Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Spétses Museum
Tues-Sun 8.30am-2.30pm • €3
Spétses' enjoyable local
museum
is housed in one of the town's grandest mansions, the
Hatziyánnis Méxis family home above the east side of town. Apart from the house
itself, highlights include magnificent polychrome wooden ships' prows from the
revolutionary fleet, as well as its flag, plus (out of sight in a plain wooden ossuary) the
bones of Laskarína Bouboulína.
5
ACCOMMODATION SPÉTSES TOWN
Accommodation, especially at the cheaper end of the range, tends to be widely scattered. On busy weekends and in
August it can be in short supply, so it may make life easier to arrange it through an agency (see p.347). The rest of the
season, though, you're likely to be met off the hydrofoil by people offering rooms. In town prices range from high, at
comfortable studio complexes, to jaw-droppingly expensive at some of the boutique hotels; at quiet times, big
discounts can be negotiated.
Kastro Apartments
T
22980 75152,
W
kastro
-margarita.com.
An attractive complex of studios and
duplex apartments towards Kounoupítsa, behind Café
1800. Comfy accommodation with kitchen, a/
c, TV
and
balcony is arranged around a small pool and bar.
€100
Klimis
T
22980
72334,
E
klimishotel@hol.gr.
Right on
the front, 200m east of the Dápia,
Klimis
may be a little run-
down, but is convenient, open all year and excellent value
given its position, with wonderful views from the balconied
rooms at the front and some kind of sea view from almost
every room. Downstairs there's a superb, old-fashioned
zaharoplastío
with
exce
llent ice cream, where breakfast
(included) is served.
€60
Poseidonion
T
22980 74553,
W
poseidonion.com.
Vast, imposing, fin-de-siècle edifice immediately west of
the Dápia which reopened in 2009 after years of
meticulous refurbishment. Grand, high-ceilinged rooms in
the main building, many with free-standing, claw-foot
baths; bungalows at the back, behind the pool, and an
amazing cupo
la su
ite in the tower. Prices to match,
unfortunately.
€200
Roumani
T
22980 72244,
W
hotelroumani.gr.
Prime
location right on the Dápia, which means rooms at the
front have stunning views - though they can also be noisy
and
are overdue for a refurb. Hence the reasonable prices.
€65
Ì
Villa Christina
T
22980
72218,
W
villachristina
hotel.com.
Friendly, well-maintained restored inn occupying
a rambling old building with two courtyards, in a quiet
location 200m inland from the Dápia, just off Bótasi. A/c
rooms and studios (with kitchens) for up
to
four people;
breakfast in the courtyard usually included.
€60
Villa Orizontes
T
22980
72509,
W
villaorizontes.gr.
Simple hotel in a quiet spot, high up (500m directly
uphill from the back of Platía Oroloyíou - look for the
large veranda and blue shutters), with a variety of
different-sized rooms and apartments with fridge, a/c
and TV; more th
an h
alf have knockout views across town
and out to sea.
€50
Zoe's Club
T
22980 74447,
W
zoesclub.gr.
Lovely,
designer-decorated studios, apartments and houses
around a large pool, 200m east of the Dápia on a quiet
inland corner. All have flat-screen satellite TV, DVD
players and espresso machines in the fully equipped
kitchens, and almost all have a great sea view. Fully
booked for Aug and summer weekends and almost
empt
y the
rest of the time, though few bargains even
then.
€195
EATING AND DRINKING
Brace yourself for some of the steepest food and drink prices in the Greek islands outside of Mýkonos and Rhodes -
especially in the cafés around the Dápia and romantic spots on the old harbour.
Ì
Akroyialia
T
22980
74749.
Excellent seafood
taverna on the waterfront towards Kounoupítsa with
reasonable prices (cheese-stuffed biftékia €9, grilled
prawns €16) and a wonderful setting, with candlelit tables
on the beach and the water lapping almost to your feet as
you eat.
Daily lunch & dinner.
Cockatoo
T
22980 74085.
Basic kebab and
yíros
place in
a narrow alley between the Dápia and Platía Oroloyíou,
serving some of the cheapest food in town; stick to the
basics, and it's delicious.
Daily noon-midnight.
Exedra
Old Harbour
T
22980
73497.
A smarter, older
crowd enjoys standard dishes like moussaka,
angináres ala
políta
(artichokes with dill sauce, both €7.50) and fresh fish
in an unbeatable waterside seating. Despite the upmarket
image, prices are just a little higher than at neighbouring
establishments.
Daily noon-4pm & 7pm-midnight.
Kafeneion
Dápia.
Pebble mosaics underfoot and sepia
photos indicate that this was the island's first watering
hole; a prime people-watching spot, open all day for coffee
and snacks, progressing later to a full range of mezédhes, or
