Around Dafni

Obviously the beach right in front of the house! Best to wear swim shoes/sliders to get in as it’s a bit pebbly and there can be the occasional sea urchin with spines that can be hard to remove from your feet.

Out of the gate, turn right, 1 min walk is a busier but more comfortable beach for lying on.

If you carry on along that beach and walk right around the next beach you will come to another nice beach and cove and above it sits the Dafni taverna built into the cliffs (or if you follow the road by car up the hill, bear left and carry on for 1-200 metres you’ll come to the taverna that way). The taverna has a bar and a restaurant and wonderful views and friendly staff. It is open all the time during holiday seasons, at weekends during spring and autumn and closed in the winter.

There are magnificent sunsets as the house is west- facing. You can watch from the comfort of the terrace or, as we like to, take chairs down and a drink and watch the sunset from the beach, or from the kayaks.

Dolphins are seen regularly in the bay, we have seen them mainly in spring and autumn, and I had an amazing experience kayaking with a group playing around me. Occasionally seals pop up, too.

From time to time there are jellyfish, one summer we were stung and used the local remedy of a jar of baking soda to treat the mild rash – you will find the jar in the first aid kit just in case of need. (Greg: I’ve never been stung – I always use a mask/goggles to check out underwater so see them if there are any and just swim around them)

Games

There is basic snorkelling equipment in the cupboard on the back terrace near the washing machine. You will also find badminton rackets, a volley ball in there for playing next to the little house in the garden where the net is set up. There’s also a frizbee. And a set of boules for playing around the garden.

In the cupboards in the hallway you will find packs of cards and board games etc.

Walks

There are many car-wide tracks up into the forested mountains you can see on google maps. You can either walk from the house (turn right out of the gate, bear right at the end of the beach and walk straight up the hill) or drive quite a way up and then walk as much as you like from a much higher point (it’s a bit rocky so requires some careful driving around stones and rocks).

One walk we love is along a steep coastal path beyond the taverna but once the path starts to rise above sea level its quite a scramble, steep and stoney in places so be prepared with good footwear and plenty of water. Not suitable for people with any mobility issues or vertigo. Going by the beach walk continue beyond the taverna, following the path along the coast marked with red painted dots and arrows. The path follows the beach for a while then, at a pretty small cove, goes inland through some shrubbery and then rises up the side of the cliffs and then drops down again on the other side. It’s not an easy walk, there being loose stones and steep sections but if you are able to get down to the sea (when the path drops down somewhat) there are some special places to bathe around there and the views from the path are magnificent. This walk is about an hour and a half each way.Predict the future by creating it