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  • Should I drive a hire boat to Antipaxos from Paxos?

    Should I drive a hire boat to Antipaxos from Paxos?

    OK. You have made it all the way to Paxos, or maybe mainland Greece. That was enough travelling wasn’t it? No, there is more. Antipaxos. But how to get there?

    Should I drive a hire boat to Antipaxos from Paxos? Sure, why not. And in this post I will tell you why. Antipaxos is a very small Greek Island with lovely sandy beaches and crystal-clear aquamarine water which you would expect to see in much more exotic locations. And why not drive the boat there yourself? We did. Read on!

    Map of Corfu, Paxos and Antipaxos from Lightroom Mobile
    This is a picture of lovely Vrika Beach on the stunning island of Antipaxos in Greece. Paxos Travel Guide by Rick McEvoy

    Where can you get to Antipaxos from?

    You can get a taxi boat to Antipaxos from the three main towns in Paxos which are Gaios, Loggos and Lakka.

    You can also join trips organised by tour operators that take in Parga as well from mainland Corfu.

    But most people take a boat in the morning from Gaios, the capital of Paxos, and return late afternoon.

    How did we get to Antipaxos?

    Our first taste of Antipaxos was on an organised trip with Olympic Holidays. And it was a day trip that first took us to Paxos, from a holiday in Corfu at a TUI hotel.

    This is why I don’t turn my nose up at tour operator excursions – they can be a great way to experience a place for the first time without any hassle – all the organising is done for you.

    And once you have enjoyed your organised trip you can always sort your own trip out the next time you want to go somewhere.

    Ok – we have done the organised day trip – what next?

    When we booked to return to Paxos the number one thing on my list was to hire a boat and drive it to Paxos. Do you drive a boat? Or sail it?

    And that is what we did

    Where can you hire a boat from?

    We were staying in Lakka, so that is where we hired our boat from. I didn’t want to have to get to Loggos of Gaios to pick up a boat, I wanted to be able to wander down to the harbour in Lakka in the morning, get a boat and head off.

    I am sure there are endless other places where you can hire a boat from in Loggos and Gaios – just pop on the internet or walk around the harbours and you will see the boats for hire.

    We hired a boat through our very nice and helpful Olympic Holidays rep Sam. One of Sam’s offices was the pool bar at Hotel Bastas where we were staying.

    You can hire boats from

    Nikos Lakka boat hire –  tel 0030 6976326165 (this is who we got our boat from).

    Christos Boat hire Lakka

    What are the boats like?

    This is our boat. It was moored in front of our favourite cocktail bar Romantica. L. Diana 765. I kid you not.

    Small but functional.

    How much does it cost to take a boat from Lakka to Antipaxos?

    The price varied massively depending on who you asked. We were asked what size engine we wanted, 2 stroke or 4 stroke? It has an impact on how much fuel you use apparently.

    I just wanted a boat to be honest. I didn’t really care – I just wanted a boat that would get us round the island, to Antipaxos and back.

    So, we got out boat through Sam for the excellent price of 60 euros. When you return with the boat (assuming that you do of course!) you pay for the actual fuel used, which is fair enough,

    We used 45 euros of fuel on our epic boat trip. So, 105 euros for the most excellent of days.

    I have to be honest the engine sounded like it had seen better days, but it got us there all fine. After a very brief induction on how the boat works (engine on and engine off) we were left to our own devices.

    Is it safe taking a hire boat from Paxos to Antipaxos?

    If you are not comfortable taking a boat out of the harbour and around the island, then don’t. If you are happy then carry on.

    Take advice from the boat hirer about the weather conditions. Obviously, the weather in Paxos is pretty settled but there are stormy days. Strong winds can make the trip very uncomfortable, especially the crossing from Paxos to Antipaxos.

    Take advice from those who know and follow it – this is very very important.

    How long does it take?

    It depends how many times you stop on the way, but I reckon you can get to Antipaxos from Lakka in 1 – 1 ½ hours. I don’t really know to be honest. It didn’t matter. We just knew we had to be back in Lakka at 5.30pm. Ish.

    What was the crossing like between the islands?

    A bit bumpy but fine. You just have to be sensible and be aware of the height and direction of the waves. The basic principle I follow is to get the ride as smooth as possible by varying my direction and speed until the boat is in harmony with the sea.

    Where did we go on Antipaxos?

