Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the Theófilou Kaïri square, right at the end of Hóra's main street, Embiríkou
(aka “Agorá”), you pass through an archway and down through the residential area of
Paleá Póli past the town theatre to
Ríva Square
, with its Soviet-donated statue of an
unknown sailor scanning the sea.
The tidy village of
Apikía
, north of Hóra, is the source of the Sáriza mineral water
brand. An uphill turn at the southwestern end of the village leads, via a signed
fifteen-minute path, to the
Rematiá Pytháras
, a pretty wooded stream with small
waterfalls. The road continues to
Vourkotí
and, after a turn-off to
Ákhla
(a dirt track
continuing for 8km), it then becomes a broad, mostly unused highway, via Árni, to the
west coast. There are some wonderful views of the northeast from along this road,
particularly where it crosses the
Kouvára ridge
at an altitude of 700m.
6
Archeological museum
Currently closed; check if open
Inside the
archeological museum
, on the main street near Kaïri, the displays, mostly
from Paleópolis (see opposite), are well laid-out and clearly labelled: there are funerary
stellae, a kouros and a torso of Artemis, but its prize item is the fourth-century
Hermes
of Ándhros
, reclaimed from a prominent position in the Athens archeological museum.
This is a remarkably preserved Roman copy of the Hermes of Praxiteles, one of
antiquity's greatest sculptors.
Goulandhrís Museum of Contemporary Art
June-Sept Wed-Mon 10am-2pm • €6 • Oct-May Sat-Mon 10am-2pm • €3 • Temporary exhibitions also open evenings 6-8pm •
W
moca-andros.gr
Behind the archeological museum (see above) there is the private
Goulandhrís Museum of
Contemporary Art
in the street of the same name. A four-storey mansion, it has a permanent
collection with works by prominent Greek sculptors as well as international artists such as
Hundertwasser, Warhol, Rodin and Giacometti, plus regular temporary exhibitions.
ACCOMMODATION
HÓRA AND AROUND
Alcióni
T
22820 23652/23805,
W
alcioni.gr.
These
pink-and-cyan studios right by Nimborió beach have
been expanded to fill all available space, cutting down on
common areas, such as reception; consequently they are
on the large side, with local wooden furniture, though
som
e ten
d to be a bit noisy from the traffic in front. April-
Oct.
€70
Iró
T
22820 22905.
Just one block away from the main
road, behind Nimborió beach, you can hear a pin drop in
these huge, well-furnished studios with th
eir
own
kitchenette - the best priced in Hóra. Easter-Oct.
€50
Onar Residence
Áchla beach
T
693 25 63 707,
W
onar
-andros.gr.
Extremely difficult to reach and a pain to get to
- 40km from Gávrio including 8km on a dirt road - but
worth it. This is an eco-lodge in the middle of one of the
best beaches of Ándhros with self-catering bungalows
composed of stone, wood and reeds, but supplied with all
modern facilities; as close to feeling st
rande
d on a desert
island as you could dream of. May-Oct.
€150
Paradise Hotel
T
22820 22187,
W
paradiseandros.gr.
If you have your own transport, this hotel, though far from
the beach and the town centre, is an exclusive holiday
sanctuary with modern art paintings in the common areas,
a striking swimming pool, a tennis court, free wi-fi, regal
furnishings a
nd e
ven a small folklore museum next door.
Easter-Sept.
€90
PANAYÍA PANAKHRÁNDOU
Two hours' pleasant walk from Hóra via the village of Fállika, or via a signposted turn-off on the
road to Kórthi, you arrive at the finest monastery on the island,
Panayía
Panakhrándou
(closed 1-4.30pm).
Founded around 961 and with an icon said to be by St Luke, it's still
defended by massive walls but is occupied these days by just one monk. From the entrance
door, a long passageway leads in past gushing springs to the atmospheric catholicon
dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin with its impressive and colourful iconostasis. Its lower
decoration with
Ottoman Iznik tiles
is unique in the Aegean and it represents a gift to the
monastery by Patriarch Dionysius III in the 1660s.
