Paxos. Worth going?

Is the island of Paxos worth visiting? Like most places the answer is very much where you stay and what you like. It is certainly a very beautiful place although it is starting to get very busy, particularly during school holidays, not only with Europeans but Greeks themselves.

We booked via Simpson Travel and I was very impressed with them. I had heard they can be on the more expensive side but I have to say their service and support more than justified any perceived extra cost. For example they operate their own British Airways charter to Corfu and escorted connection via hydrofoil to Paxos.

 My problem was that the flight leaves Heathrow (another bonus) very early which leaves you a while to wait at the Corfu port terminal. I thought I knew better so I changed my flight to the scheduled BA service departing an hour later which although more convenient turned out to be no better (possibly worse) than the charter. BA scheduled economy service is just the same as their charters now with small seats, little legroom and expensive sandwiches which they seem to run out of often before getting to you.

After arriving in Corfu it was literally ‘plain sailing’. Despite arriving one hour after everyone else we were met, put into a taxi and personally escorted to the ferry terminal. Even the sight of the filthy garbage strewn streets of Corfu (I heard it was because of a strike by bin men) did not dampen our mood. I have been told that the resorts have their garbage under control but the main town was an eyesore. The port is huge but the local ferry area was compact and tucked away to the side. They only have one restaurant/café at the terminal and the prices are prohibitive but at least the food was adequate and the Mythos beer excellent!

The ferry is an experience. I was expecting a modern ‘greyhound of the sea’ and got quite a shock when something looking like an old cigar container came alongside the quay. Everyone started shuffling for position and then charged with their luggage to get on board first. I have no idea why as, if you do, your bags are last off on arrival. I expect you get a decent seat, if there is such a seat on it. We clambered on and wondered if it would ever get us there.

I do not know about you but my wife gets sea sick and we were worried. It turned out there was no need as this particular cigar container set off at such a speed that there was little movement once it was up on its aquaplanes. In 55 or so minutes we arrived at Gaios which is the main town and port of Paxos. It is a very pretty looking place but one of contrasts as we were to discover.

We were met and shown to our cars by at least 4 very helpful reps. I walked around the vehicle taking notes of a fair few scratches and scrapes but was told not to worry as they take the car back and ask no questions unless you bash it badly. This car hire company (Alpha) were excellent although, once I tried driving and parking, I could see where the dents had come from.

Maybe this would be the best time to discuss the roads as clearly the towns, villages and countryside were not created with the car in mind. Roads are narrow, some are single track and many of the bends are blind. Parking is a lottery as I soon found out to my cost. You need to have the hide of a rhino or be totally laid back to navigate the main town of Gaios during any time of the day or night. Would I hire a car again? Definitely, although many other ‘brave’ souls didn’t and seemed to walk everywhere in sometimes gruelling heat. I think there are only 3 taxis on the whole island so make sure to make a note of their numbers.

After trying to navigate our way through the busy but small streets of Gaios we eventually got to the other side and off towards our villa located along the south coast road overlooking The Paxos Beach Hotel. Having narrowly avoided a few crashes with cars, lorries, tourists and locals we eventually arrived at our villa…or where the map said it was! It was only when we had stood on the road a while  and eventually looked upwards that we saw it. I should have got the hint when the directions suggested we might like to carry our bags up first as the driveway looked almost vertical to me and the best way to get up was to lighten your vehicle significantly and charge in a low gear with engine screaming.

The villa itself was lovely. Everything on the island is kept reasonably compact but having found a slot to park our haemorrhaging car we went in to explore. The villa is called The Stone House and it shares a small enclave with three other properties. I was a bit concerned about their close proximity but to be honest we need not have been worried as it was peaceful for the whole fortnight. Someone had clearly tended the garden well and it was beautiful (thanks Simon).

We settled in very quickly. The combined lounge/dining room/ kitchen was roomy and mainly cool and the two bedrooms were comfortable and enjoyed efficient air conditioning. Simpsons provided an entirely sufficient welcome pack of food/drink to tide you through to the next day although I did brave the driveway and roads to stock up quickly with wine that evening.

As I inferred, the villa is perched above the coast road (mainly quiet) and visually very pretty with a small pool and lounging area. There was an outside table under an awning alongside the house which protected one from the sun but sadly leaked  when it rained…which it did frequently during our stay. We also enjoyed a large sun umbrella but this had to be requested prior to departure as it is non-standard with this and many others of the Simpson locations nearby. Again this was fine except for when it was windy….which was most afternoons.

