The Peloponnese - The Rough Guide to Greece - page 175

there' s inte rnet access. Rooms on the beach side can be
noisy. €85
Ì Rex Aristomenous 26 T 27210 94440, W rexhotel
.gr. Convenient and historic hotel situated in the old town.
Rooms are on the small side, but fresh and well appointed,

some with balconies, in a fine Neoclassical building, facing
the palm-lined promenade. There's also a restaurant and a
café, the former using all local ingr edien ts, including real
Kalamáta olives. Breakfast included. €100

EATING AND DRINKING
In general, the best restaurants in the summer months are down by the western harbour, which has been set up as a yacht
marina - accessed through a somewhat insalubrious area. There are a couple of well-priced cafés directly opposite the bus
station, and a plethora of cafés, bars, ice-cream parlours and eating places along the waterfront avenue Navarínou.

2

Kanna On the marina T 27210 91596. Facing the water
with seating on a pretty terrace, this restaurant has good fish
and many dishes are Italian-inspired. Main dishes €8-13,
while fresh fish goes for €45-65/kg. Daily lunch & dinner.
Pyrofani Spetson/Posidhonos. At a corner on the
waterfront with views of the marina and the lights of the
eastern villages. There's a large selection of meat and

vegetarian dishes and good local wine (mains €10). Daily
lunch & dinner.
Ì Routsis Navarínou 127 T 27210 80830. Old-
fashioned taverna offering fresh local olives, home-made
feta, steamed greens, catch of the day or fish soup (mains
aorund €12). Seating along the strip, or in a garden terrace
on the beach side. Daily lunch & dinner.

DIRECTORY
Banks and ATMs Most are on Aristoménous or adjacent
Platía

Konstandínou Dhiadhókhnou; English-language films are
shown with Greek subtitles.
Market The Wed and Sat produce market, one of the
region's most colourful, is across the bridge from the bus
station, below the castle.
Post o ce Near the customs house beyond the park at
the seaward end of Aristoménous.
Taxis Ranks on Aristoménous, Nédhondos and Navarínou.
Tourist police Miaouli, near the harbour ( T 27210
95555).

Konstandínou Dhiadhókhnou and Sidhiroú

Stathmoú.
Bike and scooter rental Bastakos, Fáron 190 ( T 27210
26638).
Car rental Agni Travel, Kessári 2 ( T 27210 20352,
F 27210 22428); Maniatis, Iatropoúlou 1 ( T 27210 27694,
E [e-mail]); Stavrianos, Nédhondos 89
( T 27210 23041, F 27210 25370).
Cinemas There are several cinemas near Platía

Koróni
KORÓNI , 40km southwest of Kalamáta, has one of the more picturesque locations in
Greece, stacked against a fortified bluff and commanding grand views across the
Messenian gulf. It's a place to relax on the beach, drink wine and amble about a
countryside lush with vineyards and olive groves. The town is rustically beautiful with
tiled and pastel-washed houses arrayed in a maze of stair-and-ramp streets that can have
changed little since the medieval Venetian occupation (1206-1500). Koróni, along
with its sister fortess of Methóni , were the Venetians' oldest and longest-held
possessions in the Peloponnese.

The citadel
Open site • Free
Koróni's citadel is one of the least militaristic-looking in Greece, crowning the town
more like a large, pleasantly dilapidated garden. Part of the interior is given over to
private houses and garden plots, but the greater part is occupied by the nunnery of
Timíou Prodhrómou , whose chapels, outbuildings and flower-strewn gardens occupy
nearly every bastion.

The beaches
Downhill from the citadel, you reach Zánga beach , which runs into Mémi beach ,
making a 2km stretch of sand with preternaturally clear water. The beach is about the
only place to go during the afternoon, when Koróni strictly observes siesta.