Never having been to Koufonissi before (or Greece for that matter), I struggled with selecting a just the right place to stay during a 40th anniversary trip my wife and I were planning. I initially thought staying out away from town near one of the remote beaches might be cool, but learning through my pre-trip research that transportation options were very limited, we decided to stay closer to town. Boy, was that ever the right decision! As described, Sotiris’ place is about 50 meters up the hill from the port. Maybe 20 meters farther up the hill is a really nice restaurant, and a little farther up you reach the typical Greek style winding lane at the top of the hill with lots of restaurants, shops, and bars.
The apartment itself is incredible. Spacious, spotlessly clean, thoughtfully laid out, and tastefully decorated. It seemed brand new and even much nicer than the pictures depict. There are several outdoor spaces as well. Our favorite was the comfortable terrace in front with a beautiful view of the sea and Koufonissi’s incredible clear blue waters. If the angle of the brilliant sun was a little too bright in the early morning, no problem, there is another cozy outdoor seating area right off the bedroom. Want a slightly more panoramic view of the island—there’s also a roof top deck for you to enjoy!
The town beach, Ammos, is just about 50 meters from the port and turned out to be our favorite. However, getting to the other beaches is easy using the taxi boat services located at the port just 50 meters down the hill from the apartment. For just 5 Euro a day for an all-day pass, the boats take you to whatever beach you want to visit on the island as well as the beaches on the neighboring island of Kato Koufonissi. A terrific service and a great value, the boats run regularly throughout the day. We would often stop for a quick bite to eat at the restaurant located directly at the port before starting our day’s adventures, and our way back up the to the apartment at the end of the day, stop at the grocery store located about a quarter of the way up to stock up on whatever we needed for the night. Everything was just so wonderfully convenient.
Sotiris is a wonderful guy—friendly, outgoing, always made sure we had what we needed, but never intrusive.
Not much more to say—perfect location, perfect accommodations, and perfect host—really made our anniversary trip even that much more special. I just wish it were closer than an 11 hour plane trip away—it is the kind of place I would like to come back to year after year!