Τρίτη 4 Οκτωβρίου 2011


THE VILLAGE OF THOLARIA

Our studios and apartment are located in the charming, pittoresque and higly traditional village of Tholaria. Tholaria is situated on the hill, just 3km from the port of Aigiali, at the north-west of Amorgos. With the village being situated on a hill, the view from every part of Tholaria is amazing! From there, you can see the sea, the other villages and the port of Aigiali down bellow.

Map of Amorgos, showing the village of Tholaria, other villages, ports and beaches
                                     

The little streets of the village are made with stairs, thus no cars can be found in them, only donkeys sometimes! Of course, Tholaria is accessible by cars and there are two parking lots: the main one, by the entrance of the village, 5 min walk from the apartments and the other one at the top of Tholaria, just 50m away from the apartments. Tholaria have many beautiful corners for you to explore and you can find everything you'll need there: tavernas, bars, pastry shop, gift shops, jewellery shop and mini markets. Just take a look at Tholaria!


The stairs and the rooftops are painted by residents, usually displaying images of flowers.



Of course, the little details are those that make Tholaria so special!




Tholaria is a must-see destination for visitors, especially at nights, because of the good, traditional and very tasty food, as well as because of the atmosphere of originality that captivates everyone. You can have a greek coffee and some local pastry at traditional or modern cafes, have a glass of wine while enjoying the sunset at jazz bars, or eat greek specialties made by locally grown organic products. Get there early in order to find a good spot at tavernas, especially the ones that have live greek folk music every night!



In the heart of Tholaria, there is also the famous church of Agioii Anargiroi. Its characteristic architecture has turned it into one of the most well known landmarks of the island. If you happen to be in Amorgos in early July, don't miss the festival held in the 1st of July at the church, where traditional patatato dish (lamb casserole with tomato and potatoes), ksidato soup, salad, bread and wine are offered to the visitors.



Aigiali, the one of two ports of Amorgos is just 5min away from Tholaria by car. Located by the sea, Aigiali can offer lots of choices for swimming, dining and nightlife.


The view of Aigiali from Tholaria


The village of Tholaria overlooking Aigiali


Some of Aigiali's bars and beach bars



All in all, one thing is sure: visit Amorgos, that magical island of the big blue and you'll have the time of your life!


GETTING TO KNOW THE ENCHANTING ISLAND OF AMORGOS

Amorgos is one of the many islands consisting the greek Cyclades island group. Unlike other more popular islands, Amorgos still mentains a spirit of true authenticity, while emphasis is given to its traditional character. The natural beauty of the island, the crystal clear blue-green refreshing water of the beaches, the great quality of the food, the delicious dishes cooked with local organic products, the pittoresque corners of traditional villages, the historical landmarks of byzantine churches and ancient greek ruins, the welcoming and hospitable people, the variety of choices for places to swim; either sandy or pebbly beaches, the many paths for hiking leading to less known but still incredibly beautiful corners of the island, the innumerable stars of the romantic night sky and of cource the warm, bright, vivifying summer sun of Amorgos will fill your hearts and minds with exceptional memories of unforgettable holidays. So go ahead, visit Amorgos and have the time of your life! In the meantime, let us introduce you to this breathtaking island. Are you ready to discover Amorgos?
Amorgos on the map of Greece


THE BEACHES

Amorgos offers endless choices as far as beaches are concerned. Anyone can find a beach of their taste, either sandy, rocky or pebbly, isolated ones, more popular, accessible by cars, by little
boats, by paths, even nudist beaches. Really, the options are endless!

Agia Anna Beach, right next to the Monastery, shown at Luc Besson's film "The Big Blue"





Agios Pavlos beach, the "carribean-like peninsula"




Aigiali beach, the longest beach of the island, nearly 1km long










Ammoudi beach






Kalotaritissa beach



Levrosso beach, the nearest beach to Tholaria, at 1.5km








Mouros beach, dive in from the rocks!


