Greece - Korina Miller [297]
Karaoulanis Studios-Apartments ( 22820 24412, 6974460330; www.androsrooms.gr; d €50-60, apt €100) In 2009 the same family opened stylish new apartments on the outskirts of Hora that command splendid views across the wooded slopes to the south of town.
Alcioni Inn ( 22820 24522, 6973403934; alcioni@hellastourism.gr; Nimborio; d €70-80) These comfortable self-catering rooms are in the midst of the main Nimborio beachfront, below and to the north of Hora.
Niki ( /fax 22820 29155; xenonaw.nik@g.mail.com; s/d/tr €70/90/100; ) Open-beamed ceilings and wooden galleries enhance the traditional style and modernised facilities of this handsome old house on Hora’s main street. There’s a ground-floor cafe with a large veranda where you can relax and get breakfast for about €8.
Ermis ( 22820 22233; Plateia Kaïri) A pleasant little cafe and pastry shop on Plateia Kaïri.
Nonna’s ( 22820 23577; Plakoura; mains €5-10) Authentic mezedhes and main dishes of fresh fish from the family’s own boat are the order of the day at this popular little taverna at the old harbour. Sea bream, monkfish and red mullet are just a few of the fish dishes available. Vegetarians have a decent choice too, from salads to zucchini pie.
Palinorio ( 22820 22881; Nimborio; mains €5.50-8.50; 11am-2am) Fish is priced by the kilo at this long-established and reliable restaurant on the waterfront at the edge of Nimborio Beach. Lobster dishes are especially well prepared. Traditional Greek dishes and pasta dishes are also available.
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AROUND ANDROS
Between Gavrio and Paleopolis Bay are several pleasant beaches, including Agios Kyprianos, where there’s a little church with a taverna close by; Delavoia, one half of which is naturist, Anerousa and Green.
Paleopolis, 7km south of Batsi on the coast road, is the site of Ancient Andros, where the Hermes of Andros was found. The small but intriguing Archaeological Museum of Paleopolis ( 22829 41985; admission free; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun) displays and interprets finds from the area.
If you have transport, a worthwhile trip is to head down the west coast of the island before turning northeast at Batsilianos through a charming landscape of fields and cypresses to reach Ormos Korthiou, a bayside village that lacks only a decent beach to give it full resort status. Head north from here along a lovely coastal road that climbs and turns through raw hills and wooded valleys for 20km to reach Hora.
From Hora you can continue north on a lovely scenic route through the high hills of central Andros before descending through switchbacks to Batsi.
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TINOS ΤΗΝΟΣ
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Hora, the port of Tinos, is a focus of Orthodox devotion that climaxes, with fervour, during festivals at the imposing Church of Panagia Evangelistria, home to the sacred icon of the Megalochari, the Holy Virgin. The icon is one of Greece’s most famous and is said to have been found in 1822 on land where the church now stands. Healing powers were accorded to the icon, thus leading to mass pilgrimage and a commercial future for Tinos. Religion still takes centre stage in Hora, although the town rattles and hums around it all like a typical island port should.
Beyond all this, Tinos survives as an island of great natural beauty. Its landscape of rugged hills is dotted with over 40 villages that protrude like marble outcrops from the brindled slopes. Scattered across the countryside are countless ornate dovecotes, legacy of Venetian influence. There is a strong artistic tradition on Tinos, not least in the sculptors’ village of Pyrgos in the north of the island where the island’s marble quarries are located.
Getting There & Away
Tinos is well served by ferries and there are regular connections to the mainland ports of Rafina and Piraeus as well as to the neighbouring