Thursday, May 15, 2014

Road trip Greece: Porto Kagio in the Peloponnese

“. . . the main road cuts across the peninsula to the tiny east-coast fishing village of 
Porto Kagio, set on a perfect horseshoe bay.

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A looping road led to Porto Kagio  

The village’s three competing accommodation options are in as remote a place as you’ll find anywhere on the Peloponnese.”
Lonely Planet guidebook


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Akrotiri Hotel
With only three hotels, we’d emailed a couple of days in advance of our arrival and secured a reservation at the Akrotiri Hotel pictured above.  We should have paid attention to that part about ‘remote a place. . .’ and not worried about needing that reservation.

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Porto Kagio
As we descended into the port, the narrow paved road that had looped us down the hillside became a rocky beach. The photo above shows the ‘main road’ of the aptly described, remote village. Didn’t take us long to figure out that we were the only tourists . . .in fact, we seemed to be among only a dozen villagers. (Despite the remoteness cell phones worked for those who had them and we had strong wi-fi connections.)

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So deserted the place seemed as we drove into the village, we were somewhat surprised to see that our room – 40-euros-a-night -- was charming and had a large (by Greek standards) en suite bathroom.  That price included breakfast. (One of the best breakfasts we had on this trip, with egg, tomatoes, feta wedges and olives, I might add.)

Once we dropped our bags in the room we set off to explore this port that we had all to ourselves. Here are some of our discoveries:


A trail that led up and over a craggy knoll to a small chapel overlooking the sea ~

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The chapel door was ‘locked’ with a simple hook so any visitor/worshipper could enter with ease.

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The harbor was as picture perfect as the guidebook had described it, just a bit lonely in this early spring, on the cusp of tourist season.
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On the far distant cliff-side there appeared to be other villages; we pondered how one would reach them. . .I zoomed in with the camera lens for a closer look.

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It was a tranquil place, almost a spooky sort of tranquil, as though time had stopped here. It came to life for a moment with the arrival of a boat in the early evening. . .

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Then it quieted back down to its slumber state. We sipped wine. Had some dinner. Stared out at the tranquil bay. And continued our explorations the next day. Lonely Planet described it well, it was as remote a place as we’ve ever stayed in Greece. It might well be one of the most memorable as well.


Map picture
That’s it for this week’s Travel Photo Thursday. Head over to Budget Travelers Sandbox for some more armchair travel.  Thanks much for the time you spent with us! By the way, what's the most remote place you've stayed?

39 comments:

  1. Hello Jackie and Joel:

    Believe it or not, Porto Kagio [as pictured and described by you here], sound to us to be absolutely idyllic: remote, unpopulated, free of traffic, without tourists, etc. etc. How wonderful. We love all that you say about it with its quaint hotel, its seaside location, the unlocked chapel, and the boat coming in at eventide as the only disturbance in the day. What a place to take one's book and simply idle through the hours. We MUST go!!

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    1. Shall we meet there my dear Hattatts because this truly does sound perfect to me too!
      Jackie, I read "Beautiful Ruins" lately and while it takes place partly on a forgotten port near Cinque Terre, the ambiance that you described here seems much the same. Wonderful!

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    2. I loved "Beautiful Ruins" Heather! And now that you mention it, it does seem much like Porto Cagio.

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  2. It really was a beauty. Thanks for your visit today!

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  3. For 40 Euros your room looks great and what an interesting if remote part of Greece to explore. I doubt you'll forget the area.

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    1. Most of our accommodations were in the 40-euro range and all were absolutely perfect; either in setting and view or in the furnishings and some had both - I will be doing some show and tell soon. Thanks much for your visit, Leigh.

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  4. That looks like such a tranquil place. I wonder what it's lik ein summer?

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    1. We've heard it is a popular spot for yachters to come and moor, however with just two restaurants and no grocery stores or other supply shops, they'd pretty much have to be self sufficient during their time there.

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  5. Dear Jackie and Joel
    Yes, I know the place and it's exactly as described. Porto Cayo remains an unspoiled area,I remember have found a beautiful old piece of wood on the beach and I brought it home.It seems that you also keep fond memories from this trip.Thank you for your kind comment and wishes.
    Olympia

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    1. Olympia, it was a delightful 'find' for us. . .so glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit there. I picked up a couple of stones along the way to remember our beach walks but afraid a piece of wood wouldn't quite have made it back to the U.S.! Thanks for your visit and taking time to comment. Have a lovely weekend!

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  6. I think our most remote location would have to be Torres del Paine in South Chile. A three hour drive over dirt roads to the nearest town and a "hotel" in the park that had around 50 people and some backbackers coming through on the W hike. A lake outside our window with a big hunk from the nearby glacier floating in it.

