margarita

Headed for Karpathos early September. Never been to Greece before. Any tips on hotels, restaurants, beaches, experiences, etc. wanted. What is the best way to get there from Crete or Santorini? Anyone out there know what we should expect weatherwise? <BR>Thanks for any feedback. Very excited about the trip.

EP

We spent a week in Karpathos late October a few years ago (4 or 5 years). So much time has passed that I don´t remember anything about hotels. I just remember we stayed at a family run hotel right on a narrow beach. It was about a kilometre from Picadia (Karpathos town). The room itself was in a typical Greek way very small, very basic and with these monastery like wooden furniture. The town itself was really small, something like 5 horizontal streets, and nice.<BR><BR>The weather was summery warm even that late (+20°C-+25°C), and the water was nice and warm. Early September you can still expect it to be quite hot, but not the piercing heat of end of July-August.<BR><BR>One thing is a must there: take a boat to the village Olympos in the mountanous northern part of the island. Today there is even a road to the village, but boat is better, because the road sometimes collapses to the ravines. If possible, spend a night in Olympos and enjoy the wonderful wiews after all the other tourists have gone back to Picadia. Olympos is a curious place with a culture that is totally its own.<BR><BR>In Olympos women rule, as they have done for centuries, and all of the inheritance always goes to eldest daughter. Men are just some sort of assistants with no importance what so ever, and with no authority in decision making. Women also still wear their traditional costumes with headscarfs and hundreds of golden coins as decorations. They also still bake their bread in a big communal oven on the main street. It was great to watch two old women in their dresses (work dress has middle eastern looking pants) cutting the crops with sickles. When in Olympos, pay attention to people´s eyebrows... <BR><BR>Nowadays there is also a tiny airport on the island (you even get a special Karparthos stamp), so the best way to go is either take a ferry from Crete or fly.

karpathian

Hello, I am of karpathia decent. I go every year and will also be travelling this year. Karpathos is one of the most hospitable islands. There are some of the most beautiful hotels in Pigadia trimmed in marble and polished brass with A/C if you are willing to pay the price. My two favorite beaches in Karpathos are Apella and Ayios Nikolaos. Apella beach is owned by one family and they also have a restaurant there for you to eat. The water is very blue and the beach sandy. It was rated number 3 beach in the mediterranean. Ayio Nikolaos is the beach that belong to the village of spoa. It is pebbled and the water is crystal clear. Enjoy your stay.

karpathian

Hello, I am of karpathia decent. I go every year and will also be travelling this year. Karpathos is one of the most hospitable islands. There are some of the most beautiful hotels in Pigadia trimmed in marble and polished brass with A/C if you are willing to pay the price. My two favorite beaches in Karpathos are Apella and Ayios Nikolaos. Apella beach is owned by one family and they also have a restaurant there for you to eat. The water is very blue and the beach sandy. It was rated number 3 beach in the mediterranean. Ayio Nikolaos is the beach that belong to the village of spoa. It is pebbled and the water is crystal clear. Enjoy your stay. Here is a link to a pic of apella beach: http://www.birdnature.com/karpathos/apella.html

cmt

I'm really curious about Karpathos, but there are so few threads about this island. I undestand that much of the isalnd is still quite traditional and many of the old folkways are practiced. Is this true?

