Anaxos Hotel Reviews

Anaxos is a carefully developed Greek village much like many others, but right on the edge of a less developed Greece which is becoming so rare. Its beach is gravelly rather than fine sand and is well served rather than swamped with seafront cafes and tavernas, all good value for money and serving delicious traditional Greek food mixed with a splash of generic pizzas and Gyros. They have their beach umbrellas and sun loungers and most offer these free when you buy food and drink from the taverna.

One place you should visit is Steve's Bar, tiny but easy to find in the middle of the village. Steve is a wonderful man, quiet and reserved where so many owners are a bit over hearty, and with a lovely laid back attitude to life. He is an avid Led Zepellin fan who plays classic rock music in his tiny bar while he serves just about the cheapest drinks around. He seems to have a band of dedicated fans who visit the area every year to sit in the bar and rock the night away to his music.

Anaxos isn't an 'action holiday' place! While I was there late in the season there was not much on offer of the parascending or banana boat type acrivities. Likewise there is no real clubbing to be had, even at nearby Petra or Molivos. However, this means that for those who want a more relaxing holiday closer to a Greek lifestyle it is a gem and it does offer everything that a normal Greek holiday is based on. There is walking, both coastal and inland on the hills with stupendous views. There is wildlife and birdlife to watch. And of course there are the ever present beaches and blue sea to laze on and swim in.

In nearby Petra you will find a small town with an interesting Greek style narrow backstreet area offering shops and tavernas. At Molivos, the next stop on the bus route, is a Turkish fortress on the hilltop reached via a beautiful warren of tree covered backstreets straggling up the hillside to it, with a picturesque harbour area below. Beyond, at the end of the bus route, is Eftalu with its hot spa. The four towns lie 10 minutes from one to the next by local bus and, at the current time, to go anywhere on the route from anywhere along the route costs 1.40euro, (if only we had that here)!

With a car you would of course have the ability to reach everything else on Lesbos, but information on the rest of the island can be found elsewhere. I would whole heartefly recommend Anaxos, the focus of this post, as a base for your holiday.

Anaxos is very nice if you want a very peaceful, chilled out holiday. There are a few mini-marts, 4 Tavernas on main road, and some more on the way to the beach. We only went to the beach once, as it is very deeply shelving and absolutely freezing cold once you get in the water, getting out is a problem too if you are not young and nimble like us. I liked Anaxos but as we only stayed for one week, if I had stayed for two weeks I'd have had to have gone out and about during the day otherwise I'd have gone stir crazy. People at Anaxos were incredably friendly and helpful. Would I go again? Yes to Lesbos, but I wouldn't stay in Anaxos, as a bit too quiet and boring for me. Food was OK, well I never had a bad meal (although I had a severe stomach problem the day before I flew home and during my departure) , but I would only give food 5 out of 10, had better more enjoyable food on other Greek Islands I'm afraid. We were very lucky coming home as we boarded the very last Excel flight to Gatwick on the Thursday night before it went bust.

Anaxos, rural, typically Greek, authentic, friendly, reasonable (sadly the euro / pound exchange rate, makes drinks apart from beer - expensive) eating out reasonable and varied, lots of offers for two people with wine at 15 euro with not a bad meal in sight. Good range of tavernas, fresh fish plentiful - no favourites, all good. Supermarkets friendly with lovely fresh bread and good range of goods, Antony's our favourite! very friendly. Anaxos - don't go if you have teenagers. Too quiet. beaches were pebbly and shingle fine for adults and children who can swim, but too shelving for little ones in my opinion. absolutely ideal for a complete break.

low key nightlife, you need to hire a car if you like to explore, Sigri was a nice place to visit as is the gulf, very shallow waters kids will love it.

Overall Anaxos has retained its greek charm and the people are very welcoming. Its extremely relaxing resort with options for alternative nights out close by. The airport is very small and the trip to the resort is slow as the roads are poor for the amount of traffic on them. However Anaxos makes up for all of this.