Greece - Korina Miller [569]
Vasiliki Bay Hotel ( 26450 31077; www.hotelvassilikibay.gr; s/d incl breakfast €60/70; ) A few blocks inland from the waterfront is this well-appointed hotel behind Alexander Restaurant. Prices drop substantially outside August. The same family has lovely villas outside the village. Phone for details.
Delfini (Dolphin; 26450 31430; mains €6.50-13) The best of the harbour haul, the food at this traditional place is freshly cooked to order and is popular locally.
Zeus ( 26450 31560) Current hot club on Vasiliki’s main drag, Zeus is revved up by the young water-sports crowd. You can always spill over into the next door Yacht Café ( 26450 31890).
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WEST COAST & AROUND
Serious beach fanciers should head straight for Lefkada’s west coast where the sea lives up to the brochure clichés; it’s an incredible turquoise blue and most beaches are sandy. The best beaches include remote Egremni and breathtaking Porto Katsiki in the south. You’ll pass by local stalls selling olive oil, honey and wine. The long stretches of Pefkoulia and Kathisma in the north are also lovely (the latter beach is becoming more developed and there are a few studios for rent here).
Word is out about the picturesque town of Agios Nikitas, and people flock here to enjoy the holiday village’s pleasant atmosphere, plus the lovely Mylos Beach just around the headland (to walk, take the path by Taverna Poseidon. It’s about 15 minutes up and over the peninsula, or for €3 you can take a water taxi from tiny Agios Nikitas beach). The town’s accommodation options are plentiful, and include Camping Kathisma ( 26450 97015; www.camping-kathisma.gr; camp sites per person/tent/car €7/5/6), 1.5km south of town. Or try the modest, Greek-Canadian–run Olive Tree Hotel ( 26450 97453; www.olivetree-lefkada.com; Agios Nikitas; s/d incl breakfast €70/90) – ask a local for directions. Right on the beach is the excellent Sapfo ( 26450 97497; Agios Nikitas; fish per kilogram €40-60), Agios Nikitas’ established fish taverna.
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CENTRAL LEFKADA
The spectacular central spine of Lefkada, with its traditional farming villages, lush green peaks, fragrant pine trees, olive groves and vines – plus occasional views of the islets – is well worth seeing if you have time and transport. The small village of Karya is a bit of a tourist haunt but it boasts a pretty square with plane trees, around which are tavernas and snack bars. There’s a car park just as you approach the village. Karya is famous for its special embroidery, introduced in the 19th century by a remarkable one-handed local woman, Maria Koutsochero. Visit the Museum Maria Koutsochero (admission €2.50; 9am-9pm) for an interesting display of embroidery paraphernalia and local artefacts all laid out in a quite haunting way throughout a traditional house. There’s a cafe at the museum, though note that hours may vary. You can walk up steeply from the village or turn up a signposted road just before the village entrance coming from Lefkada Town.
For food, Taverna Karaboulias ( 26450 41301; Karya plateia; mains €5-13.50) is recommended for its traditional dishes, including yemista, tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice and herbs and a marvellous bread-based salad. For accommodation options ask British Brenda Sherry at Café Pierros ( 26450 41760; Karya) who can arrange all (as well as a cup of tea and signature toasted sandwich).
The island’s highest village, Englouvi, is renowned for its honey and lentil production and is only a few kilometres south of Karya.
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MEGANISI ΜΕΓΑΝΗΣΙ
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Meganisi, with its verdant landscape and deep bays of turquoise water, fringed by pebbled beaches, is the escape clause for too much of Nydri. It can fit into a day visit or a longer, more relaxed stay. There are three settlements; Spartohori, with narrow lanes and pretty, bougainvillea-bedecked houses, all perched on a plateau above Porto Spilia (where the ferry docks; follow the steep road or steps behind). Pretty