Accommodation in Chorio

[Adam J]

Hi Guys, I'm new to this forum and wondered if anyone could provide some information about accommodation in Chorio? My wife and I are looking to visit Symi later this year and have been looking at the Taxiarchis and also Anastasia apartments. Just wondering how central they are in Chorio? Some information on distances in terms of shops/ tavernas/ restaurants would be great? We don't mind walking but at the same time don't want to climb a mountain after one too many Ouzo's.........

Would also be happy to consider other accommodation if you have any recommendations, however we are on a budget!

Many Thanks & Happy New Year

Adam

[Allan]

Hi Adam. Welcome to Symi Chat.

Taxiarchis and Anastasia are both about the same distance from the centre of Chorio. No more than five minutes walk.

The walk is slightly uphill part of the way from both places but by no means 'mountain climbing' and note that the uphill stretch is on the way from the accommodation. Getting back home after one too many ouzos is mostly downhill.

Chorio is very small so most places are close to the tavernas, bars and shops.

Both sets of apartments have a good reputation and many many repeat visitors. Anastasia is on the side of the Pedi valley giving a slightly side-on view to the bay. Taxiarchis is towards the head of the valley and is built directly facing down towards the sea. They are in quiet locations, Anastasia is in a residential area so you feel part of the local Greek community. Taxiarchis is more rural where the neighbours are more likely to be chickens than a Greek family!

The bus stops at the top of the road from Taxiarchis, a couple of minutes walk. Slightly further from Anastasia but still only a few minutes away.


Maybe this crop from Google Earth might put things in perspective even though it doesn't show the hills very well. The 'centre' of Chorio, such as it is, extends along one street at the top of the Kalistrata and I've outlined most of it with the blue oval. I've also marked the main Chorio bus stop for reference. (I say 'main' bus stop because it is where it turns round but the bus will stop wherever you want along its route)

I hope this helps Adam. If you have any other questions just ask.

[STEVE]

Both have excellent reputations. If it was me, I'd go for Taxiarchis for no other reason than we've stayed there year on year for a long time and we've never stayed at Anastasia! Frank and Eva are more than just proprietors, they're friends who we love going back to stay with each year. We're not alone in that but, equally, others have the same relationship at Anastasia. As above, both are 5 or so minutes walk from the 'centre' of Chorio and, from a location point of view, there's little to choose between them. You pays you're money and you takes your choice but I don't think you'll be disappointed with either. The views down the valley to Pedi and across the sea to Turkey from the rooms at Taxiarchis do take some beating though.

[Adam J]

Thanks for the replies Allan and Steve, that's great. We've not been to Symi before and were considering staying in the harbour area but I think we would prefer being around the locals. Chorio sounds like the place for us!

[Gemma1]

Anastasia rooms and views - room 5

View from Taxiarchis

View from Taxiarchis

View from Taxiarchis

I've stayed at Anastasia 4 times but have booked to stay at Taxiarchis this year for the first time. The first 2 years I stayed in the apartment at Anastasia - number 5 - which has a separate bedroom and a big balcony with lovely views over Chorio and the Pedi valley. It's well worth paying the extra for the apartment IMHO as the balconies on the other upstairs rooms are quite small. However I travel solo and Olympic no longer allow single occupancy in room 5 so for the last 2 years I've stayed in one of the studios - room 2 - on the ground floor which is much smaller, though perfectly adequate for one person. The studios have a shared terrace with a view of the Pedi valley, though this is partially obstructed by other buildings. I've been very happy staying at Anastasia and would have stayed there again this year as enjoy staying in the centre of the village surrounded by Greek families. The downside is that there some steps so there is initially a bit of difficulty getting the suitcase up and down (if you take as much stuff as me) and it's not always very well lit so I'd recommend a torch for getting back at night as there were a few piles of dog muck which I had to negotiate on my way home from the Sunrise.

Last year I visited some friends who were staying at Taxiarchis and thought the accommodation was of a better standard and as they also have free wifi I've paid slightly more to stay there this year. Until I've stayed there I can't say which accommodation I prefer and how well lit the road/path back to the Taxiarchis is, though my friends assured me it's fine. To me it felt slightly further out than the Anastasia, though I'm pleased to see from Allen's map that's not really the case. It had a more 'countryfied' feel to it as they were at the front with views of the surrounding countryside and there were chickens wandering around and a donkey in the next field. If I can I'll add a few photos with views from both places.

Sorry, not sure why some pictures have come at the start and some at the end (and one has posted twice) but hopefully they will give you an idea.