Navagio, the shipwreck



Nikouria beaches, on the isolated island, accessible by little cruise boats





Paradeisia beach, meaning little heaven


Psilli Ammos beach, nudist friendly



Mikri Vlixada beach, accessible only by feet




THE LANDMARKS

Amorgos has been populated since about the 4th millenium B.C., thus there are many historical landmarks all over the island created throughout history, varying from ancient times to more modern ones.

The Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa
The Monastery is the most popular cultural attraction of Amorgos. It was created sometime during the 9th century and today is open to the public, functioning as a museum. Everybody is impressed when they first look at it; it's not only its architecture and beautiful location that does that, but more importantly it's the way that it's hanging over a rocky cliff, 300m above sea level.


In Amorgos there also are a lot small churches scattered all over the island, all being dazzling white and very pittoresque.




CHORA

Chora is the "capital" of Amorgos, meaning that it is the biggest village of the island. It is often said that it's one of the most beautiful Choras in the Cyclades. The narrow, maze-like little streets which make Chora so special, were made back in the day like a maze on purpose, so that the pirates wouldn't find their way in there and the residents would escape. Nowadays, Chora has a great selection of cafes, bars and tavernas. One thing is for sure, this place well worths a visit.





THE PEOPLE

When in Amorgos, you will have the opportunity to witness the traditional way of living that the elderly residents still preserve. These people are kind, hospitable, smiley and always willing to share their wisdom and stories from the past with those interested in discovering a forgotten lifestyle.




THE PLANTS AND THE ANIMALS OF AMORGOS

Amorgos has a very rich flora and fauna. If you stroll around the villages, you are probably going to see people still carrying stuff around the old-fashioned way, meaning by using donkeys, or if you take a ride around the island you are definitely going to come face to face with lots of lambs and kids! As far as the flora of the island is concerned, Amorgos is extremely rich in herbs and other plants like capers, prickly pears, thyme, lavender etc. from which the residents make beverages, jams, liquors and lots of other delicious products.





THE PATHS

There are numerous marked and unmarked traditional paths throughout the island of Amorgos, which were being used durind the old times. Nowadays, they still remain preserved, offering to visitors and residents the opportunity to explore the island while hiking. Walk them and you'll never get bored, as they lead to many different locations; from beaches to churches over the hills, to windmills and abandonned villages. Varying from 5 hours to 30min to walk them through, they are the most authentic way to discover the hidden beauties of the island.




THE SUNSET

The sunset of Amorgos is trully superb and is one of the biggest assets of the island. You can enjoy the magnificent view while going for a walk ot while having a coffee or a glass of wine, as you see the sun diving into the sea and the sky being coloured with beautiful shades of orange, gold, red, purple and violet.




THE SCENERY

Amorgos has so many beautiful corners for you to discover; just take a look!





WHAT PREVIOUS GUESTS SAID ABOUT US


"Eva est une personne charmante, attentionnée, d''excellent conseil, toujours disponible pour nous rendre la vie simple... l''endroit ? Amorgos est magique,ca c''est une chose, Tholaria, est un coin d''authenticité, super calme, duquel on a pas envie de partir... et la location est au milieu de tout ca, impeccable, confortable, tres accessible, on se gare à 2 pas en voiture ou en scooter...le ptit dejeuner sur la terrasse... un plaisir ! allez y, tout est là !"
Date 04/09/11 - Mr. Gilles M. (France)



"The studio is located in the heart of traditional Tholaria. No cars but sometimes donkeys. There are 10 mn walk from the parking. Newly furnished and decorated with taste, there is a gorgeous view on the bay of Aegiali from the veranda.Our hostress Eva is simply marvellous. Her delicate sens of hospitality rendered our stay a wonder. We can only recommand wormly this accomodation for happy holidays."
Date 08/08/11 - Mrs. Eleni B. (Switzerland)


"Appartement très agréable au coeur d''un village traditionnel. Propre, bien équipé et bien décoré. accueil très sympathique et chaleureux."
Date 17/08/11 - Miss Sandrine R. (Switzerland)


