Exploring the wild side of the Peloponnese

Let’s explore a Greek road less traveled and head down to the beautiful peninsula that makes up the southernmost part of mainland Greece. With its lush mountainous interior, deeply indented coasts and many archeological sites, the Arcadia region of the Peloponnese is one of Greece’s beautiful, less known paradise destinations.

HOW TO GET THERE

Option B: Arriving at Kalamata Airport

You’ve arrived to Kalamata Airport where your journey begins. In this case, I highly suggest that you book a hotel along the way to Kissakas for at least one night in order to fully enjoy this road less traveled. Some suggested stops to explore on your way to Kissakas include:

1. A visit to ancient Olympia: Make a stop at one of the most impressive archeological sites in the world. Spend a night there if you have the time, it is definitely worth visiting. 
2. Explore Mystras: Just about 7km outside of Sparta is an abandoned community dating back to the 14^th-15^th century of the Byzantium era. The small town is home to 4-5 gorgeous Churches and is now an archeological site that welcomes all visitors.
3. Stop for a quick photo opportunity on the way: The landscape from Kalamata to Sparta is breathtaking as you make your way through Mount Taygetos and its stunning wild forests. There are several stops along the way for the perfect photo.
4. The Museum of Olive Oil: Another activity along the way between Kalamata and Sparta is a quick tour through The Olive oil museum. You will learn how olive oil was made in ancient times using grinding stones.
5. Caves of Diros: Awarded as one of the most beautiful caves in the world, these caves will take your breath away. A boat tour will take you through this network of caves to see magnificent rock formations with their bright white stalactites and stalagmites, sparkling crystals on every corner, and beautiful glass waters.
6. Limeni Village: Take a short 5-minute drive from the Caves of Dyros to explore this waterfront village and stop for a tasty meal. I recommend eating at Takis Tavern for a quick bite on the water. The menu offers a variety of classic fish dishes as well as a variety of vegan options like horta, fava, grilled vegetables, lima beans, yia-yia style French fries and many more. This village is also a good place to rest for the night.
7. Explore Monemvasia: One of the most impressive medieval towns in Europe, it is also one of the most popular travel destinations in the Peloponnese. Located just 2 hours south of Kissakas, this charming town boasts beautiful architecture from the Byzantium era. The town is built on cobblestone roads and nestled peacefully below massive rock formations.
8. Ride the ferry to Elafonisos Island: Located just half an hour from Monemvasia you can catch a ferry ride to visit Simos Beach. This beach is one of the top 5 beaches to visit in all of Greece. It’s white sand and baby blue waters will have you speechless as you enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation. Keep in mind that the beaches become overcrowded in the summer months, so visiting in May, June, or after September is ideal for weather conditions and minimal tourists. After spending the day exploring Monemvasia and enjoying the sapphire waters of Elafonisos, you can head to Kissakas and start your week of relaxation in paradise! The drive from Elafonisos to Kissakas is about 3 and a half hours, so give yourself enough time in the evening to get there.

KISSAKAS LUXURY VILLAS

Approx 3 hours 🚗  from “El. Venizelos” Athens International Airport (210 km) and 2 hours 🚗  from Kalamata International Airport (149 km). Located on the coast of Arcadia in the southeastern Peloponnese, between Tyros (5 km) and Leonidio (12 km).

Kissakas is a beautiful green hillside located right above Kissakas Beach outside the town of Leonidio. We stayed at Kissakas Villas, a complex of 5 two-level villas, built in perfect harmony with the surrounding green hills and the sapphire waters right below. The complex rests on a green slope amidst an area of lush Mediterranean trees such as Wild Pear trees, Carob trees, Olive trees, Lemon, Almond and yummy Fig trees. It is a peaceful, serene and dreamy oasis, far from any road noise and anything even reminiscent of ‘normal’ life and stressful city thoughts and sounds.

Every night after dinner, we opened a bottle of wine, sat by the porch and looked at the sky. At around midnight the dance of the stars begun, with meteorites and falling stars making their way throughout the sky, sometimes falling for over 10 seconds! It was magical!

In the 7 days we stayed there, we experienced an utter re-connection with nature and all its elements. From the sparkling beautiful waters to the starry night sky, to the fresh air blowing scents of the Aegean sea and the jasmine blossoms, the ground rich in odors of the wet morning dew and the sun that rose to face our windows ruminating the beginning of our day with its illuminating rays.

Each of the villas is designed in accordance to the traditional stone house architecture of the area, offering a combination of simplicity, comfort and just the right amount of luxury. The most magical thing about them? Every single room comes with a dazzling view of the Aegean Sea and skies! The colorful sunrise, the infinite blue and the romantic moon that rests amongst the thousands of bright stars and constellations will enchant you.

AN EXCLUSIVE ESCAPE FROM THE REAL WORLD

We loved the privacy or our own two-level detached villa with our private garden surrounded by basil plants and jasmine, the spacious accommodations, the friendly staff, and most of all, we loved the freedom of heading to the beach below anytime we wanted from our own private pathway that leads directly to the pebbled sapphire waters. 

DAILY ADVENTURES AROUND KISSAKAS

If you are looking to take a small adventure during your stay, you needn’t venture too far off. There are several places that you can visit either for a few hours or for a whole day trip around the area. Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. An evening out in Leonidio (12klm, 20min 🚗)

Leonidio is an impressive little town on the foot of the Dafnon Gorge, with its long narrow river that comes down the mountains and ends at the coast and into the sea. Until the 1950s there was no road to go to this town from the mainland, so everyone had to take a boat to get there, which attracted many seamen, hens the old mansions from the 18th century of captains and shipowners that you will see walking around the narrow town streets.

