North West Coast – North to South
Resort and Beach Information...
Beaches - The northwest resorts are by no means commercial or built
up by tourism. You will find an excellent blend of Greek village life and
holiday resort along this coastline.
The beaches are mostly sandy and face
open sea bringing in soothing sea breezes, even in the hottest months. All
beaches offer umbrellas and sun beds for rent and offer varying water sports.
Blue Flag beaches are indicated.
Agios Stefanos (Blue Flag)
Agios Stefanos has a deep sandy beach and shallow waters making it ideal for small children. Good tavernas both on the village road and along the beach offer local food and English options as well. There are also a couple of excellent craft shops to browse through.
Arillas
For those looking for a small modest resort, Arillas is ideal; catering for both families and couples it offers a good choice of eateries and a few bars. The beach is sandy and has shallow waters. A rural setting backs Arillas with country roads winding between its neighbours of Agios Stefanos and Agios Georgios. It is possible to walk to Agios Stefanos from here (approximately 2km). Agios Georgios is a longer walk of 4.5 km (approximately).
Agios Georgios (Blue Flag)
The stunning deep bay of St George has a small amount of accommodation dotted between the tavernas facing the sea. The beach is sandy and is a perfect spot for sail boarding, which can be hired at the north end. There are some particularly good seafood eateries along the track that leads from the south end of the beach. Also as you climb out of the resort at the south end the sweeping vistas across the beach to the north are magnificent.
Paleokastritsa (Blue Flag – main beach)
The islands most well known beauty spot offers a selection of 5 different
bays to swim in and some of Europe’s best viewpoints.
A 13th
century monastery is perched on the hillside that overlooks the main
beach. The Monastery and museum are open to the public. Another must see
is Angleokastro, (by foot or car) a spectacular Byzantine castle, built
on a steep hill about 150 meters above the sea.
Hiring a boat from
the main beach can take you to one of the many nearby isolated beaches,
accessible only from the sea, or tour into the caves of Naufsica, or
even to neighbouring Agios Georgios by water taxi.
Ermones
A small sheltered cove, south of Paleokastritsa that houses a few hotels and some apartment blocks. A lovely sandy beach than gently shelves making it suitable for children. The nearest village, Vatos is just 3km away.
Glyfada
One of the most beautiful beaches on the island and located at the foothills of Pelekas. A well organized resort with plenty of beach activities and a good choice of café, bars and tavernas on the beach. There are a couple of good hotels on the beach as well as a selection of self-catering accommodation.
Pelekas
The stunning village of Pelekas is perched on a hill the height of 270
metres. From the lookout ‘The Kaiser’s Throne’ you can enjoy views both
over the west coast and the Ropa Valley that runs through the centre of
the island. This is also the islands premier sunset viewing
point
Pelekas beach (Kondogialos) is a long stretch of sand and
perfect for children as the water is shallow for approximately 10 metres
on entering the sea. There are 3 roads leading from the village to the
beach taking about 15 mins to walk down but considerably longer to walk
back uphill.
Agios Gordis
The beach at Agios Gordis is long and sandy and has a stunning back drop of impressive rock formations that seem to drop into the sea. There is always space on Agios Gordis, even in high season and the beach has the added plus of a village atmosphere making it an ideal location for a family holiday. There is 1 large hotel at the far south of the beach; the majority of accommodation is small Greek homes, apartments and studios just a few minutes walk from the beach. There is an excellent choice of eateries both on the beach and within the winding lanes that lead up into the village.
Agios Matheos and surrounding area
The village of Agios Matheos is set on the side of Mount Agios Matheos
with a backdrop of dense forest. This picturesque village has many
traditional stone houses and narrow laneways with a few quaint coffee
shops. The main income in this area is from farming and the area is
full-cultivated olive groves and vineyards.
There are some lovely,
unspoilt beaches near to Agios Matheos, such as: Paramonas, Prassoudi
and Halikounas each with at least 1 good taverna and all are sandy. The
sweeping bay of Alonaki is located at the northern most end of Lake
Korission.
St George (south) and Issos Beach
Continuing south and coming into the narrowest part of the island you can find the beautiful, long, stretch of sandy beach at St George that also incorporates Issos Beach (at the north end). Issos Beach is located at the south end of Lake Korission and is backed by sand dunes. St Georges beach is cut into 2 sections, the larger being the north end and the south a smaller version of the other. Between each end of the beach you can find a few small hotels and plenty of self-catering accommodation for rent. There is an abundance of choice for eating out with a couple of excellent seafood tavernas.
Marathia
The small village of Marathia has little in the way of rented accommodation but rooms can be found above the tavernas that fringe the beach. A further extension of St George (south) but quieter where tourism has little impact. Sun beds and umbrellas can be found but not water sports.