Hania

I spent about 4 days there a few years ago. It is one of my favourite islands and I WILL go back. I flew from Athens into Karpathos and took a taxi to Pigadia. At that time there wasn't a bus from the airport. This may have changed. When I left I took a ferry to Sitia Crete. I doubt that you can get there from Santorini. Another option is from Rhodes. The ferries didn't go everyday but several days a week to Crete. The schedule should still be frequent in early Sept. You could check the ferry on-line schedules. As long as you have a bit of flexibility in your travelling plans it should not be a problem. You can get a bus in Sitia for Hania or Irkalion etc. I stayed at Odyssey (ph.0245 23240-41-42) owner is Helen Stamatiades, P.O. Box 10 Karpathos. She speaks English and lives in New York during the winter. She arrived to open up her hotel on the same flight as me at the end of May. It was new and had a kitchette. It was in the main town. The people are very friendly at this hotel and in Karpathos in general. There were quite a few Canadian Greeks, more than on most islands it seemed. The only place that I found a choice in Canadian rye wiskey in the grocery stores. The city has grocery stores if you are cooking yourself and there are lots of restaurants and shops.<BR>I don't know the island well but for a beach vacation with restaurants and hotels the town of Lefkos looked like a place I would like to return to for a few nights. The beach was nice. Olympos (yes by boat) is a must. One of my memories of Greece is watching 2 women prepare artichokes in Olympos. Here you can get &quot;real&quot; Greek food. Some nice restaurants and shops and a Kodak camera picture around every corner. Hope this helps.

Hania

CMT check out this web site.<BR><BR>http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/2252/karpatho.html<BR><BR>Re: Apella beach - It was nice but it was small stone and to make my list of great beaches it has to be sandy.

Hania

another web site about Karpathose<BR><BR>http://www.flyer.co.uk/greece.php

cmt

topping

cmt

I'd really like to go to Karpathos some day, but have no immediate plans. Since there has been a little extra activity on Greek threads lately, I'm topping this in the hopes that there may be a few more experiences posted to keep this topic alive.

cmt

Every now and then I'm topping to get comments about Karpathos. Thanks for the info from Hania in the past.

brotherleelove2005

I went Karpathos a long while ago, it is not 'traditional' as portrayed in numerous guide books, best combined with Crete, Kassos, Chalki on the way to Rodos. The Lane ferries run on this route. about 3x/week, best go now while the ferries are frequent.

Hania

Hi again, I also do not believe the island in general is traditional as brotherleelove is also indicating. Only the town of Olympos from what I saw but that in itself was unique and fascinating and worth the visit. Perhaps other areas of the north end of the island would also be somewhat traditional but I didn't go north of Olympos.
The island has a good mix of tourism and the old ways.
I found that also in Nissiros, a small island south of Kos and somewhat in Amorgos near Naxos where locals were still working the fields with their dockeys and tying them up or not outside their homes for the night.
I bet that in Crete if you went away from the tourist centres into the mountains you would also see traditional ways. I hiked into a mountain village in the interior of Crete albeit several years ago and they were distilling raki outside the local (only)restaurant and insisted that we try some. We couldn't find the trail back after drinking the raki.

cmt

I just opened up Fodors and was happily surprised to see more info posted on Karpathos!

Hania, what did you speak when you were there? Do you know Greek, or did you speak English, or some other european language? Did you get around without a car?

I agree about parts of Crete. I was on a small group walking/hiking tour in western Crete a few years ago.

elina

I have been to Karpathos, and you will get by with English easily. Many Karpathians have been working years in US and Australia, and speak effortless English.

There are not too many roads, so hiring a car doesn´t really make sense. We walked (for example crossed the island south-north) and took taxis.

Hania

Hi cmt, Hania may be Greek but it just represents my favourite city in Greece. I speak very little Greek, just the basic words to barely get by but like Elini says, Karpathos is like the other islands, English is understood by many Greeks and there are allot of Greeks on Karpathos that live in Canada and the US and operate hotels in the summer. I did not rent a car in Karpathos although I have rented on other islands but usually when I can share the cost with a friend. When I was in Karpathos for about 4 or 5 days I was on my own. I took 2 boat rides, one to a beach not accessible by car and to Olympos. I took a bus for a day trip to Leftkos. The rest of the time I spent in Pigadia. That is why I want to go back. I really didn't see enough of the island. It is the one island (besides Crete and Amorgos)that is calling me back in my head.

cmt

Has anyone been to Karpathos recently? I'd still like to go there some day, so I'd like to hear about anyone's experiences there.