Greece - Korina Miller [434]
SLEEPING & EATING
Hotel Sophia ( /fax 22450 81078; www.hotelsophia-karpathos.gr/sophia; d €40; ) With a burgeoning garden and cool, well-maintained rooms at the northern end of the settlement, Hotel Sophia is a great deal. All rooms have kitchenettes but ask for one with a balcony to dine over waterfront views.
Vardes ( /fax 22450 81111; www.hotelvardes.com; s/d €57/62; ) These simple, spacious studios are set back against the hillside among a lush olive grove and a few banana palms. Chill on the shaded balconies or at the laid-back bar. Some rooms can sleep up to five and it’s an easy walk to the beach.
Ammoöpi Taverna ( 22450 81138; mains €4-7) At the far northern end of Ammoöpi and right on the beach, the food here is uniformly good. Look for the daily specials – the clove-laced mousakas (sliced aubergine and mincemeat arranged in layers and baked) is excellent.
Taverna Helios ( 22450 81148; mains €5-7) Just back from the main beach and handy for lunch after a swim, Helios offers Greek and international cuisine with large portions.
Menetes Μεετές
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Perched precariously atop a sheer cliff, the picturesque village of Menetes (me-ne-tes) overlooks rolling landscape. The main street is lined with pastel-coloured neoclassical houses, backed by narrow, stepped alleyways that wind between modest whitewashed dwellings. The village has a small but well-presented museum (admission free; on request) on the right as you come in from Pigadia. Ask the owner of Taverna Manolis to open it.
Menetes is a pleasant place to while away an afternoon. If you decide to stay, try Mike Rigas Domatia ( 22450 81269; d/tr €20/25), a traditional Karpathian house set in a lush garden. Stop by Taverna Manolis ( 22450 81103; mains €5-7) for generous helpings of grilled meat, or try Dionysos Fiesta ( 22450 81269; mains €5-7) for local dishes, including an artichoke omelette and Karpathian sausages. Pelagia Taverna ( 22450 81135; mains €5-8), just below town, serves free-range goat and lamb along with local cheeses and excellent mashed fava lentils.
Arkasa Αρκσα
Once a traditional Karpathian village, Arkasa (ar-ka-sa) is now a low-key resort and comes to an utter standstill in winter. The village itself sits up from the water, 9km from Menetes, with its beachside resort below. For internet access, visit the Partheon Cafe in town, where you’ll also find a supermarket and a string of nondescript cafes with lovely sea views.
Follow a turn-off for 500m from the bottom of the village to the remains of the 5th-century Basilica of Agia Sophia, where two chapels stand amid mosaic fragments and columns. Below it you can walk along the coast to an ancient acropolis. Just south across the headland from here is Agios Nikolaos Beach. About 600m off the main road, it’s small and sandy and gets busy in summer with a volleyball net and clear water. Kip out on the water’s edge at Glaros Studios ( 22450 61015; glaros@greekhotel.com; Agios Nikolaos; studios €65), where rooms are decorated in traditional Karpathian style. There’s a relaxed adjoining restaurant.
On the road to Finiki, Eleni Studios ( /fax 22450 61248; www.elenikarpathos.gr; Arkasa; s/d €35/40; ) has breezy rooms with touches of colour and kitchenettes. Relax in the on-site bar or the gorgeous pool overlooking the sea. Family rooms are available here too. For something a little plusher, try Arkasa Bay Hotel ( 22450 61410; www.arkasabay.com; apt €100; ) with its relatively grand rooms, cocktail bar and spectacular views. Located at the southern end of town, it caters well to families with its apartments and children’s pool.
Finiki Φοικι
The quaint fishing village of Finiki (fi-ni-ki) lies 2km north of Arkasa. The best local swimming is at Agios Georgios Beach, between Arkasa and Finiki, while the small,