EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

Heading for the coast via Áyios Dhimítrios, you tackle 6km of twisting paved road down to ÁYIOS IOÁNNIS , once the port and boat-building yards for Áyios Dhimítrios but now eastern Pílio's major resort. A score of densely packed hotels and private rooms were thrown up during the mid-1980s in a manner now decidedly illegal, but despite these numbers finding a bed here in peak season is as problematic as anywhere on the peninsula with a significant package presence. Budget accommodation options include the Hotel Evripidis (tel 04260/31 338; ¬34-42) on the seafront or the Hotel Marina (tel 04260/31 239 or 31 097; ¬24-33) in a peaceful cul-de-sac at the south end of the strip, an annexe of the adjacent Hotel Eleana which fills first with packages. With a bit more to spend, try the civilized, good-taste Anesis (tel 04260/31 123, www.geocities.com/anesis ; ¬43-58), which welcomes walk-ins to its pastel-decor rooms; the kitschly furnished Zephyros (tel 04260/31 335; ¬34-42) at the quieter, south end of the strip; the superbly sited but somewhat unwelcoming Manthos Beach (tel 04260/31 137, www.hotelmanthos.gr ; ¬43-58), at the northern, pedestrianized end of the front; and the somewhat impersonal but good-value Aloe (tel 04260/31 240; ¬59-72), sprawling behind its lawn-garden. Restaurants along the front are all much of a touristy muchness, though Akroyiali and Poseidon have their virtues. For something more unusual, the Ostria inland (well-signed) acquits itself well as a kultúra taverna, with rich, generic-Mediterranean recipes making good use of herbs and other strong flavourings; proprietress Hariklia spent years in Florence, so pasta dishes are emphasized. It's worth the splurge of about ¬18 a head, plus wine (either very good bulk or Rapsani bottled), but seating is limited so reserve on 04260/32 132.

The beach at Áyios Ioánnis is popular and commercialized, with windsurfing boards and waterskis for rent. For more ambitious activities, such as sea-kayaking, mountain-biking and horse-riding, contact local travel agency Les Hirondelles (tel 04260/31 181, www.les-hirondelles.gr ), which also changes money and arranges accommodation if necessary. For a quieter time and finer sand, walk either ten minutes north to Pláka beach, with its mostly young, Greek clientele and popular beach bar/taverna, or fifteen minutes south (past the campsite tel 04260/49 238; June-Sept) to Papa Neró beach, the best tanning spot in the vicinity, and accordingly cluttered with sunbeds. At present it's fronted by just a few rooms for rent - Iy Orea Ammoudhia (tel 04260/31 219, fax 31 965; ¬34-42) being one of the best, and the only one not controlled by Les Hirondelles - and two good tavernas, though a mass of building sites on the slope above suggest its peaceful days are numbered.

South from the campsite, a narrow paved road leads to DAMOÚHARI , a hamlet set amid olive trees and bordering a secluded port. The construction of another road down from Moúressi has put an end to its seclusion, and villas are springing up fast amongst the olive trees. However, cars are excluded from the shoreline area, which offers a large pebble beach, the overgrown ruins of a Venetian castle, and three tavernas , best of which by some way is Kafezythestiatorio Barba Stergios , where you can dine on excellent wild fish, two starters and bulk wine for under ¬18, or assorted meat grills and mayireftá for far less. Top accommodation choice here is the attractive, unobtrusive Hotel Damouhari (tel 04260/49 840, fax 49 841; ¬59-72), a mock-trad "village" of stone-built studio cottages and rooms, with antiques and wood trim in the units and fine decor in the bar which is better known as Kleopatra Miramare . A small pool, more of a gathering place, was added in 2001. Unfortunately for on-spec travellers, they're block-booked much of the year by British companies Simply and Tapestry; local alternatives are the comparatively modest Rooms Kastro (tel 04260/49 475; ¬34-42) and Rooms Thomas Olkas (tel 04260/49 872; ¬34-42).

From Damoúhari, it's possible to walk to Tsangarádha in 75 minutes, a popular and rewarding trip (though most folk do it downhill in something under an hour). At the mouth of the ravine leading down to the larger bay, a spectacular kalderími begins its steep ascent, allowing glimpses of up to six villages simultaneously, and even the Sporades on a clear day, from points along the way. Subsequently there is deep shade, and springwater approaching Ayía Kyriakí; the path emerges in the Ayía Paraskeví quarter of Tsangarádha, just downhill from the post office.