Greece - Korina Miller [435]
Park your bags at Finiki View Hotel ( 22450 61400; www.finikiview.gr; r €50-60, apt €60; ) where you soak up the view in an outdoor pool. Rooms are simple but spacious and the pricier ones have traditional design including raised sleeping quarters. It’s just above the village, overlooking the bay.
Dine on stuffed vine leaves, spicy cheese salad, chicken souvlaki and fresh fish galore at Marina Taverna ( 22450 61100; mains €4-7; year-round) where locals relax to traditional music and tables spill out along the harbour.
Nestled in a verdant garden some 9km north of Finiki are the secluded Pine Tree Studios ( 6977369948; www.pinetree-karpathos.gr; Adia; d €35, apt €45-70;). Rooms at this rural retreat are comfortable and spacious with kitchenettes and views over to Kasos. The apartments are fantastic – one with a fireplace and traditional bed and the other with stone walls and oodles of character. The on-site restaurant draws locals from around the island, serving fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden in a relaxed outdoor setting.
Walkers can head up the Flaskia Gorge, or as an easier option hike to the nearby Iliondas Beach.
Lefkos Λευκóς
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You’ll find Lefkos (lef-kos) 2km down towards the sea from the main coastal road. In summer it’s a burgeoning resort centred on a series of sandy coves but in winter you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone around at all.
Archaeology buffs explore the underground remains of a Roman cistern, reached by heading up the approach road and looking for sign on the left to the ‘catacombs’. Drive to the very end of the rough road and then strike out along trail K16.
If you decide to stay in this neck of the woods, try Le Grand Bleu ( /fax 22450 71400; www.legrandbleu-lefkos.gr; studio/apt €50/90;) for a homey, well-equipped apartment overlooking the curving Gialou Horafi middle beach in Lefkos. You’ll also find an excellent, shady Taverna (mains €7-12) on-site with mezedhes like garlic mushrooms and imam baïldi (aubergine in oil with herbs), or try the Karpathian mixed platter of sausages, cheese, capers and sardines.
There are daily buses to Lefkos, and a taxi from Pigadia costs €24. Lefkos Rent A Car ( /fax 22450 71057; www.lefkosrentacar.com) is a reliable outlet that will deliver vehicles, free of charge, to anywhere in southern Karpathos.
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NORTHERN KARPATHOS
As you head north, the scenery becomes more dramatic and rugged as the road ascends into the pine-forested mountains. Most people hop on a boat to reach the north; however, the somewhat treacherous road does offer spectacular coastal views as you drive along the mountains’ spine. The beaches in the north are pebbly and many are good for swimming and snorkelling and there is plenty of opportunity for walking.
Diafani Διαφι
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Diafani is Karpathos’ small northern port and a lazy kind of place in contrast to its busy sister port of Pigadia. Scheduled ferries call at the wharf and a summertime excursion boat arrives daily from Pigadia, to be met by buses that transport visitors to Olymbos. Otherwise, scheduled buses leave for Olymbos daily at 7.30am, 2.30pm and 5pm all year-round.
Most people just pass through Diafani; if you do decide to stay, you’ll likely have the beaches and trails to yourself. You can exchange currency at the Travel Agency of Nikos Orfanos but there’s no bank or ATM in town, so bring cash with you. There’s also no post office or car hire facilities, but you will find wi-fi access in a few restaurants. For local info, check out www.diafani.com.
ACTIVITIES
Join an excursion trip on the Captain Manolis to the remote and otherwise inaccessible reaches of Karpathos and to the satellite island of Saria. Boats leave from the stone jetty from the centre of town at around 10am, returning at 5pm. You need to take all supplies with you.
Walkers should pick up the Road Editions 1:60,000 Karpathos-Kasos