Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
choose to spend the nights in the garden simply sipping
drinks (€6-8).
Fri-Sat, plus July-Aug Thurs-Sun
midnight-late.
Ì
Sails
T
22820 71333.
An excellent fish taverna at
the northern end of Gávrio offering the daily catch from
its own fishing boat (€12). Highly recommended by all
the locals and, as you will soon find out, by a clowder of
local stray cats.
Daily noon-midnight
.
St Peter's Beach Bar
Áyios Pétros beach
T
697 03
06 792.
A friendly, youthful bar with lively, chatty
international staff and a studenty atmosphere. It rents
deckchairs and beach umbrellas for €6 and sells beer and
cocktails while lulling you with lounge music.
May-
Sept daily 10am-8pm
.
6
Batsí and around
Most visitors head 8km south to
BATSÍ
, the island's main resort with its hotels, rooms
and bars set around a fine natural harbour. The beautiful though often crowded beach
curves twice around the bay, and the sea is cold, calm and clean. South of town, a
coastal road leads to the small, picturesque sandy cove of
Ayía Marína
and, further on,
the gorgeous beach of
Telavóyas
.
There's a good archeological site of the ancient city of
Paleópolis
, 8km south from
Batsí, which flourished from the sixth century BC to the end of the eighth century AD,
covering a large area just southwest of the modern village. It is reached via a very
pleasant and shady signposted path from the village to the eponymous beach. You may
also be interested in the archeological site
of
Zagorá
on west-coast headlands near
Paleópolis, but access is not straightforward without a map.
ACCOMMODATION
BATSÍ
Ì
Chryssí Akti
T
22820 41236,
W
hotel-chryssiakti
.gr.
Right behind the main beach, this hotel, which
depends mainly on domestic package tours, is solid,
central, efficient and comfortable. Good swimming pool,
and even better interior café-bar with a ir
st-c
lass range of
patisseries. Breakfast included. April-Oct.
€60
Villa Rena
T
22820 41024,
W
villarena.gr.
Reached
both by car from the ring road (limited parking) and via a
five-minute climb from the beach, this hotel has a super
collection of tastefully decorated apartments around a
sloping shady ga
rden
and a surprisingly deep swimming
pool. March-Oct.
€60
EATING AND DRINKING
Balkoni tou Aigaiou
T
22820 41020.
Accessed via a
narrow, winding hill road to the village of Áno Aprovátou
,
3km
from the highway south of Batsí, the “Balcony of the Aegean”,
set high above the coast, has superior, well-priced rural food;
try its home-made Ándhros sausage (€9). The panoramic
views are legendary.
Easter-Oct daily noon-4pm,
6-11pm, Nov-Easter Fri-Sat noon-4pm, 6-11pm.
Café Scala
Batsí
T
22820 41656.
The largest and most
popular hangout in the village with a DJ playing
easy-listening music after sunset. Good selection of beers
from €5. Don't forget to check out the hilarious Adam and
Eve theme in the toilets.
Easter-Oct daily 9am-5am,
Nov-Easter Fri-Sat 9am-5am.
Ì
Stamátis
Batsí
T
22820 41283.
An old-style family
taverna - the locals' choice - with a balcony for balmy
nights and a large indoor area for when the
meltémi
hits.
Try the Batsí speciality, chicken roll with local cheese for €9.
Daily noon-1am.
Hóra and around
Stretched along a rocky spur that divides a huge bay 32km from Gávrio, the capital
HÓRA
(also known as
ÁNDHROS
TOWN
) is the most attractive town on the island.
Paved in marble and schist from the still-active local quarries, the buildings near the
bus station are grand nineteenth-century edifices, and the squares with their ornate wall
fountains and gateways are equally elegant. The old port, Plakoúra, on the west side of
the headland, has a yacht supply station and a former ferry landing from where
occasional boats run to the isolated but superbly idyllic
Ákhla
beach in summer. More
locally, there are beaches on both sides of the town headland,
Nimborió
to the north
and the less developed
Parapórti
to the southeast, though both are exposed to the
meltémi
winds in summer - the reason Gávrio (see p.380), on the other side of the
island, became the main port instead.
