Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Horió
As the 350-plus steps of Kali Stráta deter most day-trippers from attempting to reach
Horió
, the old hilltop village makes a great refuge whenever Yialós is too hot or crowded.
It too holds its fair share of Italianate splendours and impressive basilicas. Once you
venture away from the main pedestrian lane, it can be quite a tangle to explore - the
part you can see from the harbour is just a small portion of the village, which stretches a
long way back above Pédhi Bay. At the very pinnacle of things, a
Knights' castle
, largely
destroyed by the wartime explosion, occupies the site of Sými's ancient acropolis; you
may glimpse a stretch of Classical polygonal wall on one side. The
church of the
Assumption
, inside the fortifications, is a modern replacement. One of the bells in the
new belfry is the nose-cone of a thousand-pound bomb, hung as a memorial.
A series of arrows leads deep into Horió to the excellent local
museum
(Tues-Sun
8am-2.30pm; €2). Housed in a fine old mansion, its collection highlights Byzantine
and medieval Sými, particularly frescoes in isolated, often locked churches. Displays
continue in the eighteenth-century
Hatziagapitos mansion
below, with wonderful
carved wooden chests and allegorical wall-paintings.
Beaches
There's no beach in Sými Town. Some visitors clamber into the sea from the harbour
wall in Haráni Bay, but neither there nor at the tiny, man-made
Sými Paradise
“beach”,
adjoining a restaurant just around the headland beyond Haráni, is the water clean
enough for swimming to be advisable.
Keep walking along the paved coast road from Haráni, however - there's no shade,
but the views are nice, and there's seldom any traffic - and in around half an hour
you'll come to quiet
Emborió
(Nimborió) Bay. The beach is just a narrow strip of coarse
shingle, but it's a great place to while away an afternoon of swimming, snorkelling, and
eating at the friendly taverna (see opposite). In summer, the beach is served by regular
taxi boats, so you're not obliged to walk both ways.
ACCOMMODATION
8
SÝMI TOWN
Albatros
Marketplace, Yialós
T
22460 71707,
W
albatrosymi.gr.
This pretty little hotel has five a/c
rooms, a pleasant second-floor breakfast salon, and
distant sea views. The website is also the booking venue
for a number of
mag
niicent Neoclassical villas divided
into apartments.
€65
Aliki
Haráni quay, Yialós
T
22460 71665,
W
hotelaliki
.gr.
Upscale waterfront hotel, housed in a renovated 1895
mansion, just around the corner from the main harbour.
The tasteful rooms have wood floors and some antique
furnishings, plus a/c and large bathrooms. All have at least
partial sea views, some have balconies,
and t
here's a very
nice suite. Closed early Nov to mid-April.
€130
Fiona
Horió
T
22460 72088,
W
fionahotel.com.
Village
hotel near the top of the Kalí Stráta; turn left at
George &
Maria's
. The large, simply furnished but attractive and airy
rooms upstairs enjoy stunning views and have small
balconies; breakfast, included in the price, is taken on the
bigger shared harbour-view terrace below. Also t
hree
studios next door. A three-person room costs €5 extra.
€65
Iapetos Village
Yialós
T
22460
72777,
W
iapetos
-village.gr.
Tucked into walled, landscaped grounds just
back from the main square at the head of the harbour, this
smart complex also includes a roofed-over pool. All its 29
units, variously categorized as rooms, studios and
apartments, are exceptionally large, and have kitchens;
some sleep up to six. A good buffet breakfast is
ofere
d
either in cool basement premises or by the pool bar.
€162
Kalodoukas Holidays
T
22460
71077,
W
kalodoukas
.gr.
Rental agents for a wide array of generally irresistible
houses and apartments, all with kitchen facilities and
many featuring traditional furnishings plus harbour-view
balconies and/or courtyard gardens. Some sleep up to six
guests. They also offer five beachfront apartments at
Mara
thoúnda Bay; see
p.544.
Two-person apartments
€100
, four-person houses
€140
Les Catherinettes
north quay, Yialós
T
22460 71671,
E
marina-epe@rho.forthnet.r.
Spotless en-suite
pension
, above the eponymous restaurant, in a historic
harbourfront building. Six simple rooms, with painted
ceilings, fridges, fans and sea-view balconies. The same
owners als
o of
er three studios in Haráni, plus a family
apartment.
€90
Nireus Hotel
Yialós
T
22460
72400,
W
nireus-hotel
.gr.
Sými's most conspicuous hotel, in prime position
near the clocktower at the harbour entrance, with a
lovely waterfront bar and a decent restaurant. The
stunning sea views from the adequate but unexceptional
