Date of HolidayJuly 2006 The IslandSamos is a mountainous, wooded island, with fertile plains in the south, cascading streams and springs of crystal clear waters. It nestles in the north-east corner of the Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Turkey. It is a relatively small island, being around 50 kilometres in length and at its widest part across is around 20 kilometres. The people of Samos produce wine, olive oil, tobacco, fruit and timber – boat building being one of the islands’ flourishing industries. Its olive oil and sweet Samos wine are very popular, as is the honey that can be bought just about anywhere along the roadside. A range of mountains runs through the island from east to west, rising to about 1,450 metres. The mountain sides are thickly wooded and the northern coast is precipitous and rocky. It is a great island to explore with the use of a Jeep. The landing at the airport is quite hair-raising. You fly over the island and then the plane has to turn back and bank very steeply to avoid going into Turkish airspace.
Our ResortWe chose the tiny bay of Ag. Nikolaos on the north coast of Samos, 5 minutes from Karlovassi, a large town which I personally found rather large and ugly and 20 mins drive from Kokkari – a lovely resort with a very pretty harbour front lined with tavernas and nice bars. Ag. Nikolaos is a small rocky cove with a pebble beach sitting at the foot of a green hill. It is very quiet and you do need transport as there is only one taverna on the bay and no supermarket. The Psarades fish taverna is well known on the island as being one of the best but was not personally our favourite. The only downside for us was that with 3 teenagers in our party, we had to drive to Kokkari each evening for the bars and shops. But if you want a quiet, peaceful holiday in beautiful surroundings, listening to the waves crashing on the rocks at night, then Ag. Nikolaos is a good choice. The high point at Ag. Nikolaos is the most amazing sunset which went down behind the Psarades Taverna each evening. And, if you cant sleep and rise at 5am the most amazing sunrise over the sea.
The AccommodationVilla Violetta, Ag. Nikolaos, nr Karlovassi: Villa Violetta is built by the sea with just a tiny road between the pool and the rocks! A very steep drive down from the main road leads you to this accommodation and the most beautiful bay of Ag. Nikolaos. If you really want a peaceful holiday, then I can highly recommend these rooms. There is a beautiful garden around the Villa with plenty of chairs and umbrellas and a nice pool. However, there is no shallow end which is a caution if you have young children (although there is a small splash pool). The shallow end is at least 5ft and at the deepest around 10ft with no markings. There are two types of rooms. Studios with twin beds, kitchen and bathroom and there are adjoining rooms – one of which we stayed in. These are two Studios with an adjoining door, with two bathrooms and one kitchen which is ideal if you have children. Photos of Villa Violetta are on the Gallery section of the Samos page. This holiday can only be booked independently as no British tour operators go there. It is used mainly by Germans and the Dutch. It is extremely reasonable, being 53 Euros per night for the adjoining studios and the Studios for two people only 40 Euros. Stavroula and her family who own Villa Violetta are delightful and will provide breakfast should you wish for a small charge. There is a well-stocked bar also by the pool. http://violetta.gr/eng/
Places to Visit on SamosA trip in the Mountains (written by Christines husband – only one mad enough to do it) No trip to Samos is complete without at least one trip into the glorious mountains - either by jeep or, for the more energetic, by Shank's pony. Highly recommended is the journey to the little monastery of Prof. Illias, 1153 metres above sea level. Only madmen or possibly the English should attempt this journey in anything but a 4 x 4 but when reaching the top the views over the whole island are well worth it. You'll need a good map. However, even this won't help when approaching from the North as the "tracks" (and I use the term in the loosest possible way) are not the easiest to follow. Best to approach from the South via Pirgos then to Mesogio. After driving through this village look out for a road that doubles back sharply on the left up a steep hill - at this point it is no longer a road and in the words of Mr Spock - "It's a track Jim but not as we know it". Although rough and bumpy it is easy to find your way up the mountain and the turning off to the right is clearly signposted Prof. Illias where after a few hundred yards the small white monastery soon becomes visible. Having taken in the stunning vistas either return the way you came (turning left at the T junction) or complete the journey over the whole island from South to North by turning right. I personally would suggest you follow the signs to Vourloites having previously got completely lost attempting to find Manolates. Avoid any tracks which have signs depicting ‘no photography’ as you will soon encounter an unfriendly military presence possibly more scary than any of the tracks you've encountered over the last 30 minutes. Having reached the main road in the North, the picturesque village of Manolates is worth a visit carrying on through the Valley of the Nightingales - This road is surfaced and is a much safer option.