Once you’re done with your walk at Leonidio, you can take a 5-minute drive to Plaka, the seaside area of the town with its beautiful marina and many seaside restaurants and cafes.

The stunning red and grey cliffs surrounding the town have over 1000 climbing routes across a wide range of grades, which makes this little town one of Europe’s top destinations for rock climbers.

I suggest heading to explore Leonidio and Plaka about an hour before sunset, then making your way to Myrtoon for dinner, a beautiful traditional yet elegant tavern right by the water, with exceptional sunset views and delicious local delicacies. There are many plant-based options, made with local produce, with the most popular one being the ‘Tsakonikes’ Eggplant dishes, which is an eggplant variety that only grows in this part of the world, and it is delicious! If you are plant-based like me, I recommend trying the fried eggplants and zucchini, seasonal greens, Greek fries, fava bean spread, eggplant salad, and for the main course, the Imam Baildi (stuffed local eggplant with herbed tomato & onion mixture) or the Stuffed tomatoes and eggplant with rice. 

They have a large selection of Greek Wines, beer, Ouzo and local ciders with many flavors. We had Ouzo on ice and then I picked a delicious apple-flavored Greek Cyder called ‘The apple Theif’ with a little fox as its emblem. The bottle was so cute, it had an inscription: “I love apples. I haven’t had them. I am the apple thief. I pick the juicier and crunchiest of them all, prepare my apple cyder and serve it with ice.”

2. A day of exploring the nearby mountains and the Monastery of Panagia Elona (29 klm, 1 hour 🚗)

About an hour away up the Mount of Taygetos is the Monastery of Panagia Elona. The route is incredibly scenic as you drive through the luscious pine forests. The monastery was built in the 13th century literarily in a huge rock cliff hanging on the top of a mountain, 650m above ground level. Fable has it that some chapters in the area saw an inexplicable light coming from one of the rocks. They went closer to see what it was and discovered a lit lamp next to an icon of the Virgin Mary. The local priest took that as a sign and they built a monastery there, hence the crazy location. It is literally built inside a hanging cliff! The original church itself still stands, although the monastery went under a lot of changes during the Ottoman occupation. It is a gorgeous sanctuary, filled with beautiful icons and art from centuries ago, and it is now run by female nuns. If you are visiting between the second and third week in August, be prepared for enormous crowds and long parking lines, because it is one of the hottest spots in all of Greece for the celebrations of the Virgin Mary Day, which is on August 15th.

Kosmas Mountain Village

If you would like to continue your day exploring you can head about 20 min further up the mountain to the traditional village of Kosmas. At an altitude of 1,127 meters, among fir forests with stunning views of the mountains and the surrounding villages, it is a wonderful place to walk around and experience the traditional architecture, lifestyle, and vibe of Greece’s mountain villages, which are not well known to the outside world. Just bring a jacket, because the temperature drops up to 15 degrees celsius because of the altitude. There’s plenty of cute coffee shops and restaurants surrounding the huge central village church that you can visit and several vendors that sell local products and herbs like mountain tea, oregano, capers, lavender bunches, and home-made desserts.

4. Grocery shopping and seaside dinner at the beach town of Tyros (7km, 10min🚗)

This small old naval town stretches along the coast, it has a beautiful marina and some cute little shops that you can visit if you take a walk along the coast. We came here twice to shop from the local ‘Manavi’ as the fruit and vegetable vendors are called in Greece. The name of the store is The 5 Bothers, it is a little further down the huge Church on the sea road, you can’t miss it because he’s the only fruit vendor around. He carries a lot of produce from the area, and the surrounding areas of the Peloponnese, in-season vegetables and fruit, and it is some of the most delicious produce I have ever had! And the prices are crazy. We paid 20 Euro for two apple boxes full of local gown eggplants, green beans, figs, scallions, leeks, tomatoes, okra, and zucchini! What???
There’s also a Mini Market and a pharmacy close by for your other necessities.

If you would like to sit for lunch or dinner, there are many traditional restaurants right on the water, with our favorite being Akroyiali, which, might not be the fanciest or prettiest of the lot but it has the most traditional and well-cooked food! And the tables are literately on the beach. You can touch the wave with your foot as you eat. It is most impressive during evenings with a large moon, as it looks like the moon is staring at you as you sip your wine, with the shimmering moon path right in front. (https://goo.gl/maps/pvS9eD3ttGsomyxXA)

5. In the mood for a little two-hour adventure by foot?

If you feel like taking a small hike up the hill of Kissakas, you can visit the little Church of Saint Konstantinos and Eleni, which is a 20-minute hike from the villas (https://goo.gl/maps/ePUHLcTkXAbRi5tV9 37°12’52.3″N 22°53’13.5”E)

The road there is beautiful and you get to see all the local trees and flora of the area, including wild Pear trees and Chestnut trees, Olive trees, Fig trees and Carob trees. Feel free to snack from the trees on your way there!

The little church is located right on the side of the slope at a quiet setting, in harmony with the virgin landscape and with panoramic views of the surrounding hills and the infinite blue of the sky and sea.

If you’re like me and enjoy exploring less known areas of the world then what are you waiting for? Take a break from your chaotic reality and venture through the roads less traveled.