Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
seafront rooms just about justify the high prices; don't
even consider
the c
heaper rear-facing ones. Closed mid-
Oct to March.
€115
Niriides Apartments
Emborió
T
22460 71784,
W
niriideshotel.com.
Ten simply furnished, spacious and
quiet rental units, spread over five hillside buildings on the
hillside just above the nice little beach at Emborió, 2km
from Yialós in the next bay north. All sleep four, and have
a/c; friendly management, on-si
te “lo
unge-café”, and a
good taverna immediately below.
€100
The Old Markets
Kali
Stráta, Yialós
T
22460
71440
,
W
theoldmarkets.com.
Boutique B&B hotel, housed in
an imposing and very elegant converted mansion a
short way up the Kali Stráta, with magnificent harbour
views. Each of its four en-suite rooms is luxuriously
furnished; th
e Sými
Suite, which costs double the rest, is
quite superb.
€225
Opera House
Yialós
platía
T
22460 72034,
W
symioperahouse.gr.
This unexpectedly large complex,
a short walk inland from Yialós' main square, consists of
several separate houses, newly built in traditional style,
perfunctorily furnished, and owned by a Greek-Australian.
They're divided into apartment suites holding from two to
six people; few have views to speak of, though they do have
balconies, but the rates for the shee
r sp
ace you get are
remarkably low, especially off season.
€70
Ì
Sými Visitor Accommodation
T
22460
71785,
W
symivisitor.com.
Wendy Wilcox and Adriana Shum offer
great-value rental stays in restored houses in Yialós and
Horió, with maid service every three days. Ranging from
simple studios to family mansions, these are private homes
let in their owners' absence, and come with full kitchens,
book/DVD collections -
and
all sorts of i
diosy
ncrasies.
Typical four-person house
€115
, two-person
€85
EATING AND DRINKING
and sweet wine sauce, lamb
stifádho
, feta
saganáki
in ig
sauce, and good desserts like lemon pie or panna cotta.
Best value of all is the phenomenal meze menu, designed
to share and costing around €15 per head; the dishes just
keep on coming.
Late May to late Sept, daily
7.30-11pm.
Syllogos
Platía Syllógou, Horió.
Vast but not impersonal
place with indoor/outdoor seating, great for taverna
standards like
skordhaliá
,
arní lemonáto
, fried fish and
aubergine
imám
, with good
hýma
wine on offer - only
skimpy portion sizes deprive it of an “author pick” symbol.
Daily lunch & dinner.
Tholos
Haráni quay
T
22460 70203.
The last restaurant
you come to as you walk around Haráni bay, with waterside
tables laid out right on the headland. A fabulously romantic
spot for a fine meal of grilled fresh fish; the cheese-topped
aubergine is pretty good too.
May-Oct, daily lunch &
dinner.
Trata
Platía Trata, Yialós
T
22460 71411.
This lively,
very informal local hangout fills most of the small square at
the foot of the Kalí Stráta. As you might expect from a place
called “The Trawler”, the fresh seafood is great, but it's also
a place to go off piste, and simply see what delights -
especially vegetable dishes - may be lurking in the kitchen.
Daily 9am-late.
RESTAURANTS
Dhimitris
South quay, Yialós
T
22460 72207.
This
family-run ouzerí, with open-air tables near the main
island bus stop, offers exotic seafood items like
hokhlióalo
(sea snails), tasty octopus fritters, and the miniature local
shrimps, along with grilled local sausages and chops and
vegetarian starters.
Daily lunch & dinner.
George & Maria's
Top of Kalí Stráta, Horió.
Jolly,
much-loved Sými institution, with summer seating on a
pebble-mosaic courtyard. Expect to be invited to inspect
the pots in the kitchen before making your choice -
perennial dishes, costing around €10, include feta-
stuffed peppers, beans with sausage, lemon chicken,
and a full range of grills.
Dinner daily, plus random
lunchtimes in season.
Metapontis Taverna
Emborió
T
22460 71820.
Lovely
little taverna, right beside the beach at Emborió, a half-
hour walk along the coast from Yialós. Open for all meals
daily; some beachgoers hang on to a table all day, with
fresh-grilled meat or fish for lunch and then ice creams and
snacks later on.
Daily 10am-7pm.
Ì
Muses
Yialós Platía
T
695 87 34 503.
The up-and-
coming star of the Sými scene,
Muses
offers a distinctive,
delicious, very contemporary and rather pricey take on
Greek cuisine. The cucumber salad is a deconstructed
tsatsiki, while the octopus with ouzo foam and orange is
fabulously succulent; like most dishes, it's available as a
meze (€10) or a main (€20). They've made the best of their
setting on the drab village square, just back from the
harbour, with lovely open-air seating beneath trailing
vines.
Daily 7.30-11.30pm.
Ì
Mythos
South quay, Yialós
T
22460 71488.
This
dinner-only, harbour-view roof terrace near the bus stop
serves some of the best food on the island. Chef-owner
Stavros's specialities include
psaronéfri
with mushrooms
8
BARS AND CAFÉS
The 2 As
Horió.
Named for owners Alex and Astrid, but still
widely known by its former tag of Jean & Tonic, this
convivial place is the heart and soul of the expat bar scene
in Horió, and caters to a mixed clientele with 1960s music.
Daily 6pm-late.
Bar Tsati
Harani quay
T
22460 72498.
You can't get any
closer to the water than this friendly, Italian-run little café-
bar, a short walk from the clocktower around Haráni bay. A
