunes – "to the feeling you get in St Bart's, perhaps, or St Tropez".

Luxury, but make it accessible

From the beginning, says Lane, the town's vision prioritised long-term community over transient density. The local government doesn't track full-time residency, but estimates that 15-20% of homeowners live here for most of the year, while several thousand guests visit annually.

"Alys Beach was intentionally designed as a scenic coastal community rather than a resort," Lane says. As such, there are no hotels. Holiday accommodations are only available in privately owned residences, and rates start around $2,570 (£1,945) for three nights in a one-bedroom home.

Further adding to the exclusive feel; only owners and holiday renters may access the community's private stretch of pristine beachfront or frequent the zero-entry, Moroccan-inspired Caliza Pool.

But even if an Alys Beach holiday rental is out of budget, it's possible to swim or stroll along its "wet" coastline, shop its boutiques, visit for a meal, attend its frequent events or simply immerse yourself in its distinctive architecture and laid-back vibe (if you want to plant an umbrella, the public beaches of Inlet Beach and Seagrove and are a brisk bike ride away).

Brenna Kneiss

Discrete but attentive hospitality is threaded throughout the community. Silber likens the holiday experience to "a cross between a country club and a five-star hotel", where staff sometimes know her order before she does. Restaurants tend upscale. O-Ku, a trendy sushi and sashimi spot overlooks the town amphitheatre, while The Citizen is known for its lively oyster happy hour.

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Public art embellishes landscapes and the events calendar draws visitors for festivals throughout the year. The marquee annual event, Digital Graffiti, douses the white town in brilliant colours after dark, with digitalised art projected across Alys Beach's facades, pathways and landscaping.

Kurt Lischka

"It's ephemeral. This world gets created for two days and then it's gone. It's like a full-body sensory experience," says photographic artist Jonah Allen, who has a gallery in nearby Seagrove.

Visitors should venture beyond the town, too. Just west of Alys Beach, Inlet Beach is home to 30A's latest development, Kaiya Beach Resort, also designed by the Vogts with a similar white aesthetic. In Seaside, a line-up of vintage Airstream trailers-turned-food trucks lures locals and visitors to Seaside Airstream Row for lobster grilled cheese sandwiches and açaí bowls al fresco. Further west in quirkier Grayton Beach, The Red Bar serves southern fare like seafood gumbo alongside live jazz, while Grayton Beach State Park is the place to kayak around the area's rare coastal dune lakes.

For Allen, Alys Beach is 30A's "crown jewel".

Moon Creek Studios, courtesy of Alys Beach, FL

"It's kind of like the last frontier in Florida, this area, in terms of development," he says. "There's not many places you can go that aren't urban, that aren't suburban, that aren't rural. It's like a combination of all three."

But does it still feel like Florida? Yes; for all its multi-national glamour and polish, as soon as you step past the whitewashed streets and onto the sugar-white sand, the illusion falls away. You are unmistakably on the same dazzling Gulf shore that has always made this stretch of Florida irresistible.

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