Spetses with its pine-cloaked hills, secluded covers and splendid harbour lined with neo-classical building combines an idyllic retreat with sophisticated nightlife. Spetses is a perfect place for exploring the other very diverse islands of the Saronic group and the Peloponnese mainland.
Spetses with its pine-cloaked hills, secluded covers and splendid harbour lined with neo-classical building combines an idyllic retreat with sophisticated nightlife. Spetses is a perfect place for exploring the other very diverse islands of the Saronic group and the Peloponnese mainland.
Keep an eye out for our trusted mark in the windows of restaurants, bars and tarvenas. This sticker reveals places we highly recommend, so you dont miss out on any local secrets.
These operate at a reasonable fixed rate and can be picked up outside Mourayio restaurant in the Old Harbour, and in Posedonion Square in Dapia (the main town of the island) and sometimes at Aghia Marina beach.
They can also be ordered by phone from the amaxa stations on
(+30) 2298 073170 (Dapia) and
(+30) 2298 073171 (Old Harbour)
If you have pre-booked additional bike hire with us, it will be with Lambros. His shop is called ‘HONDA’ and it is located in Dapia. Fromthe main harbour, walk up the road to Aghias Mammas beach at the top. You will see a kiosk next to the beach selling cigarettes, sweets and newspapers as well as the National Bank of Greece. Opposite is the bike hire shop.
Lambros:
Tel: (+30) 2298 072335 or
Mob: (+30) 693 2330114
No motorcars allowed so on the island transport is by foot, donkey and water
taxi. Hydra has a wonderful marble horse-shoe shaped harbour lined with neo-classical
mansions which are now up-market tavernas, bars, cafes and shops. The interior of the
island is still very traditional with white-washed houses, narrow crooked stone paths and
lots of monasteries and churches. Hydra does not have beaches but there are plenty of
small rocky coves for swimming. The Flying Cat departs from Spetses and arrives on Hydra 45 mins later.
AEGINA is one of the few islands that still embodies all that Greeks find attractive in their own country. Simple tavernas shaded by vines serving excellent fish; fruit and veg being sold from little boats in the harbour; great coffee shops and delicatessans. This was the island where Kazantzakis wrote Zorba the Greek. The beauty of Aegina is accented by its famous pistachio groves stretching down to the azure sea. In the summer, when the Epidavros Festival (opera, classical theatre-both Greek and foreign such as Shakespeare dance etc) is in full swing (see Peloponnese), there is a boat service every evening from Aegina to Epidavros for festival goers. To reach Aegina, you need to go back to Pireaus port and catch a ferry.
Angistri is the smaller, neighbouring island to Aegina. Once away from the main harbour, this island is an undiscovered little gem with pretty coves and fragrant pine forests. It is a walker’s paradise in Spring
These take up to 12 people and go all the way around the island and across to the Peloponnese.
We recommend Costas Thimaras and he speaks good English
Mob: (+30) 694 4548183
From Spetses, you can easily get onto the Peloponnese mainland. It takes about 10 mins from the harbour of Spetses to Porto Heli in the Peloponnese, or you can take a water taxi from Spetses across to Kosta harbour. If we know in advance, we can
organize a hire car to be waiting for you at either Porto Heli or Kosta harbour, or we can arrange for a car with driver to take you to visit some of the ancient sites of the Peloponnese including MYCENAE, EPIDAVROS and ANCIENT CORINTH. If you go
to the Peloponnese, it is wel l worth making a visit to the very beautiful neo-classical and Venetian town of NAFPLION which has a lovely harbour, an excellent archaeological museum, and a Venetian fort to visit. It also happens to be one of the most beautiful towns of Greece with a marble piazza surrounded by 18th and 19th Century buildings, excellent restaurants and some interesting artistic shops
Pretty Greek Villas:
(+30) 2696 061414 or (+30) 211 780 3203
Taxis and Luggage Porters:
Generally we use Mihalis or Antonis as our taxi drivers. They have a Silver Skoda taxi with licence plate 1320.
Mob: (+30) 694 6853253.
The luggage porter we use is Yiannis (truck is named ‘Hermes’). Mob: (+30) 697 3838008
Dr Tsakiridis:
Surgery: (+30) 2298 072201.
Mob: (+30) 694 4991195.
Pharmacy:
Tel: (+30) 2298 072858
(+30) 2298 072480
Located in the main harbour of Dapia.
Kranidi Health Centre:
Tel: (+30) 2754 022222.
Located on the mainland about a 25 min drive from Kosta Harbour.