Valley of the Nightingales and the village of Manolates The Valley of the Nightingales is one of the most beautiful on the island. As you drive up this valley, which is unbelievably green with a stream running along the road side, you come eventually to the village of Manolates. A traditional Greek village but which obviously caters for the tourists now with art galleries and tiny houses selling local produce. It is well worth a visit and has several nice tavernas. There are many walks around the area, none too challenging, although the heat may make things tough during summer. The views from Manolates are wonderful.
Potami Falls Highly recommended are the Waterfalls and Gorge at Potami. Passing the 11th century church of Metamorphossis, the walk (around 20 minutes) will take you through a lovely forest and eventually ends at a small lake where you can take a swim, the falls are then straight ahead. A wooden staircase will take you to the top of the falls but to actually see the waterfall you need to wade or swim and then the more adventurous can go down a rope from the top of one of the waterfalls and throw themselves off the top to the lake below !! For those not so mobile, you can stay at the bottom of the falls and wade through the water to the base of them. One word of warning though - you cannot see the Waterfalls unless you go into the water. But the whole gorge is beautiful and makes for a good day out whatever you do. At the top of the wooden staircase is a welcome taverna.
Pythagorion Pythagorion is named after the famous mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras. It has a picturesque harbour lined with many tavernas, bars, and cafes. The town appeared to be smaller than I expected with one main road running down to the harbour with supermarkets and tourist shops but wander off and you find yourself in quiet narrow streets with traditional houses built on the slopes.
Potokaki beach The beach to head for if you enjoy watersports. Everything from donut rides and the flying fish to kayaking and jet skis. The beach, which begins from Pythagorion and ends in Ireon has repeatedly been awarded the Blue Flag of the EU as one of the best beaches in the Mediterranean. There are good facilities, and from the beach you can watch the planes taking off from the airport.
Samos Town When looking down from the main island road high above the sea, Samos Town looks beautiful, sitting along the shore at the end of a long horseshoe bay. Pastel houses and weathered red tile roofs tumble down the dark green hillside to a long and deep waterfront promenade. However, on reaching the town by road, the wide and long waterfront dual carriageway turns out to be noisy, a nightmare to park and a mass of tourist shops, police with whistles and over-priced tavernas where you sit right on the roadside. We did manage to find a nicer place to eat amongst the back streets but the whole town was just far too busy and loud for my liking. However, the younger members of our group enjoyed finding ‘Club Row’ where there were a few lively bars along the waterfront. During a later trip along the East coast we did, however, come back through the old part of Samos Town (Vathy) which is more picturesque. East Coast If you hire a jeep for your holiday, another trip worth taking is along the East coast. Starting from Samos Town, drive out towards Ag. Paraskevi and then along tracks which reminded me of Jurassic Park !! (absolutely stunning scenery) Head towards Kamara and then over to the bay of Mourtia. Make sure you take food as there is absolutely nothing at Mourtia. Just an amazing bay for snorkelling or a nice picnic. Very pretty and well worth the visit. From here we headed back via Ag. Zoni and then through Vathy, the old town of Samos. However, had we not visited Kerveli and Posidoneo on another occasion, this could easily be incorporated in this day trip.
Kerveli This was to have been our first choice to stay when researching Samos but the long drive down to the bay would clearly have been too far as we wanted to explore the island and go out each evening. It is a secluded spot and a car is definitely needed unless you intend to go nowhere! It was a long drive up and down the twisting B lanes to the main island road. It is a pretty bay where shady tamarisk trees line the shingle beach. It is very much dominated by the German tourist – and not as nice in my view as people had recommended. It has two tavernas and some accommodation on the beach but is largely dominated by the Kerveli Village Hotel on the hill.
Posidonion A very attractive sheltered cove and fishing hamlet with a shingle beach, but once again too far to travel anywhere else once you are there. When you look at the map of Samos you can see just how far you would need to travel to reach anywhere else during the evening if you wanted to leave the resort to find tavernas in other towns.