All in all we were very pleased with our choice of villa, if not perhaps its location, but again that is down to personal choice. You see Paxos has three main areas built around its towns/villages. Gaios is by far the biggest and busiest. There is a lot going on, lots of folk (tourists and locals) and it gets very busy. The good side is you have plenty of choice and the bad side is that it is hard to relax and unwind. There are plenty of bars and many restaurants but sadly many offer the same kind of food and very little else. I would also suggest that you do not go there when the world Cup is on as we did.  Obviously it is televised everywhere and, to us, kind of shatters and ambiance these places have.

The other two main hubs were in and around the villages of Lakka and Logos. Clearly they are more aimed at the tourist market and, whilst busy have still maintained their charm. Lakka is just how you hope an Ionian village port should look like. Yes it is a bit touristy. And yes visitors probably outnumber locals, but no, it is not tacky or over-spoilt. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants (more later), good boat hire and plenty of surrounding coves and beaches.

Then we went to Loggos. We loved this place although we wished for fewer people around the place. There are better restaurants here and quite a few excellent café’s and bars around the place. Add to that some of the most exquisite beaches and scenery and you should get my gist. This is clearly the choice part of Paxos to be if you are looking for peace, a bit more sophistication, and rustic charm. Go there!

Now for our biggest regret. We did not go over to sister island Anti Paxos which is a little south of Paxos and easily accessible by ferry or private boat. This island seems one big vineyard with two big sandy beaches and very little isolated tourist accommodation. I will explain why we did not go there when I get on to the weather! All the pictures show Anti Paxos as having the two best sandy beaches which is actually quite rare in this region where pebbles prevail. We spoke to people who had been there and they loved it. Both beaches have café/restaurants overlooking them and both are served by ferry from the three ‘ports’ in Paxos. The only other sandy beach that I know of in Paxos is Mongonissi. This beach is man-made, very small and stretches across the front of one of the two local restaurant/bars positioned there. We enjoyed ourselves visiting the area because a) it was close to our villa and b) we enjoyed the food. I didn't go in the water partly because there were lots of yachts with lots of sea toilets....but that's just me!

Let me explain why we did not get to Anti Paxos. It was me again! I struggle to get up at a civilised hour in the morning when on holiday and the best time to visit is the mornings! This is because the wind gets going in the afternoon which makes the waves short and sharp and Judith (my wife) suffers. If you do decide not to be wimps and go the alternative method is boat hire. I wish we had done this as you can cruise around the whole of Paxos in a day finding isolated beaches, coves and dramatic scenery. You just Have to show that you know how to handle a boat and you get something quite fast but not to zippy. If you have the necessary boat-master certificate you can hire something very racy indeed. Plenty of guidance is available and all boats are a) as safe as they can be and b) very well equipped.

Briefly let me address my view of the weather. In June it is nice and hot in the mornings but you can almost guarantee the wind will increase by afternoon and it also becomes quite strong. If I went again in June I would pick a villa in the lee of this nuisance as everything gets blown about and often boat hire gets suspended. We had quite a few thunder storms but mainly at night. All in all I would probably choose September next time as our kids have left school and we do not have to travel in their term holidays any more.

If anyone would like to ask me whether I enjoyed Paxos as much as I expected I would say no. Why? Because me, not the island, was at fault. I did not explore it as I should. The island is beautiful but not for layabout, spoilt ‘adventurers’ like me. I got too relaxed, too lazy and too laid back. Yes, I enjoyed it but simply failed in getting out of the place what was available. Maybe too many First, Business Class type trips in the past proved my undoing. Writing about it now makes me realise what I perhaps missed. I also realise that I should have followed ‘The Guru of Paxos’. This man knows everything there is to know about Paxos and I wish I had paid more heed to him. He has written a guide with maps and this can be found at http://www.iankbleasdale.co.uk/. Ian seems to know everything there is to know about Paxos and his guide is invaluable to everyone…..except me!

What else did I learn? Paxos locals are lovely. Simpson is a little more pricey but well worth booking through. Loggos is (to me) the place to be. Early season it is best to do things in the morning. Fast forward past Corfu. Simon is great. Who is Simon? He is the long suffering Paxos rep for Simpsons who is a lovely person.

And FINALLY. This is not it! In a week or so I will publish my ‘critique’ on most of the cafes, restaurants and bars I went to. And perhaps a bit about the kind and interesting Simpson reps.