[Allan]

I'm pleased you are finding the advice here useful Adam. The choice between staying around the harbour or up in the village is tricky for new visitors and you're not the first to have difficulty deciding. It's mostly down to your own preference: The busier harbour with its huge choice of places to eat and drink along with the fascination of watching the comings and goings in the harbour compared to the village where it's much quieter, more peaceful and generally more Greek. The important thing to remember is that despite their different characters they are not very far apart as the Google Earth map shows. The 'harbour area' blends into the 'village area' somewhere part way up the hillside. It's not like they are two separate towns.

I guess that since you mentioned Anastasia and Taxiarchis you are planning to use Olympic Holidays. If that is the case and you are looking for accommodation in the village you might want to read the trip report by 'Silverfox' : http://symiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2708 who visited Symi for the first time last year and stayed in Sevasti apartments which are much higher up in the village than either Anastasia or Taxiarchis. It's more of a walk to get there but Silverfox has nothing but praise for the place.

[Gemma1]

On my first 2 trips to Symi I stayed at the Irini in the harbour. I loved the harbour view from the Irini but there are a lot of steps up to the property and it is at the back of the harbour and a bit of a hike back up those steps after a night out. Although I love the harbour and walk down the Kalistrata most days, it gets too busy for me during the day with all the day trippers from Rhodes so personally I prefer to stay in the peace and quiet of Horio with the the hustle and bustle of Yialos only a short walk or bus ride away. We often go down to the harbour to eat on an evening, as Allan says they are not very far apart and it's easy to get from one to the other. The bus fare is 1.5 euros and a taxi from Yialos to Horio was 4 euros in September.

[Adam J]

More great info guys.
Gemma, those photo's are excellent and have given us a good idea of the Taxiarchis and Anastasia, thanks for taking the time to upload them and the other information. I think either would make a good choice but I'm probably swaying a bit more towards the Taxiarchis as I've seen a few decent comments about the studios/apartments
Yes Allan we are considering using Olympic Holidays but have not yet ruled out going it alone. As usual a lot comes down to money and Olympic seem pretty competitive especially as it says that transfers and ferry tickets are included in the price. Also, it might be nice to leave our first Symi trip to the Pro's as we will be travelling late in the season (Mid October) and I'm not sure how frequent or which days the ferries will be. Flights from Manchester seem to be Wednesdays and Saturdays but I've seen from other posts that the ferry timetables don't get confirmed until Feb/March............

[Andy W]

For many years ferries have been at least daily in October. There has always been a morning boat from Rhodes to Symi and an afternoon boat from Symi to Rhodes.
The main question is whether there will be an afternoon or evening ferry from Rhodes that can connect with your plane on the day you arrive, and a morning boat to Rhodes to catch an afternoon plane back home (if you have an evening flight home there is no problem). There is in high season, but at some point during October these extra sailings thin out.
Olympic Holidays have no more idea of this than you do right now, and it's perfectly possible that being charters from Manchester, the flight times may change anyway, as the ATC slots aren't firmed up for charters yet. In the worst case your first and last nights may be on Rhodes, in the best you're whisked straight from the airport to a waiting ferry and vice versa.
You can rely on a morning departure from Symi on Wednesdays and Fridays as these run year round, and the same ferries going the other way leave Rhodes at 3pm on Wednesdays and 7pm on Fridays. The question is whether there will be a 7pm departure from Rhodes on Wednesdays or Saturdays on the day you land.

[Adam J]

Thanks for the ferry information Andy W, you obviously know your stuff. There is a scheduled Wednesday flight with Monarch that gets in Rhodes at 12.05pm so may just work for the ferry that departs at 3pm (if there are no delays!). On the return journey the Wednesday flight departs Rhodes at 12.55pm so could also work for the ferry that departs Symi in the morning. These flights also seem to be the ones that Olympic are using on this day of the week. May not book anything just yet but I think travelling from Manchester at this time of year may be safest on a Wednesday if I want to avoid overnight stops on Rhodes.

[Allan]

I hope we haven't confused you too much Adam

I think you have made a wise choice if you do decide to arrange your first visit with a package holiday company, particularly so late in the season. You can check around when you are on the island to help plan how you travel independently on your next visit (and there WILL be a next visit!).

You are right that Wednesday is the most popular changeover day for UK tour companies though I wouldn't take published flight schedules as gospel just yet and I'd be surprised if Olympic are using Monarch scheduled flights at all. (They may offer it as an option at additional cost.)

Regarding the choice of accommodation, I try to be as neutral as possible by giving factual information rather than a direct recommendation but I can't argue with anything that Steve said.

