liz look at the blue banner at the top of the page click on resort report or hotel reports to seek your information

wizard

Liz

We prefer to stay in Petra or Molyvos. Anaxos is a beach with a few hotels whereas Petra is a small town and Molyvos slightly bigger.

We hire a moped and you can get from once place to the other in about 10 minutes. Taxis are cheap but even cheaper still is the bus which can be great fun but takes much much longer.

In Petra we have stayed at the Lassia (manos holidays), see our report on reviews. The Lassia is perfect for families, young and old. It is out of town but only a 15-20 minute walk into Petra.

Have heard good things about the Panorama which is closer to town than the Lassia and sounds like it has a much larger pool and sunbathing area.

We love Lesvos. It only has one draw back and that is the transfers from Mytilene airport which seem to take for ever so its worth paying the extra for a Taxi.

Have a geat time whatever you decide.

Pete

It's been a few years since we were in Lesvos but it would still be in my top 3 of all the places I've been to in Greece.

We stayed in the Michelia hotel (not sure if it's still there) in Petra on the seafront. Petra is lovely - it's quite small and traditional. The locals were all really friendly, we often placed cards with them on an evening.
The beach was extremely clean when were there and the sea just gorgeous. We could see and hear if from our hotel balcony and it was just wonderful on an evening. Don't miss a trip up the town's church on the hillside, it's a great place to watch the sun go down.

Molyvos is just along the road and is a nice place to visit for a change. The local taxis are ceap enough.

As Pete says the airport transfers are the main problem - it takes soooo long. If we went again, we'd definitely get a taxi rather than the tour op bus.

Look at the Trip advisor web page on google. There are plenty of posts on Lesbos...which is our favourite Island

We went to Lesvos many years ago, stayed in Petra it was lovely, the beach was good very sandy did find the transfer from the airport rather long suggest you have some liquid supplies with you especially for the children at least, it was about and hour and half travel if I remember correctly Petra was a lot nicer than Anaxsos to us Molyvos was also nice but it was quite some time since we went but did see a red squirrel which I've never seen before and it was beautiful.
pojo

Liz..we went to Lesvos last Sept and stayed at the Panorama Hotel in Petra. Take a look at my hotel review in that section....In short, it's a nice hotel with a good size pool, all clean and tidy and we would go back. Plenty of taverna's in Petra offering traditional Greek food as opposed to the usual fish 'n' chips, burgers, sunday roast etc...
Would definately recommend Lesvos, Petra, and Panorama Hotel

Liz , we went with Direct Greece - stayed in Sigri - and it was brilliant , Yes the journey is a long one whichever resort you are at ! but Direct Greece made it really special - we were in a small coach and we had a comfort stop on the way from the airport (it was at night ) the rep provided water on the coach , and on our way back we stopped for a longer stop of about 3/4 an hour which enabled us to get drinks / toilet and shopping !
Sigri itself is a very traditional fishing village and has a smattering of tavernas, bars and small shops - it feels like you are staying with friends when you are there and the Direct Greece rep Jan was excellent -she is married to a local - and her welcome party was extremely informative , (we usually give them a miss but decided to go since it was our first visit to the island) we sampled locally made ouzo and also local foods.
I think when we return to Lesvos we will probably stay at Molyvos as we visited there for 2 days in our hired car!

Lesvos is lovely. One of the nicest islands I've been to. In fact I've been twice to Molyvos. That can get busy but it is a very nice place.

Take time to travel the island if you can as it has so much to offer and once away from the main areas is very peaceful.

The trip to and from the airport is a pain but its at most two hours and what's that in the scale of the holiday?

I'd go back tomorrow (later today even!)

Enjoy!

Petra is the better option, we stayed at the Oriana which is on the outskirts of the resort. Christoph the owner still runs his farm as well as the hotel/apartments and cooks the most fantastic food at the restaurant there. It is definately worth the walk there for a meal. The Lemon baron the front is good for snacks- try the home-made apple pie that Gabby, the owners mother makes. A compact place with lots to see and do.

