Having recently returned to the UK from my Paxos Holiday, I wanted to share with you a little about my time there.
Paxos is situated south of Corfu and is only about 7 miles long and about 3 miles wide, making it the smallest of the Ionian islands. I had been told though, by many colleagues and friends, to look past the size and enjoy my Paxos holiday. Having experienced its wonder first hand I can now appreciate why people want to visit it again and again.
Yes, it is small, but that’s part of the charm – the villages, the white pebbles next to crystal clear water and the enchanting woodland areas. One thing that will really take your breath away is the olive trees. They are everywhere and the olive oil from Paxos is regarded as some of the best in the world.
The thing that makes a Paxos holiday different from other holidays on bigger islands is the opportunities for hiking on Paxos. It was made for hiking and you can cover the whole island in one day. There are even manmade tracks and paths to follow so that you see something new each time. This is especially good fun during spring and summer when there are plenty of new flowers blooming.
Another special thing about the size is that it can be deceptive. Despite being tiny, there are in excess of 30 beaches. Most are white pebbled, apart from the Mogonisi beach which has beautiful white sand. Many of the island’s beaches are hard to reach and you need to do what I did and hire a motorboat.
If you really want a proper sandy beach, your port of call should be Anti-Paxos. It has around 64 inhabitants and is only 5 km sq. However, it does have 3 main beaches – Vrika being the sandiest and Mesovrika and Voutoumi pebbled. It takes around 15 minutes to reach Anti-Paxos from Paxos at the port of Gaios and hidden away feel of the beaches make it well worth the trip.
Paxos has a population of around 2500 people who live in the villages at the seaside of Gaios the capital, Loggos and Lakka. The amazing thing is that these villages still have very separate identities. Take Gaios the capital of Paxos. It isn’t large, but has a great choice of restaurants and small bars, cafes and a lovely square.
Then consider Loggos, although the smallest, I found it to be the prettiest. It has 30 old houses near the waterfront. If you stay in the Loggos waterfront, you will be slap bang in the middle of village life. Although the waterfront is in a small village which is on a small island, it can still get rather busy. There are several good taverns, a nice local bakery and some shops with the nearest beach being Levrechio that takes around 5 minutes to reach on foot.
Lakka sits in the north and look on to Corfu. It has a large bay and olive trees there grow down almost to the edge of the water and hide the white pebble covered beaches. Lakka has a very friendly and authentic feel with some nice little shops, cafes and taverns.
The reason people repeat their Paxos holiday year after year is because once you have been and seen it; you really don’t think anything else can match its beauty and charm.
Photo by Flickr User photosarusrex