    The first beach you come across is Vrika Beach. If you have never been to Antipaxos just go there. It has everything you will need for an afternoon.

    The next beach is called Mesovikra Beach. This is a pebbly beach with nowhere for boats to anchor and nothing to do! It is a lovely site that you go past on your way to the next beach.

    And the next beach, the third beach, is called Voutoumi Beach. This is the other beach where you can do stuff and get something to eat.

    On a day trip you won’t get much further than these beaches to be honest. Next time I am going to get a bigger boat and get around Antipaxos.

    How did we get to shore?

    Ok. This was an interesting bit. I will be writing a full post about our day on the boat, but this is what I ended up doing.

    I dropped Nickie off where the ferry drops off and picks up day trippers. It was an immaculate manoeuvre. And then I went and anchored the boat, swam back to the island and went straight for a beer.

    Living the dream eh?

    Well that is not quite the full story, but I will leave it there for now….

    What is there to do on Antipaxos?

    Eat, drink, swim, sunbathe. Relax. Chill. Take it easy. That is all I have ever done on Antipaxos.

    Oh yes, and fret about the boat!!!

    Can you stay on Antipaxos?

    Apparently, you can, but this is all about getting a boat there and back in the day.

    Can I fly to Antipaxos?

    Erm no. You can’t fly yo Paxos, let alone Antipaxos.

    Do famous people visit Antipaxos?

    Yes. This is the list of celebrities that have been spotted visiting Antipaxos

    Well OK there are rumours…

    Is there anywhere to eat on Antipaxos?

    Yep – on Vrika Beach you can eat lovely food at Taverna Spiros. That’s what we did. Talking of which.

    I left my t-shirt at the restaurant and got it back – a true story!

    I had faffed around with the boat, swam to shore, got to the bar to meet Nickie who had a cold beer waiting for me. I downed the beer and having stared at the boat for the length of time it took me to have my drink I managed to convince myself that that the anchor was not secure.

    I decided to go back and check it. I left the bags with Nickie, checked the boat (which was absolutely fine by the way), and long story short when we got off the boat at Mongonissi I asked if Nicke had my t-shirt. Turns out I had left it at Taverna Spiros.

    But I was reunited with it the next day in Gaios. Check out the full account of this top day at at the full length post Paxos Boat Hire – Do Your Own Trip From Paxos To Antipaxos.

    Check out the video that accompanies this post

    I have recorded a video “Should I drive a hire boat from Paxos to Antipaxos? Paxos Travel Guide Video 5” which you can find on my Paxos Travel Guide You Tube channel which accompanies this post.

    Summary

    If you are on Paxos, go to Antipaxos if you like a day trip out on a boat and a few hours somewhere different with a lovely lovey beach and those famous crystal-clear aquamarine waters.

    I have been there twice and loved it more the second time than the first.

    And if you are up to the challenge get a boat and get over there under your own steam (ok two stroke engine).

    Want to know more about Paxos?

    I hope that you have found this post helpful, informative and even a little bit entertaining! To find out more about my favourite, wonderful Greek island all you need to do is click here and I will take you straight back to the start of my Paxos blog. Nice and easy!

    Oh yes, I hope that you enjoy the next post.

    Rick McEvoy

  • Paxos – How To Get There – This Is How We Did It On Our Own

    Paxos – How To Get There – This Is How We Did It On Our Own

    Ok. You have decided you want to go to Paxos. That’s an excellent decision by the way.

    So having decided on Paxos the next question is this. How to get there? Most people fly into Corfu airport and catch a ferry to Gaios, the capital of Paxos. The other way of getting to Paxos is independently by boat. I will tell you everything I know in this post.

    So it’s a plane to Corfu Airport, then a quick ride across Corfu town to the New Port – this is how you get to the lovely Greek Island of Paxos.

    Paxos Airport

    There is no airport on Paxos! That is part of the charm. You cannot fly to Paxos unless you are extremely wealthy and have your own helicopter (I would imagine – I have never checked to see if there is a helipad to be honest). Maybe next year……
    No, us mere mortals have to fly to Corfu and find a boat transfer to the island.

    When can I fly to Corfu?

    You can fly direct to Corfu airport during the main holiday season, which is from May until late October. Outside of these times you will have to fly via Athens to Corfu. The flight time from Athens to Corfu is circa 1 hour.

    Where can I fly to Corfu from?

