Greece - Korina Miller [151]
Xenia Karlaftis Rooms to Rent ( 27330 22719, 27230 22991; s €25, d & tr €40) Ideally situated opposite Marathonisi, this friendly place offers basic but clean rooms. A communal kitchen area has a fridge and small stove for making tea and coffee.
Saga Pension ( 27330 23220; Kranais; d €50; ) This is a good-value saga-free, comfortable place with balconies. It’s 150m from the port, overlooking Marathonisi Islet. The upmarket Saga Restaurant is below (mains €9 to €15, fish per kilogram €45 to €70).
Matina’s ( 27330 22518; d/tr €60/65) A clean and comfortable abode in a great location in a house-cum-hotel, right in the heart of town. Owner Matina speaks no English but is welcoming.
Alkion Apartments ( 27330 23112; fax 27330 29041; Mavrovouni beach; d €80; ) If you want a beach setting, these smart and modern apartments are the best value at Mavrovouni and are equipped with small kitchenettes. There are larger and slightly more expensive options for families.
Eating
Seafood is the obvious choice, and the waterfront is lined with numerous fish tavernas, especially on Kranais, where tourists walk the gauntlet of waiters touting for custom.
Taverna Petakou ( 27330 22889; mains €3-7) This no-frills place is a local favourite. The day’s menu is written down in an exercise book in Greek. It may include a hearty fish soup, which comes with a large chunk of bread on the side. Beside the stadium on Xanthaki.
Poulikakos Restaurant-Grill ( 27330 22792; mains €6-14, fish per kilogram €35-55) You know the deal: Greek favourites for lovers of traditional cuisine. Decor is basic, helpings are gargantuan, quality is good – and prices are reasonable.
Taverna O Potis ( 27330 23245; mains €6.50-16; closed Thu) This ship-shape place has a spotless kitchen and generous helpings that locals flock aboard for. The house red is a bit like a massive ocean swell, but the taverna is well worth the walk to the far end of the promenade, opposite Marathonisi Islet.
For self-catering, we recommended supermarkets Kourtakis (Irakleos), around the corner from the bus station, and Karagiannis (cnr Vasileos Georgiou & Orestou).
Getting There & Away
BOAT
LANE Lines has one weekly summertime ferry to Crete via Kythira and Antikythira. Check the ever-changing schedule with Rozakis Travel ( 27330 22207; rosakigy@otenet.gr), on the waterfront at Pavlou 5. Island Hopping.
BUS
The KTEL Lakonia bus station ( 27330 22228; Evrikleos) is found northwest along the waterfront near Jande Café. Services run north to Athens (€21.40, 4½ hours, six daily) or via Sparta (€3.90, one hour) and Tripoli; and south to Areopoli (€2.40, 30 minutes, four daily), Gerolimenas (€5.40, 1¼ hours, three daily), the Diros Caves (€3.30, one hour, one daily) and Vathia (€5.90, 1½ hours, three weekly).
Helpful George will explain the best way to see the Mani from Gythio (return) in one day. Getting to Kalamata can be fiddly; it involves taking onward connections from either Itilo (€3.40, 45 minutes) or Sparta. There are only two buses daily (5am and 1pm) except Sunday to Itilo (the 1pm bus may require a change at Areopoli).
Getting Around
For car hire, contact Rozakis Travel ( 27330 22207; rosakigy@otenet.gr). Mopeds and scooters are available from Moto Makis ( 27330 25111; Kranais). The town taxi rank ( 27330 23400) is opposite the bus station.
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THE MANI Η ΜAΝΗ
The Mani, the region covering the central peninsula in the south of the Peloponnese, is a wild, rugged place; and Greeks from elsewhere will tell you, so are its people. Such was the formidable reputation of the inhabitants of the remote inner Mani that many would-be occupiers opted in the end to leave them alone.
For centuries the Maniots were a law unto themselves, renowned for their fierce