No matter how and where you arrive in Paxos,
you cannot help but pause for a moment and
admire its serene beauty. It has a stunningly
beautiful landscape that is almost entirely
covered in olive and cypress trees right down
to the edge of the shimmering turquoise sea.
The small fishing village of Lakka with a huge almost
circular sheltered bay is situated on the northern end
of this lovely island. It remains an unpretentious village, narrow
streets, cobbled courtyards and small squares with their open air
tavernas combine to provide a refreshingly authentic Greek atmosphere.
The village houses still echo of the past, alterations to
the old houses to provide tourist accommodation has
been in general confined to the interiors. Numerous
small shops include a bakery and a butcher but the
word ‘sophistication’ is not known to the warm and
friendly local people. You will receive the same
hospitality from John and George Grammatikos who
manage our programme here. The Grammatikos
family has lived on this island since before the
Venetian invasion.
There is a small pebble beach which shelves to sand
and here dinghy sailing and windsurfing is available.
Some may choose to hire a boat for a day or so and
escape to one of the many coves dotted around the
island. Others may while away the time at one of the
few tavernas on the waters edge, enthralled by the
beauty of this picturesque harbour.
LAKKA
Paxos is very like a place you dream of when you close your eyes
on the 8.02 on Monday
morning as further delays are announced to your journey or you sit
in a fume filled tailback on
the M25. This little gem of an island lying off shore to the mainland
village of Parga has an
abundance of natural beauty combined with an indolent lifestyle that
can make ones everyday
stresses seem a million light years away.
Being one of the smallest inhabited Ionian island, just eighteen
square miles, Paxos has not seen the
commercial development of some of its larger neighbours and lacking
an airport (mercifully) together with
consequent tourist hordes, it has managed to retain an unspoilt and
simplistic lifestyle.
The interior of Paxos is a vast olive grove, where many of the trees
were planted by Venetians who once
inhabited this island. The shore line has many small deserted coves
where the dazzling white pebbles contrast
with the beautifully clear aquamarine sea. The local population is
concentrated in the ‘capital’ Gaios, a
bustling little port, and the two other fishing villages namely Lakka
in the north and Loggos on the northeast
coast. Our programme to Paxos is centred in and around Lakka, a delightful
village developed around a
stunningly attractive circular bay.
Basically a holiday to Paxos lacks pace completely so if you like
to fill your days with tours and shopping trips,
wild beach parties and non stop night life then this is definitely
not for you. However, if you like to take time
out to enjoy a relaxed easy lifestyle in relatively unsophisticated
surroundings this may well be the choice for
you. Daytime offers the opportunity to explore by land or sea, and
to discover the numerous little deserted
coves inaccessible by land, local boats are available for hire. Snorkelling
is excellent all around the coastline
and for the more energetic, this lovely island is excellent if you
enjoy walking and the unspoilt interior gives
you the chance to truly escape your fellow travellers. But, of course,
for the likes of myself if you derive the
maximum pleasure from the least effort whilst on holiday, take a
boat to a quiet beach where the day can be
spent in total idleness. Evenings follow the same relaxed style with
a choice of tavernas and a few bars and
the entertainment largely of your own making.
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