EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Accommodation is on the pricey side and hard to find in summer, or at weekends year-round, though all of it is en suite and usually with air conditioning. The three least expensive places are the modern Hotel Koukonas (tel 02650/41 179; ¬34-58), inland from the end of the new harbour, with clean if plain air-conditioned rooms; the Pension Votsalo (tel 02650/41 788; ¬34-58) above Hirólakkas, just three en-suite rooms with air-con and old-fashioned decor, but again no views; or the better-placed Rooms Hirolakkas (tel 02650/41 170 or 41 230; ¬34-42), in a modernized old building beside the folk museum, where the sea breeze from Hirólakkas bay does duty for air conditioning. Among several top-flight outfits, the clear winners are the delightful Italian-run Ganimede Hotel (tel 02650/41 328 or 097/2295719, fax 02650/42 160, www.gsp.gr/ganimede.gr ; ¬43-58; closed Nov), just six rooms in an old sea captain's house off the market street, with courtyard fountain garden and good-value breakfasts featuring proprietor Bruno's own patés and jams, plus advantageous half-board rates though Il Posto ; the Hotel Galaxa (tel 02650/41 620, fax 42 053; ¬43-58), occupying an old house on the hillside beyond Hirólakkas, somewhat casually run and maintained but with a garden bar for views plus private parking; or the 2000-built Arhondiko (co-managed with Pension Votsalo ; ¬73 and upwards), in a secluded spot beyond Hirólakkas with easy parking, partial sea-views and themed, mock-traditional rooms (including a mirrored-ceiling one) with self-catering breakfast facilities.

Tavernas , mostly on the southerly quay, are generally of a fairly high standard, though a few, like Steki and To Porto , are overpriced and worth avoiding. The only real budget choice is Albatross , inland on the street near Áyios Nikólaos, which has limited quantities of well-executed dishes from a similarly restricted menu. Tassos is best for fish, while Barko Maritsa near the far east end of the esplanade features savoury, non-greasy píttes and seafood risotto - allow ¬15 a head with bulk wine. But for a real treat (evenings only), look no further than Il Posto , opposite (and co-managed with) the Ganimede Hotel . By law there's an à la carte menu, but fast all day and plump instead for chef Bruno's four-course table d'hôte (¬20 with house wine) - salad, pasta, meat dish and home-made sweet in sufficient quantity to defeat most appetites. As for nightlife , a half-dozen bars on the quay cater to sophisticated Athenian forty- and fifty-somethings. Beyond the traces of ancient Oianthe, Di Bar incorporates a sand-strewn lido, while there's another beach bar at Kalafátis, the main youth hangout. The only establishment at Hirólakkas, and worth special mention, is Liovtrivi , ideal for a home-made dessert or a nightcap on the water. Proprietor George Minas is a painter of some note, and the building has been in his family since 1925 (working as a bar since 1977). Galaxídhi is large enough to support a post office and a bank with a cash dispenser; buses call at the landscaped central plaza-roundabout.