Balos, Ormos, Marathokambos & Votsalakia Balos is a surprisingly long beach fringed with tamarisk trees and backed by mountains. Another place we had looked at to stay but once again, far too remote – just a good place for a swim and a picnic under the trees. Ormos Marathokambos is a working village, with a good range of tavernas. It has a little port and a stony beach and has more of a Greek atmosphere than most of the other resorts. A place to enjoy a pleasant lunch but so quiet you could hear a pin drop! Above it lies the hill village of Marathokambos perched among the vineyards and overlooking a steep valley. The islands longest beach is found at Kambos, also known as Votsalakia. The beach of fine sand turns to shingle in the sea but this has to be the most unattractive of all the places I saw on Samos. It is an ugly, sprawling tourist resort full of package holidays apartments and tacky bars. The saving grace is the backdrop of Mt. Kerkis
Kokkari Kokkari is personally where I probably wish I had stayed or just on the outskirts. I loved Ag. Nikolaos and our accommodation but, as mentioned earlier, our location was remote and with teenagers we probably spent 12 out of our 14 nights in Kokkari and grew to love it. A highly recommended resort. It is probably the fourth largest resort on the island after Samos Town, Karlovassi and Pythagorion. Once a quaint fishing village, it is now a pretty harbour lined with tavernas and bars and a mass of colourful flowers and shrubs. A rocky outcrop separates the old village from the new resort and the mainly shingle beach sweeps westward. It is rather exposed and can be windy – as can most of the north coast of Samos. There is a good windsurfing school located in Kokkari. The steep wooded hills behind Kokkari are some of the most attractive on the island with pines and vineyards sweeping right down to the seashore. There are one or two very good tavernas in Kokkari which I will mention at the end of my review.
Tsambou A lovely beach (not to be confused with the more popular Tsamadou). It is a pleasant bay with a shingle and sand beach, an excellent taverna, waiters who serve you at your sunbed and some music playing on one area of the beach.
Finally, Samos is not an island for young people looking for nightlife, music bars or lots of English holidaymakers. Samos Town did have what they call ‘Club Row’ but mostly they were music bars located in just one particular area of town. Pythagorion did have a couple of clubs that started after midnight, but most of the bars in town were relatively quiet and Kokkari was very low key with maybe half a dozen music bars, but not playing the up-to-the minute English music you find on other Greek island resorts. An island definitely for couples or young families wanting a quiet, relaxing holiday.
Recommended Tavernas on SamosMeravilia in Kokkari Meravilia was our most favourite taverna during the whole holiday. Located in an idyllic spot, with tables right on the sea front in Kokkari. The friendly manager and staff make you so welcome and offer you fruit and Samos wine after you meal with their compliments. Very reasonable prices, 6 – 8 Euros for most dishes, which came with French fries, rice, salad and vegetables – good, large plates and a complimentary plate of garlic bread to start. Wonderful Greek salads too. Meltemi in Kokkari A family run taverna overlooking the main beach with great fresh fish and Greek meals. We actually had our table placed on the shingle beach and watched the sun go down. A different experience and good food. Psarades Fish Taverna, Ag. Nikolaos A bustling fish taverna, which also serves meat dishes, built out on the rocks at Ag. Nikolaos. A very traditional taverna used mainly by the Greeks, we did find the portions small and did feel that they weren’t catering for holidaymakers. Both the fish and meat dishes came with no potatoes (well, 4 chips) or vegetables and so it made the taverna more expensive as you needed to order Greek salads. However, we did notice the locals were eating quite differently and probably “off the menu”. A shame as the location of the taverna is stunning and peaceful. And the sunset makes it worth a visit. http://www.aegean-news.gr/samos/en/going_out/Psar/psar.html Basilico, Kokkari An Italian restaurant. Made a nice change and fabulous food. Enormous plates, slightly more expensive than the average Greek taverna, but well worth it. Huge pizzas and tasty pasta dishes. But get there early as it gets very full and is still bustling long after all the other tavernas have emptied, so a good recommendation. It is located on the headland between Kokkari harbour and the beach. We found that eating out in Samos was so much cheaper than most Greek islands we have visited. The average cost of a main meal for 3 people with a pint of beer, two glasses of wine and water was 32 Euros. Excellent value for money. |
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