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    1. Those are definitely the kind of places that last the longest in travel memories, don't they Michelle?

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  7. Everything looks gorgeous - the room, the breakfast and the scenery! Very peaceful and relaxing :)

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    1. It really was one of those 'treasures' that turn up when you least expect it! Thanks so much for your visit today - come back again soon!

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  8. Your stay in Peleponnese sounds dreamy - "no other tourists, just villagers." Wonderful! Where else can you find such a lovely town? We really have to get there!

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    1. Marlys, I know you two hikers would find so many temptations here that you'd likely have to buy new boots before you left. Hope you do get here one day! Thanks for the visit - always appreciated!

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  9. What a charming looking place. Some beautiful scenes in this series.

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    1. Thanks much for the visit, Andrew. It was a stunning location.

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  10. What a find. Perfect if you are looking for relaxation and so beautiful.

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    1. It was definitely a perfect spot for relaxation and a good place to soak up sun and enjoy the settings. I remember Ka'anapali Beach in Maui where I couldn't take a photo without another tourist's profile in the picture. . .didn't have that problem here! ;-)

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  11. How nice to discover a place with so few people and so much beauty~

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    1. It was a discovery alright, Irene. One we won't soon forget. Thanks for your visit today!

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  12. What a wonderful destination...I felt like I was right there with you. Your photos are excellent; my favorite is the one with the table and chairs on the beach. :-)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Marilyn, glad you could join us on this adventure! And yes, those chairs and table are among our favorite memories of this stop!

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  13. This looks like my kind of Greece. Many years ago I spent two weeks sailing the Cycladic Islands in a tiny boat. We visited many places where we were the only tourists. This reminds me so much of that. Wonderful!

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    1. We also hit three of the Cycladic Islands on this trip. Hope you'll stay with us for future posts as they will likely trigger some wonderful memories of that sailing trip. I envy you the approach on a sail boat - must have been magical!

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  14. It's been such a long time since I've been to Greece! Your post definitely makes me want to plan a return trip.

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    1. It really does have a lot of wonders and wanders that call out to travelers. Hope you make it back one day soon, Doreen~

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  15. How gorgeous, Jackie! I hope you sipped wine from that seaside table. Your breakfast makes me hungry. I so with I could get just a few decent olives and some feta here. My olives come out of a can and the feta out of a bottle...(laughing here)! Oh, and your room lookd fantastic. I love the bed.

    Thanks for linking to Travel Photo Thursday this week. Sorry that I haven't been around much. Between school, and trying to keep the blog on-line it's been a bit of a roller coaster lately!

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    1. Our room was amazingly 'cute' and not at all what I had expected when arriving in this empty village. And I have to say, that feta and oil and olives were some of the best we had anywhere. Take care and hope your juggling act of school and blog calms a bit for you soon.

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  16. Porto Kagio sounds pretty idyllic to me, Jackie! Remote and with few other visitors around, it's the perfect place to get away from it all. I can't believe you had strong wifi connection and that cell phones worked. I wonder how many people they get during the season.
    Your comment about training your lens on the villages on the distant cliff- side reminded me of the houses in the mountains I see when I'm traveling Jamaica's countryside. There's no road that you can see so you're left to wonder how they get in and out.
    You've sold me on the benefits of visiting Greece in the off-season. You have the place all to yourself. Thanks for the intro to Porto Kagio!

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    1. Hi Marcia, thanks for the nice words. It really was a remote little place and I said I was glad we didn't drive that road during the height of the season when you were dodging other cars and making tight turns. . .yes, off-season decreased prices and tourist volume will keep us coming back in the early spring and fall.

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  17. I am going to Greece in July. I'm even more excited after seeing your photos. Looks like you had a fantastic trip!

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    1. Oh Michelle, you will love Greece - no matter where you go! Look forward to reading about your trip!

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  18. Wow..you really had the place to yourselves. Great timing and a really wonderful place for relaxation. That is such a bargain for lodging too. It just goes to show that treasures can be found in off-the-beaten path places.

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    1. We found that most of the places we stayed were beyond-reasonably priced; usually in the 40-euro range for far more accommodation than we'd ever get here in the US for that price.

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  19. I wonder if this is one of those places that get really busy during July/August. Your visit there looks so relaxing, and how nice it must have been to be the only tourist types around. I've always wondered what the Greeks serve for breakfast. It sounds yummy.

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    1. I understand the yacht arrive in the summer and it is a safe place to moor their boats, but with no commercial outlets (grocery stores, shops) I suspect it is still rather quiet in comparison to other beaches. Thanks for the visit today!

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