Seeking the best choice for a family of 4 (2 adults/2 kids). Price not important but we are looking for the best villa/hotel choice for us. We are visiting family who all have small homes in Chora but not enough to accommodate all of us. Any advice?

My goodness. Not too many requests for details about accommodation or anything else about this lovely Greek island.

I stayed in a very nice hotel in Chora a good few years ago but can't remember its name. Give me a little while and I will go hunting for details and get back to you.

Bill

This has been difficult. The hotel I stayed at was within walking distance of the town, maybe about 10 minutes or so. My journal reminds me it was called the Filoxenia but I can find no trace of it on the web.

I had a look at the hotels in that area and now see it has changed its name to Hotel Stagira and its web page is:-

http://www.androstagira.gr/

Thanks Bill. My wife's family hails from Andros and we have not been there - me never - her not since high school. But all the aunts, uncles and cousins have summer homes on Andros so that's where we are heading in July after a few days in Athens. We saw this hotel on the web and thought it looked good. There's another called Hotel Paradise that we are also looking at.

hi jd99

Andros is a beautiful island and one of the greenest and hilliest in the Cyclades.

When I first visited I don't recall seeing any tourists at all although I understand that Batsi is now a favourite for visitors. Batsi is a nice little town with some of the best beaches on the island. The bus ride from Chora to there is an adventure ;-)

If you do one thing before you visit it is to find a copy of Ebdon's Odyssey by John Ebdon, a British broadcaster and journalist.

He writes about his first ever visit to Greece and it was to Andros to stay with a friend.

Superb writing and details of how he made friends with the locals, much about how the islanders lived and the kindness shown to him. It was published almost 30 years ago and it was this book that made me visit.

It is now out of print but you will find second-hand booksellers online that stock it.

I saw the Hotel Paradise but it confused me a little as on its website the location shown is Gavrio, the (not so pretty port town). If you decide to lodge there ask them to confirm their exact location and how far from Chora they are.

Regards,

Bill

Bill - Thanks for the tip on the book. I will definitely look for it. The Paradise Lifestyle Hotel is located in Chora for sure. My mother in law visited there 2 years ago when she was on the island to "scout" it for us. Here is their website.

http://www.paradiseandros.gr/