Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NIGHTLIFE
Ì
Dilaila
Katsadhiá
T
22470
41041.
Garden-set
beachfront taverna-café, overlooking the strand at
Katsadhiá. While pricier than the island norm, it's worth it
for such delights as salad with bits of local cheese, chunky
aubergine dip or
fáva
and marinated fish dishes; from
11pm until 4am it hots up as a late-night music bar.
June
to mid-Sept, noon until very late indeed.
The Rock
Lipsí's longest-lasting bar, right by the port,
with a congenial crowd, boulder-like host Babis and good
tunes.
Daily 6pm-late.
Arkí
Roughly two-thirds the size of Lipsí,
ARKÍ
is a far more primitive island, lacking proper
shops or a coherent village. A mere fifty or so inhabitants eke out a living, mostly
fishing or goat/sheep-herding, though servicing yachts attracted by the superb
anchorage at Avgoústa Bay - named for the half-ruined Hellenistic/Byzantine
Avgoustínis fortress
overhead - is also important.
Excursion-boat clients swim at the “Blue Lagoon” of
Tiganákia
at the southeast tip,
but other
beaches
on Arkí take some finding. The more obvious are the carefully
nurtured sandy cove at
Pateliá
by the outer jetty, or tiny
Limnári
pebble-bay (fitting five
bathers at a pinch) on the northeast coast, a 25-minute walk away via the highest house
in the settlement.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ARKÍ
By ferry
Agathoníssi (4 weekly; 1hr); Kálymnos (4 weekly;
4hr 20min); Lipsí (4 weekly; 1hr 35min); Léros (4 weekly;
2hr 50min); Pátmos (4 weekly; 40min); Samos (4 weekly;
2hr 20min).
8
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Nikolas
T
22470 32477.
Friendly taverna on the
flagstoned harbourside platía, where a mother/son team
serve home-made puddings and
mayireftá
such as
peppers with
goa
t's cheese, and offer pleasant west-
facing rooms.
€40
O Trypas
T
22470 32230.
Also known as
Tou Manoli
, this
waterfront taverna is renowned for its very decent fish
meals and mezédhes; has mock-trad, stone-floored rental
units just up the hillside; and doubles as the island's most
happening music bar.
Daily 1pm-late.
Maráthi
The nearest large, sandy, tamarisk-shaded beach is a ten-minute boat trip away on
Maráthi
, the only inhabited islet (permanent population 3) of the mini-archipelago
around Arkí.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
MARÁTHI
Pantelis
T
22470 32609,
W
marathi-island.gr.
The most
elaborate and “resort”-like establishment on Maráthi. The
beachfront tables outside make a perfect venue to enjoy
local free-range goat, fresh-caught fish, or vegetables from
the adjacent garden, while the rooms
are s
pacious, airy and
tastefully furnished. Closed Nov-April.
€45
Piratis
T
22470 31580 or 69739 62462,
W
marathi
-island.com.
Full-service taverna with waterside seating and
a menu of home-baked classic as well as fresh fish, plus ten
simple, adequate a/c en-suite rooms. Barefoot proprietor
Mihalis emphasizes his comic-book-pirate p
erson
a with a
Jolly Roger flag and speedboat named
Piratis
.
€35
Agathoníssi
The small, steep-sided, waterless islet of
AGATHONÍSSI
is too remote - closer to Turkey
than Pátmos, in fact - to be a popular day-trip target. Intrepid Greeks and Italians
form its main tourist clientele, along with yachts attracted by excellent anchorage. Even
though the
Nissos Kalymnos
(and a summer catamaran) appear regularly, schedules
mean you should count on staying at least two days.
