Hi,
Went to Petra Sept 2005.
I would describe Petra as one of the few places in Greece not touched that much by tourism. When I say that, I mean there is no McDonald's, English pubs ect.. just very nice Greek tavernas, and one or two bars. Do venture beyond the 'main drag' and into the back streets, where you'll find little tavernas, shops, and some bars hidden away. The food is fantastic, in fact probably the best we've had in Greece.
You can walk to the next resort down the coast to Anaxos, smaller than Petra but still nice. Also take the service bus to Molyvos. There you will find a nice harbour, and roof top tavernas with great views.

£180 in June..is that for one week or two?

Thanks for that - £180 is for one week, I'd definitely be suspicious if it was for two!! What are the beaches like?

The beach at Petra is nice and sandy, and you can 'paddle' out in the sea for about 20 yards before you have to start swimming. If you walk along the front going away from the center of Petra, then you'll find the above description of the beach. The beach in the center is sandy but narrow. The beach at Anaxos is nice also.
If your looking for a nice meal, and a few quiet drinks in the evening, then Petra is fine. If you want a bit more night life, then head to Molyvos. But bare in mind we were last there in 2005, and some things might have changed.

Do look for posters advertising a 'Donkey Trek with Michael' This is run by Michael and his English partner and when we were there was totally independent of the tour operators. There is a phone number on the poster, ring that and you will be given all the details. We did and had a great time. Your given a donkey relating to your size, weight, and rinding confidence. Each donkey has a name, my wifes donkey was called Poppy, mine, (and do bare in mind your in Greece) was called Eric, yes Eric!!

Take the service bus to Efthalou where you will find the 'hot springs' Just get the bus driver to let you know when you are there.
This was a good fun day out, cost us very little, and we did it twice.

If you hire a car, you can visit the 'Petrified Forest' and others resorts such as Scala Kallioni on the other side of the island

Sounds perfect to me - thanks for your help

Hi Philippa

We have enjoyed several holidays at the Lassia.

The place is run by Ruth and Jim, and Ruth has to be one of the best cooks we have ever come accross.

The Lassia is in a lovely position about a 20 minute walk from the centre of Petra and the rooms have the most beautiful views out towards the Church and the coast line. The rooms are large and have decent size balconies. The pool is quite small, but you often have it all to yourself.

Many people return year after year. In fact one year we booked to stay somewhere else. It was awful, and after only a few hours we jumped into a taxi and went to the Lassia. Met up with Ruth and Jim, and on finding out she had a couple of rooms available she sent us back with Jim to fetch all our stuff and we probably had one of the best 13 and a half days holiday ever.

As I said, the location is fantastic. You have to take care walking along the main road as they dont do many paths outside of town, but its a great 20 minute walk and if its very warm, stop a few times along the way for a drink and enjoy

Went back to Lesvos last year but stayed in Eftalou - other side of Molyvos, but visited Ruth and the Lassia looked as lovely as ever.

Have a fantastic time

Cheers
Pete

hi philippa, hope you dont think i`m being nosey, but is the £180 for the apartments only, or does it include flights too?

Hi there, it's for flights too, with Manos holiday company. Seems like a great deal!

Thats an excellent deal, I have priced it up on the Manos website and it is £350 each for 1 week June!!

Philippa,
You have got yourself a bargain there! Lesvos is a beautiful island and Petra is a great place to stay. We stayed in Anexos last year (second visit) and did the walk along the coast to Petra a number of times, once coming back in the dark - take a torch if you do that and be prepared to get your feet a little wet at the Anexos end depending on the state of the sea.

There are some great restaurants and bars in Petra, very laid back and not at all tacky. That goes for the whole island, not a McDonalds or "full English Breakfast" in sight!

If you hire a car (and I would recommend it for at least a couple of days) there are some great places to visit. Driving is easy, but it does take a long time to get anywhere as the roads are certainly not super-highways!

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Jet

Thanks for everyone's help - if you go onto Thomas Cook, Holiday Deals, with a bit of hunting around, you'll find it - it's from Gatwick, 26th June.

Philippa,
we have had several holidays here and for an island with a airport of this size its very uncommercialised. As suggested by Jet a car is essential to make the most of this island, public transport is limited. We spent a month in Eftalou last year and even with a car for the whole time we only just about covered all the places we wanted to visit. You could do it in a week but you would be spending too much time driving. Its a great place, hope you like it.

Hi Philippa, thanks for the info on the Lesvos deal. however, we would be flying from Manchester which puts the price up £98 each! Some of these flight supplements are scandalous, in my opinion! Anyway enjoy your hols.

It's almost worth travelling down to Gatwick for that price!

We stayed at Petra some years ago on a farm just outside the village. The owners did everything they could to make our stay pleasant but we did need and made full use of a car to see the island.
I remember Molyvos being accesible by bus and being very photogenic. Dinner on the harbours edge where we had the swordfish in "local" sauce. Back in Petra, there was a lovely taverna right under the rock where we were spoilt by the owner, everytime we passed by she gave us slices of delightful madeira cake to take to the beach. Its a huge island but you could really get away from it all.

Lucky old you. We're off to Sivota this June but are back in Petra this September. I love the place. Can't remember how many times we've been to Lesvos now. Eight I think - and seven of those in Petra. Hope you don't end up feeling sad that you've only gone for a week!

The Lassia is out at the back of the village. From what I hear I think you'll either love it or you won't... but in a week that doesn't matter much because there is so much around you.

Petra itself has loads of great places to eat + shops and two or three ATMs. Do explore along the front as there are some seriously good tavernas further up. The beach is OK and it won't be too crowded in June.

Anaxos to the south is more of a beach resort. It isn't my sort of place but you may love it.

You will get your feet wet but if you want to avoid the road you can walk the beach between Anaxos and Petra. There is a little beach there called Avlaki with a superb taverna. South of there you may walk past a little caravan with a garden and goats and chickens wondering around. That is Marina's mum's 'place' and - on two rings - she is a seriously good cook.

Molivos to the north is a really lovely village with great eating. Do get down to the harbour at the far end. A drink outside the Sea Horse is recommended. (The Sea Horse is a wonderful place to stay too.) If you have the lungs for it, the views from the castle are amazing.

Walking from Petra to Molivos will probably take you about an hour but the bus is about 1.5 Euro and a taxi probably only 5 (7 if you go right through to the harbour). The nearby inland villages can be visited by serious walkers or car / bike. The taverna at Petri is a nice spot for a drink.

Eftalou and the hot springs (and more tavernas) may be worth a visit. Skala Sikiminias definitely is worth one (car or boat from Molivos). I personally like the SW of the island too but that does require a car - Lesvos is huge.

What else about Lesvos? Well, the food is great almost everywhere and the people fantastic...

Have fun!