Greece - Korina Miller [577]
Sleeping
Grivas Gerasimos Rooms ( 26740 33328; d/tr €75/88) Spacious studios with pot plants, small balconies and a seaside vista are a good bet at this pleasant place. Turn right at the Century Club on the waterfront and then go first left at the road parallel to the sea. The studios are 50m on your right. There may be a discount, depending on the length of stay.
Odyssey Apartments ( 26740 33400; www.ithaki-odyssey.com; apt €110-170; ) You need to head right along the waterfront then turn up right, signed Skinos and Odyssey Apartments, for another 500m to this excellent option. There are light, breezy studios and apartments with balconies, and a magical view of the yacht harbour and beyond.
Hotel Perantzada ( 26740 33496; www.arthotel.gr/perantzada; Odissea Androutsou; s €200, d €316-388, ste €459-707; ) Part of the Emelisse group, this stylish boutique hotel is in a transformed neoclassical building of 19th-century vintage. It all glows with modernist chic and the vibrant designs of such names as Philip Stark and Ingo Mauer. A new extension is even more dazzling and includes an infinity pool. Breakfasts are every bit as svelte.
Eating & Drinking
Vathy’s waterfront eateries are fairly standard and with identical menus, although there are exceptions.
For a sweet experience, try rovani, the local speciality made with rice, honey and cloves, at one of the patisseries on or near the main square.
Café Karamela ( 26740 33580; snacks €2.50-6) The western quay is home to this welcoming place, where you have a genuine picturesque view of the bay through a massive window. Board games, books and TV, plus home-made snacks cakes and pastries make it all even more pleasant.
Dracoulis ( 26740 33453; snacks €5-9) Housed in a dignified old seafront villa, this bar-cafe has drinks, sandwiches, mixed plates and music. Note the little mooring pool in front of the mansion and ponder on sea level rise. The below-road channel was once navigable by small boats. You’d need a mini-sub now.
Gregory’s Taverna/Paliocaravo ( 26740 32573; mains €5.50-19) This long-standing family concern serves fish and tasty specialities such as savoro, fish marinated in vinegar and raisins. It’s 1km north along Vathy’s waterfront and overlooks the yacht marina.
Drosia ( 26740 32959; mains €6-15) This well-known taverna serves authentic Greek dishes and throws in a touch of Venezuelan influence as well. Popular for its charcoal grill dishes you may also catch some impromptu dancing to the playing of bouzoukis. It’s 1km up the narrow road to Filiatro from the inner corner of the harbour.
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AROUND ITHAKI
Ithaki proudly claims several sites associated with Homer’s tale, the ‘Odyssey’. Finding the hyped-up locations can be an epic journey – signage is a bit scant. Many seem to be myths themselves, so vague are their locations, but there’s no questioning the classical spirit of this island. The Fountain of Arethousa, in the island’s south, is where Odysseus’ swineherd, Eumaeus, is believed to have brought his pigs to drink. The exposed and isolated hike – through unspoilt landscape with great sea views – takes 1½ to two hours (return) from the turn-off; this excludes the hilly 5km trudge up the road to the sign itself. Take a hat and water.
The location of Odysseus’ palace has been much disputed and archaeologists have been unable to find conclusive evidence; some present-day archaeologists speculate it was on Pelikata Hill near Stavros, while German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann believed it to be at Alalkomenes, near Piso Aetos. Also in Stavros visit the small archaeological museum ( 26740 31305; admission free; 9am-2.30pm Tue-Sun).
Take a break from Homeric myth and head north from Vathy along a fabulously scenic mountain road to sleepy Anogi, the old capital. Its restored church of Agia Panagia (claimed to be from the 12th century) has incredible