    You can fly to Corfu from many countries including

    • The UK and Ireland
    • USA
    • Italy
    • France
    • Germany
    • Mainland Greece
    • Other Greek Islands

    And many other countries.

    What is Corfu airport like?


    Corfu Airport is a relatively small, and rather busy airport. At peak times you might have to queue outside the departures terminal building, especially when there are multiple flights from one tour operator going out around the same time. You can get food and drinks while queuing though before going throuh security, and the wonderful world of airside.

    Rather bizarrely last time we were in the queue for security I saw Cornish pasties for sale!

    On arrival to Corfu from overseas passage to the terminal from the plane can be super quick, passport control is usually not a problem and your luggage can arrive surprisingly quickly – we have been out of the airport within half an hour of landing!

    Corfu Airport might not be the most modern airport but I have to say I like it.

    Going home the airport has very good facilities airside – the hard bit is finding somewhere to sit down! There is the usual range of shops, bars and places to grab some food. Everything you need to be honest.

    And being a small airport when you are waiting in departures you are pretty much at the gates, which I love.

    How do I get from Corfu airport to the New Port in Corfu Town?

    Easy. Just walk out of departures, cross the road and head to your left and you will find taxis waiting at the taxi rank. The cost of a taxi from Corfu Airport to Corfu New Port is fixed at 15 Euros (2018 prices). Corfu Airport is on the outskirts of Corfu Town, with the port being on the other side of town, not too far away.

    The taxi ride takes 10-20 minutes depending on the time of day and traffic.

    The driver will drop you off at the roundabout outside Sette Venti, where you will find the various ticket offices, or if you already have tickets on the port side.

    What is the New Port of Corfu like?

    Thankfully there is a restaurant at the New Port called Sette Venti. When you get dropped off by the taxi all you need to do is find a table. You can actually walk through from the roundabout to the cafes waterside bit – you don’t need to go all the way round in a taxi but it is a fixed fare so not a problem either way.

    What you do next depends how long you have to wait.

    You can either sit down and eat, drink and relax, which is what we have done in the past. And guess what – the food is excellent! Really good quality and value.

    If you have longer to wait you can leave your luggage at the port (there is a left luggage desk inside the concourse where you get to the restaurant) and then head off to the lovely old town of Corfu. And it really is a lovely town. If I had a couple of hours to kill I would head straight to the cricket ground and Liston for a lovely relax and a drink.

    Ferries from Corfu to Paxos

    The conventional way of getting to Paxos is on a ferry from Corfu. There are three ferries that run,

    The ferries from Corfu all arrive at the New Port in Gaios, which is the capital of Paxos and the main town on the island. Booking is recommended, as the ferries do get full, especially in the high season.

    The crossing takes about an hour – check out which boat you have booked as this will determine if you are going to get an early blast of sunshine on the hour crossing or if you will be inside. I always prefer being sat out in the sunshine, but that is more of a day trip thing!

    The crossing is nice, and you get views of mainland Greece on one side and the island of Corfu on the other.

    I nearly forgot to say – you get great views of Corfu Town from any of the ferries to Paxos. And this is what a it looks like from the back of Ilida 2!

    https://youtu.be/ot2Wly-_Nog

    You can also get ferries from the following ports on mainland Greece.

    • Igoumenitsa
    • Parga
    • Perdika

    Where do ferries arrive on Paxos?

    Ferries arrive at the New Port in Gaios. The New Port in Gaios is at the entrance to the channel, and about a 15 minute walk along a good level waterside path into the centre of Gaios.

    The New Port is in effect a concrete structure that boats pull up alongside.

    Travelling onwards from the port

    I strongly advise that you pre-book a transfer to your onward destination. If you are stopping in Gaios itself then you will be fine walking along the waterfront – the path is level, flat and smooth so no problems wheeling luggage.

    We have always booked our transfers – last time Babis from Hotel Bastas was there to greet us and get us over to the hotel in no time at all.

    You can pre-book a taxi, or just turn up and phone for a taxi – there are five taxis on the island, and there numbers are as follows.

    Haris +30 697 4135660 Gaios/Loggos
    Haris (alternate) +30 697 3795813 Gaios/Loggos
    Tasos +30 697 6648486 Gaios/Loggos
    Christos +30 697 7472747 Gaios/Loggos
    Costas +30 697 4002236 Lakka
    Vasilis +30 697 6121923 Lakka

    Can I get to Paxos from Parga?

