Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shopping
The extensive Hasanakos bookshop at Vassiléos
Pávlou 39 is worth scouring for books on the area, though
prices are very high for books in English. Food supplies can be
bought from the large supermarket behind the bus station.
ACCOMMODATION
Finding accommodation
shouldn't be hard, with a fair range in town - most hotels are along the waterfront, some of which
suffer from late-night noise from the many bars. Numerous cheaper
rooms
are signposted up the steps behind the
waterfront, or facing Marathoníssi islet. Out along Mavrovoúni beach, which begins 3km south of the town of the Areópoli
road, there are numerous rooms and three
campsites
.
2
Demestihas
Mavrovoúni Beach
T
27330 22775,
W
demestihas.gr.
Immediately behind the beach, in a
large garden, with a variety of rooms, studios
and
apartments, many refurbished. Good facilities for kids.
€50
Gythion
Vassiléos Pávlou 33
T
27330 23452,
W
gythionhotel.gr.
A fine old (1864) hotel with period
decorated rooms, all with views of the waterfront, located
above
Dodoni
ice cream parlour. Guests can use the Gythion
Bay campsite's beach and private
beac
h facilities. Breakfast
included, with fresh orange juice.
€65
Leonidas
Vassiléos Pávlou 8
T
&
F
27330 22389.
Friendly Petros runs this very basic, unassuming hotel, with
its Deco-style entrance and very spartan rooms, which
nevertheless have a/c, an
d mo
st have balconies with port
views. Breakfast included.
€40
Meltemi
Mavrovoúni beach, 3km from Yíthio
T
27330
23260,
W
campingmeltemi.gr.
Large and nestled in a
25-acre olive grove, this pleasant spot faces a broad swathe
of beach and clean sea. Facilities include a pool,
minimarket, restaurant, washi
ng m
achines and
drye
rs, and
free wi-fi. April-Oct. Camping
€12
; bungalows
€45
Saga
Tzanetáki
T
27330 23220,
F
27330 24370.
Comfortable seafront
pension
run by a friendly, knowledgeable
French-Greek family, with a good resta
uran
t on the ground
floor, overlooking the Marathoníssi islet.
€45
EATING AND DRINKING
Nisaki
On Marathoníssi islet
T
27330 23830.
Away
from the port, on the square facing the little church, this
quiet, attractive café-restaurant has both a pleasant dining
room and a spacious terrace. Tzatziki €3.50, grills €5.50-
12, fresh fish €50/kg.
Daily breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Poulikakos
square, this cosy, traditional taverna is simple but offers
delicious food in large portions. Full meals run about €10-
15, featuring earthy classics like giant white beans and
dolmádhes, everything home-made. Fresh fish starts at
€30/kg.
Daily lunch & dinner.
T
27330 22792.
Located on the main
Yíthio to Areópoli
The road from Yíthio into the Máni begins amid a fertile and gentle wooded landscape,
running slightly inland of the coast and Mavrovoúni beach, through tracts of citrus and
olive groves and between hilltop towers. About 12km beyond Yíthio, the Máni
suddenly asserts itself as the road enters a valley below the
castle of Passavá
. Shortly
after, a turning to the left leads down to an attractive long sandy beach at
Vathý Bay
(Vathý Ayéranou), which is mostly used by German tourists.
Continuing towards Areópoli
from Passavá, the landscape remains fertile until the
wild, scrubby mass of Mount Kouskoúni signals the final approach to the Mésa Máni.
You enter another pass, with
Kelefá castle
(see p.163) above to the north, and beyond it
several southerly peaks of the Taïyetos ridge. Areópoli, as you wind down from the
hills, inspires a real sense of arrival.
Areópoli and the west coast
An initially austere-looking town,
AREÓPOLI
(Aerópoli) sets an immediate mood for
the region. Until the nineteenth century it was secondary to Ítylo, 11km north and the
western gateway to the Mésa Máni, but the modern road has made Areópoli, to all
intents, the region's centre, and many of the stone buildings have now undergone
renovation. Formerly Tsímova, its present name “Town of Ares” (the god of war) was
bestowed for its efforts during the War of Independence. It was here that Mavromihalis
(commemorated by a statue in the main platía) declared the uprising.