I know that a lot of work has been done in Petra.
Not that it was bad but they have made the place even more tourist friendly.
Molyvos can get very crowded so a stay in Petra within easy reach of Molyvos (if you want it) will be quite a good option.

Hi Lizzy,
I have done quite a bit of travelling, including a few of the Greek Islands. My partner and I make it a rule never to visit the same place more than once because life is too short, and we want to see as much of the world as possible!... However, there will always be an exception and and in our case it's Lesvos. We have been to this beautiful island on five occasions, although our last visit was five years ago. We have booked to go again on 27th July! Don't be put off by the transfer time (around two hours), it's a chance to see other parts of the island. The main tourist areas are in the north west and fairly close together. We have always stayed in Anaxos, the quieter of three areas all very close together. It's small and very pretty with not much going on in terms of 'nightlife'. It's a pleasant walk from here to Petra, either by road or along the beach (be prepared to get your feet wet!). Visit the church on the rock for some stunning views. Slightly further is Molyvos, this is the busier of the three: a tiny harbour, a castle (visit early morning if possible), tavernas, restaurants selling the freshest of fish and some quaint shops. When are you going and where are you staying?

We are staying at the Panorama hotel in Petra in June. it will be our first time to Lesvos.

Reading through this thread it sounds like we've made a really good choice, we're really looking forward to it.

Polly

Hi Polly,
You have made a good choice!
We really enjoyed our stay at the Panorama (see my review in the hotel review section).
Enjoy

Thanks for that, intervoice.

I did read your review on the Panorama Hotel before we booked, and I had a good read up on what Lesvos was like, so we were pretty sure that it would suit us.

We like traditional Greek food, and quiet, pretty places.
It's getting harder to find places that haven't become too commercialised, don't you think?

Polly

Hi Polly,
Yes, i do agree with you. It is getting very dificult finding non commercialised places
I think in Lesvos, you have found one of them
There are some great tavernas in Petra, all serving Greek food, so your spoilt for choice!
The only down side is the lengthy transfer to and from the airport. But putting thing into perspective, it's a small price to pay.

Hi intervoice

As we usually go long-haul, a 3.5 hour flight and a 1.5 hour transfer will seem like a doddle - we hope!

Do you have any particular favourite tavernas to recommend?

Or any uncommercialised resorts to share with us?

Thanks

Polly

Hi Polly (again)!
Tavernas - Everyone we went in served good traditional Greek food. Unfortunately, it was 9 months ago and I've forgotten the names of our fave ones I will ask the wife, she may remember - then I'll post another reply with some reccommendations What i will say is do go venture down the back streets, there are some fab tavernas tucked away near the rock with the church on top. And during the day, you can, if you want, climb the 100+ steps up the rock to the top to look round the church and see some great views of Petra.

Lesbos is our favourite Island that we have visited so far. We stayed in Molyvos up by the castle surrounded by greek residents who made us feel very welcome. We got to know local families who we chated to on our way out most morning/evenings. The apartments we stayed in were the best accomodation we have ever had in greece, Pine Tree offered by Manos, absolutely brillant. 3 on siute double bedrooms, ours even had a BATH. The children were extremely comfortable in their respective rooms.
The only negative thing about Molyvos was the beach or lack of one. However a short taxi journey got us to Petra and Anaxos which I highly recommend. The best beach on the Island is Vitari, deep in the south of the Island, well worth getting a car and exploring, it is the 3rd largest greek Island. Go to the petrified forest, Scala Erressos, Scala Kalloni, but enjoy Molyvos, plenty of traditional taverna's and fantastic value for money. We went to Skaithos last summer and found it to be very expensive in comparison.
I think it is one of the only greek Islands we have visited that has not been spoilt in any way, and that will cater for anybody who wants a relaxing holiday. For some reason some of the tour operators are pulling out of offering Lesbos as a holiday destination, which is affecting local buisiness, but if it keeps it unspoilt, then this must only be a good thing. We do not want it to end up like some parts of Corfu/Kos/Zante etc.

Polly,

While in Lesvos take the boat trip from Molyvos to Skala Skiminias which is a tiny village with a very picturesque harbour with a small church.
Have had many a nice lunch sitting at the harbourside tavernas.

RG