"The apartment is fully equipped with everything you need - even Greek CDs for the CD player. The view is gorgeous, the shadings for the terrace are also there. The place is absolutely quiet and relaxing. Even the best beach of the island is close by. Thanks again to Evagelia for our great time we had in Tholaria. We are coming again for sure..."
Date 17/07/11 - Mr. Dieter H. (Germany)


"We had an absolutely FANTASTIC holiday on the gorgeous island of Amorgos. Of 13 Greek islands we have visited, this comes joint first (with Symi, which is more easily accessible and therefore more touristy - the ferry ride from Pireaus to Amorgos is totally worth it) and the location of this property at the top of a wonderful hilltop village, with stunning views, is outstanding. The mountain walk from Thoralia (just out the back door!) to Lagkada village on the opposite hillside is completely unforgettable, and rates as my favourite walk in years and years of going to Greek islands for holidays (NB I am not a keen walker!!!) We couldn't have had a nicer time. The owner was lovely (the perfect multi-lingual, very knowledgeable hostess and a link to everyone in the village!) and the accommodation was perfect for our needs. In our opinion, you do need transport to explore every corner of the island, which is about 30kms long (car or moped), but this is very easy to come by and much cheaper than on other islands. We thoroughly recommend this property and Amorgos to anyone (except the old and infirm, although their old people manage it just fine!), and once you have experienced authentic village life in Thoralia (nicest Greek people on any island we have been to), you would definitely not want to be staying in the more touristy resorts of Aegali or Katapola, even though they are nice to visit."
Date 16/07/11 - Miss Rebecca F. (United Kingdom)

"Tres bonne reception de la part de Mme EVA.Appartement tres calme,acces tres facile et une superbe terasse vous attend(on en a vraiment plein les mirettes)une vue imprenante sur le village typique de Tholaria et sur la mer. J''y reviendrais!!! "
Date 05/06/11 - Mrs. Katerina T. (Greece)

"Excellent accueil de la propriétaire, chaleureux et plein d''attention. Bons conseils pour la découverte de l''île. Village très agréable, très vivant tout en restant loin de la cohue touristique. Très bonne adresse."
Date 16/09/10 - Mr. Jean-François M. (France)

"Everything was very very amazing,the house, the owners, people, the island,and the cuisine. I hope we could return very soon!!"
Date 15/02/10 - Miss Valeria C. (Italy)

"Me and my boyfriend stayed in one of Eva's apartments for a week in August and we had a wonderful time! The studio was so cute and very clean. The village is up on a hill but all the cafes, restaurants are just a few minutes walk down the one small road. We rented a scooter but buses go up and down to the beach several times a day and it's very easy to take them. Eva was great and often brought us freshly baked greek sweets! The view from her house is amazing, and all the people are so friendly. There is tons of exploring to do in Amorgos and the most beautiful beaches (for this you need a car or scooter) We really enjoyed every part of this vacation and really hope to return!!!"
Date 01/11/10 - Miss Katsantonis E. (France)

"Eva et Nikos sont aux petits soins : toujours prêts à donner de bons conseils et à nous aider. La vue de la terrasse est superbe. Le logement très bien équipé. Le village charmant. un excellent pied à terre à Amorgos."
Date 05/09/10 - Mr. David l. (France)

"This is The Place! We spent a lovely week at this fantastic location in an apartment that could be described as "romantic and peace of mind-ish" with a marvellous view of the Valley and to the Sea a fiew kilometers down the road. The familiar and uniqe service provided by the lovely host Eva is nothing else than just superb. There is no doubt, we will definitely come back and....of course highly recommend this apartment to all of our friends."
Date 01/08/10 - Mr. Peter F. (Sweden)

"Bonjour! EXCELLENTE adresse dans un village preservé et tres calme, le studio loué est spacieux et bien equipé, la vue depuis la terrasse est magnifique... Tres bon sejour!!!
Date 20/07/09 - Mr. P. U. (France)