[D and E]

Hi Adam,

We regularly visit Symi twice a year, normally travelling with Olympic in May staying up in Chorio, and in September we do it independently and stay down. I have to say that we have never matched the bargain prices of Olympic when travelling independently - there is a considerable difference. In fact we have just booked May from Gatwick (we will fly from almost any airport in view of where we live) and the flight, assuming it runs to schedule, will see us on Symi the same day as we fly and the price for 14 days is simply superb value - we are staying in Anastasia. The return flight is also a day flight so we are well pleased - night flights no longer holding the same appeal despite the price difference.

Our very first visit back in the early 90's was staying with Frank & Eva in Taxiarchis and as others have said they cannot do enough to make you feel welcome. They have a good variety of rooms from small to large. We have probably stayed there about 5 times. Taxiarchis can be booked independently whilst I think Anastasia is 100% dedicated to Olympic.

Travelling independently to Symi is also very straightforward with plentiful taxis or the bus from Diagoras Airport into central Rhodes. If you have to stop over in Rhodes we find the Best Western as an excellent hotel with good restaurants close by. Booking ferries online and picking up the tickets is also very straightforward and Rhodes Old Town is well worth a visit.

We would never say Chorio is better than Yialos or vice versa. As others have said the village feeling of Chorio is special and there are 5 excellent bars (Yannis Rainbow being our particular favourite) and 4 of the best restaurants (all different and equally good) in our opinion. There are good supermarkets and an excellent cafe in the shape of the Olive Tree where we have the occasional superb breakfast. It is also very simple and cheap to get either a taxi or the bus down to Yialos or wander down the Kali Strata.

Yialos has loads of excellent bars and restaurants and advice on this is readily available in the archive area of the forum. It has the buzz of all the yachting fraternity and you may be amazed at some of the super yachts that visit.

As you have found this forum has a massive wealth of knowledge as so many of us have fallen in love with Symi. Whatever you do make sure you are on deck as the ferry rounds the headland and this magical little island displays its welcome - despite seeing this so many times it still brings a lump to our throats.

Look forward to reading how you find Symi.

[Andy W]

Being cheeky, as there are 8 bars in Chorio, which are the 5 excellent ones in your opinion?
(The eight are Rainbow, Lefteris Kafenion, Village Cafe, Jean & Tonic, Manteio, Cafe Ringo, Secret Garden, Sunrise)

[Allan]

(The eight are Rainbow, Lefteris Kafenion, Village Cafe, Jean & Tonic, Manteio, Cafe Ringo, Secret Garden, Sunrise)

Now that sounds like a good pub crawl to me Andy.

[Andy W]

I thought so too, which is why I listed them in that order.I suspect crawling might actually be needed after visiting all of them, especially given how hard it is to leave some of them after just one drink.

[Adam J]

Sounding better all the time guys, just the sort of place we might (will..!) enjoy. Hopefully we can give all the mentioned bars a good go, though maybe not in the same night

[Gemma1]

Being cheeky, as there are 8 bars in Chorio, which are the 5 excellent ones in your opinion?
(The eight are Rainbow, Lefteris Kafenion, Village Cafe, Jean & Tonic, Manteio, Cafe Ringo, Secret Garden, Sunrise)

Well I think we all know that Rainbow is one of them

[D and E]

Being cheeky, as there are 8 bars in Chorio, which are the 5 excellent ones in your opinion?
(The eight are Rainbow, Lefteris Kafenion, Village Cafe, Jean & Tonic, Manteio, Cafe Ringo, Secret Garden, Sunrise)

The five that we were referring to were Rainbow, Secret Garden, Lefteris, Ringo & Manteio and of course AndyW you are spot on about the others which alas we have never frequented in all the years. We always find it difficult to leave the two chairs facing into the Rainbow, beside the steps adjacent to Lefteris, and are already looking forward to the first retsina and ouzo there in May

And when we are "down" its Corner Cafe (day) & Elpidas (night) that we frequent most although TzaTi round towards the boatyard is possibly the most idyllic setting for a bar and so often cannot be passed by.

Bar Reviews would make an excellent thread perhaps.

Remember the Opera Bar and the Kali Cocktail - wow !

And the "Donkey Bar" as we called it further down the Kali - called it that as for some reason each time we stopped, there was a donkey tethered close by.

I am sure the Forum could provide boundless anechdotes about all the various establishments that have come and gone over the years and those that are still there.

[Andy W]

And the "Donkey Bar" as we called it further down the Kali - called it that as for some reason each time we stopped, there was a donkey tethered close by.
I am sure the Forum could provide boundless anechdotes about all the various establishments that have come and gone over the years and those that are still there.

It wasn't just you who called it the Donkey Bar -so did the owner, Dino, and it was painted on a hanging sign outside.

[D and E]

Ah ! that clarifies things for us - thanks AndyW
Back in those younger days things were a bit hazy - perhaps due to stop-offs at the Donkey bar