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20 February 2010 by Tony Wells Paxos à la carte is what the name indicates, the freedom to arrange your holiday to the perfect Greek island destination of Paxos as you like. Once upon a time, and not so long ago, if you wanted to take a holiday on the Ionian island paradise of Paxos, things were not so simple. Flights to Corfu, the nearest island to Paxos with an airport, were on two days of the week only, and on both of them the airport turned into a gigantic scrum. You travelled as part of a package, for one or two weeks, neither more nor less, which was organised by one or other of the tour operators who happened to have Paxos on their programme. Once arrived at the airport, and through the jam, you were whisked down to the port to join – in the very old days – the venerable Kamelia, the single Paxos ferry and old rust bucket which would slowly, very slowly, carry you over the waves to Gaios, the Paxos port. From there, one of the three Paxos taxis would take you to your little village house in Loggos or Lakka or to one of the rare restored old Paxos villas among the olive groves. In some ways these were the “good old days” on Paxos: quiet, unhurried, the roads full of goats rather than cars, the shops closed in the afternoon for siesta hour. But while things have changed on this tiny island of Paxos – the inland villas have multiplied and sprouted pools, satellite TV dishes adorn the walls, the roads are busier – in its essentials this haven of tranquillity (Paxos means peace) has stayed true to itself. There is still only one disco on the island, on the outskirts of Gaios; there are no large hotels or blocks of holiday flats, just a larger range of holiday villas and couple of boutique pensions, the Paxos Beach and the Paxos Club; there are no sunbeds or umbrellas at rip-off prices on the beaches; and the taverna owners and shopkeepers are still pleased to see you. The residents of Paxos have got the message: don’t kill the golden goose! What has changed, and for the better, is the whole shape of a holiday on Paxos. It is now truly “à la carte”! No more flying to Corfu on only two days of the week: Easyjet flies there seven days a week from Gatwick. No more slow boat to Paxos, with three hours or more on the Ionian waves: there are now a couple of hydrofoils every day from Corfu to Paxos and back, with a journey time of an hour. So what does this mean? It means you can stay on Paxos for as long or short a duration as you like. With Paxos à la carte the accommodation – cottages, studios, apartments, villas with pools – is available from as little as two nights to as long as you fancy. Nor are you any longer tied to particular arrival or departure days: you can tailor make your stay to five, or ten, 15 or 20 days as you prefer. So Paxos is the epitome of the modern Greek island holiday, combining the clear seas, unspoilt beaches and easy pace of life islands like Paxos have always offered with an entirely new flexibility. And flexibility also means you can link up a few days (or weeks!) on tranquil Paxos with exploration elsewhere. Corfu is just at hand, boasting not only Paxos-like opalescent seas and white beaches but a fascinating Venetian town, while in the other direction the Epirus mainland, just as easily reached from Paxos, is uncharted territory, with both a beautiful unpopulated coastline and an intriguing interior of hills and mountains, classical sites and traditional villages.
For
details of
Travel à la carte’s Paxos à la carte programme of holiday villas and
apartments , visit
www.travelalacarte.co.uk or contact Chris
Griffiths (email
chris@travelalacarte.co.uk or tel 0030 26620 31207) or Tony Wells
(email
tony@travelalacarte.co.uk or tel 020 7316 1867).
PAXOS: Please Keep Me Informed: |
PAXOS HOLIDAY Travel a la carte
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Travel à la carte |
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