This is the main medical centre of the area and it does have excellent doctors
Emergency Call:
112
Police:
100
Fire:
199
Doctors SOS:
1016
Road Assistance:
10400 (ELPA)
Toilets
Greece sewerage operates on a septic tank which is the reason for the seas being so clean. However, this means that you CANNOT put any toilet paper, sanitary towels or baby nappies down the toilet. If you do, it can cause serious blockage requiring a plumber. Please remember to put all paper etc in the bin provided next to the toilet. We do not like to deduct from a security deposit but if the plumber is called and it is because paper has been put into the toilet during your stay, the cost of the repair will need to be deducted from your security deposit.
Suntan lotions
Some suntan lotions and oils contain a dye that leaves a permanent orange stain on towels, linens and pool liners. Please avoid using these suntan products because most villa owners will now request to deduct from the security deposit in order to replace items that have been dyed. When using the pool, please shower before entering.
Water
In this area the tap water is drinkable. Since water is scarce in the summer in Greece, please use only what you need.
Air-conditioning
If your villa has air-conditioning, please close all doors and windows when in use. Some villas have a system where if a door or window is left open, the air-con will not work so please check this first if you are experiencing problems.
Hot water
The hot water system for most villas is on an immersion system. This means you need to switch on the boiler for the water to be heated. The switch will be in the main electricity panel of the house and usually is turned on for your arrival. It is easy by mistake to turn this off during your stay, so if you find that you do not have hot water then please check the electricity panel first.
Dishwasher
Most villas will have a dishwasher. Please rinse plates before putting them inside. Some areas of Greece (such as Porto Heli) have a very high salt level in the water so dishwashers do not work very well and you may find that glasses and cutlery are smeared.
Umbrellas
Greece can be very windy so we would be very appreciative if you could close any sun umbrellas at the villa when windy to avoid them breaking or flying away.
Animals
All villas are situated in the countryside so if screen doors or shutters have been fitted please use them so that unwanted animals don’t get inside the house. The villas are all thoroughly cleaned before arrival but it is still possible that you may see the odd spider, mice, rat, scorpion, cockroach, snake or lizard inside. If you do and think it is a problem, please let us know so that we can deal with it straightaway. Wasps – it is impossible to know in advance whether wasps are going to be prevalent in a particular location or not. If you do find that wasps are a nuisance, burning Greek coffee on a plate seems to keep them away.
Siesta Time
For villas that are situated within villages and towns, the siesta hours are 14:30hrs – 17:30hrs. During this time, please try to make as little noise as possible.
Shop & Bank Opening Hours
Large chain supermarkets (such as AB, Galaxias, Carrefour) are open Monday toSaturday from around 08:30hrs – 20:45hrs. Closed on Sundays.
Most other shops are open as follows:
Monday: 08:03hrs – 13:30hrs
Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri: 08:30hrs – 13:30hrs & 17:30hrs – 20:30hrs
Saturdays and Sundays: On most islands, shops are open 08:30hrs – 13:30hrs & 17:30hrs – 20:30hrs.
However, in traditional places frequented mainly by Greeks you will find that shops will be open on Saturdays until 13:30hrs and closed on Sundays.
Banks vary but are generally open from 08:30hrs – 13:30hrs. Some banks stay open for an hour or two longer.
Bakeries and mini - markets tend to be open every day
Taxis and Porters
Taxis, porters and car hire are not included in the price of your villa. Please settle up directly with your driver, porter or car hire representative. When departing from your villa, if you require a taxi or porter, please ring or email us 24-48hrs in advance to arrange.
If you pre-book a taxi and do not notify us to cancel it, we will deduct this from your security deposit. Please note that we need to receive the cancellation in writing 24 hrs at least before the time you have booked the taxi. For airport transfers, we need at least 1 month’s notice in July/August and at least 2 weeks notice in all other months so that your booking can be replaced.
Security
Greece is still generally a very safe country. However, when you are not at your villa please close windows and lock the doors.
Garbage
Please dispose of your garbage regularly because the high temperatures can attract vermin if left for too long. Unfortunately, very few areas of Greece have recycling so please put your rubbish in the nearest municipal bins (usually green). On Hydra, there are also lots of cats so please don’t leave rubbish bags outside.
In order to get from Athens Airport to Piraeus ferry port by taxi.
