Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
ÉVDHILOS AND AROUND
9
Ì
Mandouvala
Karavóstamo
T
22750 61204.
With a
delightful patio set above wave-lapped schist rock, this
popular taverna at the far right of the seafront
provides a
range of average-priced fish, mezédhes and veg delights
such as
soúfiko
(Ikarian ratatouille).
May-Oct daily
noon-midnight.
Ì
Mezedopolio tou Ilia
Avláki
T
22750 71009.
Some 300m up the road towards Theóktisti,
this is the
only real ouzerí on the north coast, and very proud of its
own produce and self-caught fish. Has a lovely sea-view
courtyard.
Noon-1am: June-Sept daily, Oct-May
Fri-Sun.
Sto Fytema
Fýtema
T
22750 31387.
Across the coastal
road from the beach,
Sto Fytema
draws crowds to its shady
courtyard from all over the island for its excellent vegetable
dishes and fish, much of which is under €10.
May-Oct
daily 11am-1am.
Coralli
Évdhilos
T
22750 31924.
On the west quay,
this is
a good place to feast on large portions of inexpensive oven-
cooked meat, such as goat done as
yiouvétsi
or
kokkinistó
,
plus ample salads, dips and so on.
April-Oct daily
1pm-midnight.
Ì
Karimalis Winery
Piyí, 5km southwest of Évdhilos
T
22750 31151,
W
ikarianwine.gr.
Several luxuriously
restored ancient, family-sized cottages make for perhaps
the classiest accommodation on the island. Half-board,
bottle of wine and port/airport transfer included. Cooking
courses and seminars also offered. The winery is near the
junction of the two
acces
s roads to the monastery of
Theóktisti. May-Sept.
€100
Kerame
Évdhilos
T
22750 31426,
W
atheras-kerame.gr.
On the hill behind the harbour, this is the best of Évdhilos's
three hotels. There are more spacious studio u
nits
1km east
overlooking the eponymous beach. April-Oct.
€45
Armenistís and around
Most visitors congregate at
ARMENISTÍS
, 51km from Áyios Kírykos via Évdhilos, and
for good reason: this little resort lies below Ikaría's greatest, if slightly fire-diminished,
forest, with two enormous sandy
beaches
battered by seasonal surf -
Livádhi
and
Messaktí
- five and fifteen minutes' walk east respectively, the latter with several
reed-roofed
kantínas
. The sea between here and Mýkonos is the windiest patch in the
Aegean, generating a fairly consistent summer surf. The waves, which attract Athenian
boogie-boarders, are complicated by strong lateral currents, and regular summer
drownings have (at Livádhi) prompted a lifeguard service and a string of safety buoys.
Armenistís itself is spectacularly set, facing northeast along the length of Ikaría
towards sun- and moonrise, with Mount Kérkis on Sámos visible on a clear day. A
dwindling proportion of older, schist-roofed houses and ex-warehouses, plus boats
hauled up in a central sandy cove, lend the place the air of a Cornish fishing village,
though in fact it started out as a smuggler's depot, with warehouses but no dwellings.
Just east of Messaktí, the fishing settlement of
Yialiskári
offers alternative facilities and
looks out past pines to a picturesque jetty church.
Nas
Three kilometres west of Armenistís,
NAS
, a river canyon ending at a deceptively
sheltered sand-and-pebble beach, remains a rather hippyish hangout, though it is no
longer a naturist's paradise. This little bay is almost completely enclosed by weirdly
sculpted rock formations, but again it's unwise to swim outside the cove's natural limits
- marked here with a line of buoys. The crumbling foundations of the fifth-century BC
temple of
Artemis Tavropoleio
(Artemis in Bull-Headdress) overlook the permanent
deep pool at the mouth of the river. Sadly the delightful former riverside forestation
further inland was swept away by heavy flooding in 2011.
ACCOMMODATION
ARMENISTÍS AND AROUND
Erofili Beach
T
22750 71058,
W
erofili.gr.
Considered
the island's best hotel, though the common area and pool,
perched dramatically over Livádhi beach, im
pres
s more
than the rooms. Breakfast included. April-Oct.
€90
Valeta Apartments
T
22750 71252,
W
valeta.gr.
The
attractive and comfortable studios and quads here above
ARMENISTÍS
Ì
Daidalos
T
22750 71390,
W
daidaloshotel.gr.
This
smart place on the western edge of town has a distinct
artistic flavour, with a blob-shaped pool, unusually
appointed rooms a
nd a
shady breakfast terrace. Breakfast
included. May-Oct.
€60