    Parga is on mainland Greece, and is about an hour away. There are no ferries from Parga to Paxos – all you could do is catch a day trip from Parga to Paxos and not come back! Obviously you would have to tell the captain, and you would of course have to make your own arrangements for onward travel.

    So basically you get to Paxos from Corfu.

    Unless you have a boat! Talking of which….

    Sailing to Paxos independently

    If you are sailing to Paxos you will find the months of July and August particularly busy. Outside of these times anchorages are much less busy. The main locations of anchorages on the island are in

    • Gaios
    • Loggos
    • Lakka
    • Mongonissi
    • And of course Anti-Paxos

    But sailing to and from Paxos is another story for another time.

    Check out the video that accompanies this post

    I have recorded a video titled “How To Get To The Greek Island Of Paxos Independently – find out in this video where I tell you” – which you can find on my Paxos Travel Guide You Tube channel which accompanies this post.

    Want to know more about Paxos?

    I hope that you have found this helpful. If you would like to find out more about Paxos then please head over to my home page where I go through all the pages on this site with links so you can straight get to the stuff you want to.

    Summary

    You get to Paxos by boat. And this is part of the charm of Paxos – there is no airport. And when you get there all you need to do is phone a taxi, and one of the five cars will pick you up as soon as they can – how cool is that?

    I hope that this post has given you the basic information you need know to help you get to the wonderful Greek Island of Paxos – please get in touch via the comments box with any questions you may have.

    Want to know more about Paxos?

    I hope that you have found this post helpful, informative and even a little bit entertaining! To find out more about my favourite, wonderful Greek island all you need to do is click here and I will take you straight back to the start of my Paxos blog. Nice and easy!

    Oh yes, I hope that you enjoy the next post.

    Rick McEvoy

  • What Is Paxos Like – Simply A Stunning Greek Island

    What Is Paxos Like – Simply A Stunning Greek Island

    There are lots of places to visit on this big old planet of ours, so why go to Paxos? We have visited lots of Greek Islands, but after our first visit there we were straight back the next year.

    What is Paxos like? It is simply a stunning Greek Island. If you are looking for a lovely, small, picturesque chilled Greek Island which is easy to get around with lots to see and do, great food and drinks and a relaxed atmosphere then go to Paxos.

    In this post I will tell you all about my experiences of visiting Paxos. I am a photographer and writer, so I will be sharing my photos of this stunning Greek Island with you on this website. I will also explain how I find the locations and how I took the photos. I will also share my experiences of being on the island which I wrote down in a daily holiday journal. Yes, I wrote a journal on holiday. I have captured everything that we did, everywhere we went and most importantly what it feels like holidaying on Paxos.

    What are my highlights of Paxos?

    These are the main reasons in my opinion (as someone who has been there twice and is looking forward to going there again) why you should go to Paxos.

    The atmosphere of the island

    Paxos has a lovely chilled vibe. Well apart from being in Gaios when the boats arrive with all the day trippers that is, but don’t worry you soon get used to that!. And it is nice to see lots of people excited to explore the lovely town of Gaios for an afternoon.

    The other main towns are Lakka and Loggos. Now I need to explain that some of the names can be written in other ways. Loggos is known locally as Longos. But Lakka is known locally as Lakka.

    I know – let’s not worry about that.

    Paxos is a lovely chilled island with small deserted beaches that you can get to by foot – you just need to know where they are and put a bit of effort in!

    The size of the island

    Paxos is a small island. Apparently Paxos is 76 square kilometres. Does that mean anything to you? Me neither.

    To put it another way, you can drive from Lakka at the top of the island down to Mongonissi at the bottom of the island in about half an hour. You can’t drive straight across the island as the roads don’t work that way in Paxos.

    Half an hour top to bottom is great if you like that sort of thing.

    The stunning scenery of Paxos

    Being a photographer, I will tell you lots about the lovely scenery you can find on this lovely island and show you lots of the photos I have taken.

    I travelled the length and breadth of the island in my little hire car just exploring. I also walked off the beaten path to get some stunning views from parts of the island I guess most people don’t get to.

    Taking photos on the island of Paxos

    Talking of the scenery being such a small island it is easy to get out and photograph sunrise as the eastern coast is never that far away from you regardless of where you are! And as well as the lovely sunrises there are lots of other things to take photos of on the island of Paxos.

