Greece - Korina Miller [353]
Zefiros ( 22860 41556; dishes €5.50-9.50) A great ouzerie and mezedhopoleio with a challenging selection of ouzo varieties. There are mezedhes plates for two at €20, as well as mixed small plates, and dishes such as lamb in vine leaves and shrimp saganaki. Keep left beyond Plateia Kontarini.
Pounta ( 22860 41063; Plateia Pounta; dishes €6-13) In Pounta’s garden setting there’s an inescapable sense of an older Greece, and the courteous service underlines this. The traditional food is excellent, from breakfasts starting at €4.50, to evening meals of rabbit stifadho or artichoke casserole. It’s all served on lovely crockery made by one of the owners, Lisbet Giouri; you can buy examples of her work.
Eva’s Garden ( 22860 41110; mains €8-24) Opened in the past couple of years, Eva’s brings an added flair to Folegandros cuisine. Starters include fava-bean purée with onion and parsley, while mains feature pork fillet in smoked cheese sauce or grilled marinated shrimps in a lime sauce with basmati rice. The wine list goes well with it all and includes Argiros vintages from Santorini. Keep right beyond Plateia Kontarini.
Also recommended:
Piatsa Restaurant ( 22860 41274; dishes €3-9.50)
Chic ( 22860 41515; dishes €4-9.50).
Drinking & Entertainment
Folegandros has some stylish cafe-bars such as Caffé de Viaggiatori ( 22860 41444), next door to Sottovento Tourism Office and offering Italian wines and finger food. Deeper into Hora is To Mikro ( 22860 41550), a good place for coffee, crêpes and cakes by day and cocktails at night.
At Hora’s very own ‘West End’ is a clutch of colourful music bars starting with Greco Café-Bar ( 22860 41456), with a great mix of sounds from a stock of over 1000 CDs, all against a backdrop of vivid murals. Next door are Avli Club ( 22860 41100) for early evening lounge music and later rock, disco, Latin and Greek; and Kolpo ( 22860 41570) for reggae, world music and soul, and a hammock garden with scenic views.
A Folegandros local drink is rakomelo – heated raki with honey and cloves. One of the best bars to enjoy it and get into the spirit of things is Astarti, next to the Melissa taverna on Plateia Kontarini.
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AROUND FOLEGANDROS
Ano Meria Αω Μερι
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The settlement of Ano Meria is a scattered community of small farms and dwellings that stretches for several kilometres. This is traditional island life where tourism makes no intrusive mark and life happily wanders off sideways.
The folklore museum (admission €1.50; 5pm-8pm) is on the eastern outskirts of the village. Ask the bus driver to drop you off nearby.
There are several very traditional tavernas in Ano Meria, including I Synantisi ( 22860 41208; dishes €4-8) and Mimi’s ( 22860 41377; dishes €4). Things may get a touch fraught at busy periods.
Beaches
For Livadi Beach, 1.2km southeast of Karavostasis, follow the signs for Camping Livadi. Further round the coast on the southeastern tip of the island is Katergo Beach, best reached by boat from Karavostasis.
The sandy and pebbled Angali beach, on the coast opposite to Hora, is a popular spot, now with a surfaced road to it and a bus turnaround. There are some rooms here and two reasonable tavernas.
About 750m over the hill, by footpath, west of Angali is Agios Nikolaos, a nudist beach. Livadaki beach is over 2km further west again. It is best reached by another 1.5km hike from the bus stop near the church of Agios Andreas at Ano Meria. Boats connect these west-coast beaches in high season. Agios Georgios is north of Ano Meria and requires another demanding walk. Have tough footwear, sun protection and, because most beaches have no shops or tavernas, make sure you take food and water.
In July and August, weather permitting, excursion boats make separate trips from Karavostasis to Katergo, Angali and Agios Nikolaos and from Angali to Livadaki beach.
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MILOS ΜΗΛΟΣ
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Milos (mee-loss) has a dramatic coastal landscape