Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING AND DRINKING
Gorgóna
T
22840 71461.
A lively hippy and
alternative commune that also offers rooms. Don't be
put off by the tattooed arms on display, or the rock music
blasting out of the speaker; this is the hangout of
mellow souls who
welco
me strangers.
May-Sept daily
noon-late.
Rooms
€60
Yórgos-Dimítris
Fasoloú
T
22840
71493.
An excellent
and well-priced taverna offering only produce from its own
farm and good house wine. The shady location under the
tamarisk trees and the nearby parking facilities make it the
best beach eating option in this part of the island (mains
start from €5).
Easter-Sept daily noon-midnight.
6
Platýs Yialós
PLATÝS YIALÓS
is 12km away from Apollonía, near the southern tip of the island, and
has a long stretch of beach that takes four bus stops to cross in its entirety. Buffeted by
occasional strong winds, a continuous row of buildings - many of them pottery
workshops - lines the entire stretch of beach, which can be slightly off-putting. Still, it
should be on everyone's radar, because it offers some of the best food on the island. A
five-minute walk from the last bus stop over the southwestern headland brings you to
Lazárou Beach
, a tiny pebble bay entirely occupied by the eponymous beach bar and
restaurant behind the water's edge.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
PLATÝS YIALÓS
Alexandros
T
22840 71300,
W
hotelalexandros.gr.
Getting off at the first bus stop at Platýs Yialós, you
encounter this unmistakeably luxurious - as the large
swimming pool indicates - but surprisingly affordable
hotel where the focus is on room size rather than elaborate
reception areas. La
rge,
home-made buffet breakfast
included. May-Sept.
€70
Ì
Ariadne
Beach
T
22840 71277.
An excellent
restaurant in a shady courtyard under the beach salt cedar
trees near bus stop #3. It is featured regularly in every
Greek gourmet publication, specializing in octopus
macaroni, lobster spaghetti and seafood risotto (€11).
March-Oct daily noon-midnight.
Cyclades Beach
T
22840 71276,
W
cycladesbeach.gr.
Reputable hotel by the third beach bus stop that has been
operating since 1979 and offering the best-priced rooms on
the island. Its restaurant, open to non-residents, has a good
buffet breakfast for €4 and, later, traditional Greek food for
€8 till
mid
night. The owners also organize trips around
Sífnos.
€45
Vathý
A fishing village on the shore of an almost circular, almost enclosed bay,
VATHÝ
is the
most attractive base on the island, with little to do but relax on the beach or in a
waterfront taverna. Even the surfaced road and the opening of the luxury
Elies
resort
(see below) seems not to have destroyed the character of this previously remote spot; a
character accentuated by the poster-pretty all-white monastery of Taxiárhis on the
promontory bisecting the beach.
ACCOMMODATION
VATHÝ
Elies Resort
T
22840 34000,
W
eliesresorts.com.
Gated, and protected by its own security staff, this top-class
resort - where every employee is disconcertingly attired in
white clothes, giving it a semblance of the village in the
Prisoner
TV series - offers luxurious surroundings and
claims to have the largest pool in the Cyclades. Drop in to
play spot-the-VIP, as it is frequent
ed b
y celebrities,
politicians and industrialists. May-Oct.
€250
Studios Nikos
T
22840 33244,
W
sifnosrooms.com.
A
villa compound dead on the beach with attractive,
comfortable studios sharing a front grass garden with
uninterrupted views to the sea. With large balconies and
verandas, separate kitchens and a lot of room inside for
three or four people, the
y are
great value for a family self-
catering stay. April-Nov.
€50
EATING AND DRINKING
To Tsikali
T
22840 71177.
One of the better-known family
tavernas on Sífnos, it has the best spot on the seafront
beyond the monastery and can occasionally surprise the
most discerning of palates with its home-made cheese,
mezédhes, chunky chips, goat
gástres
and lemony rabbit
dishes (€7).
Easter-Oct daily noon-midnight.