    Yes, I managed to drag myself out of bed for some stunning sunrises in the three main locations, Lakka, Loggos and Gaios. And a couple of other places too which are less well known.

    The lovely climate

    We were in Paxos in August. Now it is fair to say that it was hot, but due to it being an island, and us stopping near the harbour in Lakka we could sleep comfortably at night with the balcony doors open.

    The climate in Paxos is lovely. I won’t say you are guaranteed sunshine every day, as we did have a thunderstorm one day, which was a result of it being so hot for a long period.

    But that was over in a morning and made for interesting viewing from our balcony.

    The mix of people on the island

    In our experience the majority of visitors to the island are Italian. The next biggest nationality is English. And then there are smaller number of visitors from other European countries. Paxos is so nice that Greek themselves holiday there!
    This mix of visitors with the lovely Greek locals provides a nice blend of people thrown together on this small island.

    I love how you get to the island

    Paxos does not have an airport. You can only get there by boat. Or by helicopter if you are seriously rich I guess.

    This in its’ own makes getting to and from Paxos joyfully different. From the UK most people fly to Corfu and get the boat from the New Port in Corfu Town to Paxos.

    I will write a separate post about this, Paxos – How To Get There – This Is How We Did It On Our Own, which will give you losts more info on this very subject.

    I have never been anywhere else where there isn’t an airport, well apart from the Maldives thinking about it. Certainly, nowhere in Europe without an airport.

    It is so easy to get around the island

    Obviously, the island is small, but it is easy to get around.

    There are five taxis on the island, and the taxi drivers’ names and numbers are displayed on the bus stops and other places. We never had a problem getting a taxi.

    Car hire in Paxos is easy and not that expensive, and also a great way to get around the island. I loved the freedom of driving around the island, especially turning off the main road and finding things well off the beaten track.

    There is also a great bus service running from Lakka through Loggos to Gaios. And you just have to get the bus to experience the drive through Loggos past the bar and restaurant tables (my number one regret is not filming the drive from the bus stop at Loggos through the harbour when the bus squeezes between the waters edge and the restaurant tables).

    And then of course there are the boats. You can hire a boat and take yourself off around the island. There are plenty of places to get boats from, just make sure that you book yours in advance for the day you want the boat.

    Once you have a boat you must go the extra mile and visit Antipaxos. If you thought Paxos was small you wait till you get there!

    I will write in much more detail about how you get around the island of Paxos in a future post.

    Eating and drinking in Paxos

    If you like Greek and Italian food then you are in for a treat. I find it quite strange that I got into pasta more than I ever have on this Greek Island – this was a result of following recommendations from restaurant owners.

    Not that the Greek food is not excellent – I managed to enjoy stifado for dinner for five consecutive days at five different restaurants!

    And the drinks are good value too. Local beers are lovely (I just love Mythos) and the house wines we tried with our evening meals were (with one exception) very nice indeed.

    I will write about our dining experiences in my daily journal. Talking of which, this is the first time I have written a daily travel journal, and this is the first time that I know exactly what I ate every night, and where I ate it!

    Check out the video that accompanies this post

    I have recorded a video titled “What is Paxos Like” which you can find on my Paxos Travel Guide You Tube channel which accompanies this post.

    About my daily journal

    I am going to publish my daily journal, so you can read exactly what it is like being on Paxos. I wrote my journal every day after breakfast to ensure that I had not forgotten anything and that I captured how I felt each day, which is important.

    I wrote my journal on my iPad in one of two locations – either in the shade from the morning sun on our balcony or at a table by the pool. I should say, we stopped at the Hotel Bastas in the town of Lakka which you can find to the north of the island.

    A final word about me

    I am writing this as a paying customer of everything we did and everywhere we went. The hotel, flights and transfer were all booked independently.

    My views are very much my own views. No-one has paid me to write nice things about their hotel or restaurant.

    I am a freelance photographer and writer based in Dorset on the south coast of England.

    If you have any questions about the wonderful Greek Island of Paxos please get in touch via the comments box, and thanks for reading.

    Want to know more about Paxos?

    I hope that you have found this post helpful, informative and even a little bit entertaining! To find out more about my favourite, wonderful Greek island all you need to do is click here and I will take you straight back to the start of my Paxos blog. Nice and easy!

    Oh yes, I hope that you enjoy the next post.

    Rick McEvoy