Pretty Greek Villas can pre-book a taxi transfer on your behalf. Taxis are payable at the same time as the balance for your villa. The taxi driver will wait for you in the Arrivals Hall of the Airport holding a sign with your name on it. If you cannot find the taxi driver, please call our emergency number 0030 211 780 3203
|
Type of Taxi |
Price |
|
Athens Taxi (up to 4 passengers) |
€55 |
|
Luxury Car 1-3 passengers |
€65 |
|
Luxury Mini-Van up to 8 passengers |
€110 |
|
Luxury Mini-Bus up to 14 passengers |
€165 |
|
Luxury Mini-Bus up to 21 passengers |
€195 |
|
Coach up to 40 passengers |
€520 |
Pretty Greek Villas can pre-book a taxi transfer or a mini-bus on your behalf. Taxis are payable at the same time as the balance for your villa. The taxi driver will wait for you in the Arrivals Hall of the Airport holding a sign with your name on it. If you cannot find the taxi driver, please call our emergency number +30 211 780 3203
|
Type of Taxi |
Price |
|
Athens Taxi (up to 4 passengers) |
€240 |
|
Luxury Car (up to 3 passengers) |
€275 |
|
Luxury Mini-Van (up to 8 passengers) |
€445 |
|
Luxury Mini-Bus (up to 14 passengers) |
€540 |
|
Luxury Mini-Bus (up to 21 passengers) |
€615 |
The driving route can be seen on the map below:
Athens Airport has a station, you can see it in the map below. The blue and red walking routes converge at the station.
The blue walking route leads from arrival point B and the red from arrival point A. You can buy rail tickets in the airport station
Two different rail services run from Athens Airport to Piraeus. The first is the Athens Metro, the second is the Proastiakos ‘Suburban’ railway. We have marked the Metro route in green and the Proastiakos route in Yellow.
The Metro is the one you would need
The Metro is available between 06:30 in the morning till 23:30 in the evening. It leaves from Athens Airport metro station every 30 minutes. You need to change at Monastiraki
Departure times:
06:33, 07:03, 07:33, 08:03, 08:33, 09:03, 09:33, 10:03, 10:33, 11:03,
11:33, 12:03, 12:33, 13:03, 13:33, 14:03, 14:33, 15:03, 15:33, 16:03,
16:33, 17:03, 17:33, 18:03, 18:33, 19:03, 19:33, 20:03, 20:33, 21:03, 21:33, 22:03, 22:33, 23:03, 23:33
The trip from Athens Airport to Monastiraki takes 40 minutes. From Monastiraki to Pireaus port it is another 30 mins.
There are different types of tickets
Ticket for one person (one - way): 10 Euro
Ticket for one person (with return): 14 Euro
Ticket for 2 persons (one - way only): 18 Euro
Ticket for 3 persons (one - way only): 24 Euro
Reduced ticket (students age 25-, age 6 -18, age 65+): 20 Euro
Children up to 6 years old: Free
Take the blue metro line in the direction of Egaleo and change at Monastiraki. From Monastiraki you need to take the green line electric railway to Piraeus
Once you arrive in Piraeus you will need to walk the green route below from the station to the Hellenic Seaways ticket office located inside the port opposite where the catamarans leave for the Saronic Gulf and Spetses
There is an airport bus to Pireaus (X96). It leaves from outside the Airport Arrivals Hall (between doors 4 - 5) and drops you
outside the port gate where the ferries leave for Spetses. It runs every 20 mins during the day and every 40 mins at night,
and takes about 1 hour. Euro 6.00 per adult
Journey time from Pireaus to Spetses is approx 2 hrs
All information regarding ferry timetables and bookings can be seen on the following website. Please note that timetables are published from around the beginning of May each year.
https://hellenicseaways.gr/en/booking
https://travel.viva.gr/en/ferries
From Kosta there are various boats which depart for Spetses island. The quickest way to reach Spetses would be to catch a fast water taxi, direct to the Dapia harbour
Once you arrive in Kosta you will be escorted by the driver to a water taxi which we will have pre-booked and this will take you to the nearest drop off point to your villa.
The water taxis can take up to 10 passengers and the prices are as follows:
Kosta – Spetses main harbour (Dappia) €25
Kosta - Old Harbour €30
Kosta - Kounoupitsa €30
Please reserve your boat hire through the 'Manage Your Booking' section to our website. If you require your access codes, please contact one of the PGV team.
arrivals@prettygreekvillas.com.
If you would like to book a boat trip again whilst on holiday, you can arrange directly with John the skipper
or call us on (+30) 211 7803203.
The boat trip with skipper is Euro 450 for a trip around local bays. Further afield is possible but there may be an extra charge for fuel.
We can arrange a day out with Skipper Jayne from Kosta Harbour near Porto Heli on a beautifully renovated, traditional wooden caique boat. Euro 400/day for up to 12 passengers. To make your reservation, please complete the Special Requests box on your arrival form.
