Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
9
Doryssa Seaside Resort
Potokáki beach
T
22730
61360,
W
doryssa-bay.gr.
Huge complex including a
hotel wing with Philippe Starck-ish rooms and a
meticulously concocted fake village; each cosy bungalow
is unique an
d the
re's even a platía with a pricey café. April
to mid-Oct.
€130
Pension Dryoussa
T
22730 61826,
E
dryoussa
@hotmail.com.
Friendly and picturesque guesthouse, two
blocks inland from the town beach, with eight cosy,
traditionally
dec
orated rooms, most with small balconies.
March-Nov.
€40
Studios Galini
T
22730 61167.
Brightly painted
building, four blocks uphill from Lykoúrgou Logothéti,
containing high-quality self-catering units, all with
balconies and ceiling fans, most
with
a/c. Kindly English-
speaking management. April-Oct.
€35
EATING, DRINKING AND ENTERTAINMENT
Amadeus
Popular and enduring club, just in from the
jetty, that showcases quality live Greek acts followed by
recorded hits.
Tues-Sun 9pm-late.
Faros
T
22730 62464.
The best of the bunch stretching
along from the harbour, where you can get basic seafood and
small fish for well under €10.
May-Oct daily 10am-1am.
Rex
T
22730 51236.
On the outskirts of Mytilini village,
7km northwest, the Rex is one of the best-maintained
outdoor cinemas on the islands, screening quality first-run
films, with free
loukoumádhes
(sweet fritters) and cheap
pizza at intermission.
Late May to mid-Sept.
Souda
T
698 22 79 746.
Tucked down an alley off the
harbour,
this excellent year-round restaurant specializes in
oven-baked home cooking such as moussaka and
yiouvétsi
for around €7-8. Check out the dish of the day.
Daily
11am-midnight.
Heraion
Tues-Sun: June-Sept 8am-8pm; Oct-May 8.30am-3pm • €3 •
T
22730 95277
Under layers of alluvial mud, plus today's runway, lies the processional Sacred Way joining
ancient Samos with the
Heraion
, a massive shrine of the
Mother Goddess
, 5km west of
Pythagório. Much touted in tourist literature, this assumes humbler dimensions - one
surviving column and low foundations - upon approach. Yet once inside the precinct you
sense the former grandeur of the temple, never completed owing to Polykrates' untimely
death at the hands of the Persians. The site chosen, near the mouth of the still-active
Imvrassós stream, was Hera's legendary birthplace and site of her trysts with Zeus; in the
far corner of the fenced-in zone you can tread a large, exposed patch of the Sacred Way.
Iréon
Modern
IRÉON
, barely a kilometre west of the ancient site, has a coarse-shingle beach
and is at first glance a nondescript, grid-plan resort. Nonetheless its characterful
pedestrianized waterfront remains popular: there are much better
tavernas
than at
Pythagório, and after dark it has a more relaxed feel. The restaurants along the shore are
especially busy on summer nights around the
full
moon
, when Iréon is the best spot on
the island to watch it rise out of the sea.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
IRÉON
Aegeon
(Markos)
T
22730 95271.
Probably the most
accomplished and Greek-patronized taverna, halfway
along the seafront, with fresh wild fish at normal prices and
good starters like potato salad and mushroom soufflé.
Book ahead on moonlit nights.
April-Oct daily
11am-2am.
Glaros
T
22730 95457.
Cult place two-thirds of the way
west along the seafront, where the atmosphere and prices
are excellent. Home-cooked delights include fish soup and
okra, alongside standard grills, salads, fried vegetables and
barrelled wine.
May-Oct daily noon-1am.
Ì
Kohili
T
22730 95282.
The hotel rooms at
Kohili
, just
behind the western seafront, are simple but great value,
especially during high season, while the taverna below is a
star, offering delights such as urchins, cockles a
nd o
ctopus
salad in the shady courtyard (daily10am-late).
€40
Southern Sámos
Since island bus routes rarely pass through or near the following places, you really need
your own vehicle to explore them. Three Samian “
pottery villages
” specialize, in
