Anafi Hotels & Villas: Where to Stay
Accommodation on Anafi is limited: a handful of small hotels, rooms and studios in the Chora, at Klissidi and around the port of Agios Nikolaos. The Chora keeps Cycladic rooms and villas such as Panorama Rooms and Villas Anafiotika; Klissidi puts you by the beach at the Apollon Village Hotel and Margarita's; and Faros Rooms stands above the port at Agios Nikolaos. Most places offer a port transfer, since the island is quiet and cars are few. This guide covers the places listed for the island, with the descriptions and photographs supplied by the hotels themselves.
- Best for the town
- Chora
- Best for the beach
- Klissidi
- Best for ferries
- Agios Nikolaos
- Peak months
- July & August
Panorama Rooms, Chora
The Cycladic-style Panorama Rooms stands centrally in the Chora, with air-conditioned units and balconies overlooking the Aegean Sea. It offers free Wi-Fi in public areas, a free transfer from the port and car rental. All rooms and studios have a fan, a fridge and a television, and each has a private bathroom with a shower, while the studios add a kitchenette with a small electric oven. Restaurants and shops are within walking distance. The port of Agios Nikolaos, which connects Anafi with Santorini, lies 3 kilometres away, and the beaches of Klisidi and Katsouri are 3.5 kilometres away. Free public parking is on site.
Apollon Village Hotel, Klissidi
The Apollon Village Hotel perches on a hill just 250 metres from Klisidi Beach, in Cycladic style, with a snack bar and panoramic views over the Aegean Sea. It offers free Wi-Fi in the lobby and air-conditioned studios, apartments and rooms for two to six people, with tiled floors, whitewashed walls and furnished balconies. Each unit has a fridge, an electric kettle and a telephone, and a private bathroom with a shower and hairdryer; some also have a spa bath. A continental breakfast is served at the snack bar, which also serves drinks and homemade ice-cream through the day. The hotel lies 800 metres from Anafi Port and 2.5 kilometres from the Chora, with the long sandy beach of Agios Nikolaos 1 kilometre away. It arranges a free two-way port transfer and has free parking.
Faros Rooms, the port
Faros Rooms stands on the hill above the coast at Agios Nikolaos, near the small port. It is 2 minutes' walk to the first beach at Agios Nikolaos, 10 minutes to Klisidi and 20 minutes to Katsouni, so you need no car, bike or bus for a swim. Faros has 6 rooms, each with a toilet, a fridge, a boiler, a ceiling fan and a big balcony with a view over the Aegean Sea; five have two wooden single beds and the sixth a double bed, a small third bed and a kitchen sink. Breakfast is not included. The rooms sit close to the port and the road, so transport is easy, and the Chora is about 4 kilometres by road or a 30-minute walk by footpath.
Ta Plagia, Chora
Ta Plagia offers bed and breakfast in the Chora, in rooms with modern facilities and a view over the Aegean Sea. Breakfast in its cafeteria comes with hand-made marmalade and sweets, and in the evening it serves snacks with traditional ouzo and raki. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and the prices are reasonable. It suits travellers who want a simple, sociable base among the whitewashed streets of the capital, and it doubles as one of the island's places to eat.
Margarita's, Klissidi Beach
Margarita's is where Hans stayed on Anafi, arriving in the middle of the night to a warm welcome. It is a small rooms-and-taverna by Klissidi Beach, with a nice atmosphere, good food and friendly people. The rooms vary and most are small, but they have private facilities and beautiful views over the sea. Margarita's also cooks a short daily menu and serves breakfast with a view, so it doubles as one of the island's best places to eat.
Villas & self-catering
Anafi keeps its self-catering rooms in studios and small villas in the Chora and at Klissidi rather than in large estates. Villas Anafiotika in the Chora offers self-catering apartments, and several of the island's hotels, among them Panorama Rooms and the Apollon Village Hotel, include studios with kitchen facilities.
Villas Anafiotika, Anafi Chora
The whitewashed Villas Anafiotika is a self-catering property in the Chora, offering apartments with views of the Aegean Sea or the surrounding area. Each apartment opens onto a balcony or patio and has air conditioning, a seating area and a DVD player, with a full kitchen with a microwave and an oven, and a bathroom with a shower and hairdryer. Free Wi-Fi and a free shuttle service are provided, and free public parking is possible nearby. It suits families and longer stays that want to cook for themselves among the whitewashed lanes of the capital.
Choosing an area
Where to stay on Anafi depends on the kind of stay you want. The Chora puts you among the whitewashed lanes, churches and squares of the capital, with rooms and villas such as Panorama Rooms and Villas Anafiotika, though it sits on a hill away from the sand. Klissidi puts you by the island's main beach, with the Apollon Village Hotel and Margarita's. The port of Agios Nikolaos, with Faros Rooms, suits early ferries and quick swims at the harbour beach. Rooms are few across the island, so book ahead in July and August whichever area you pick, and the villages are set out in the Anafi island guide.
