Samos is a very pleasant island to spend vacation on. The island is overall very green and show very different aspects: beaches for sunbathing and swimming, small fishing and mountain villages, antique sites like in Pythagorion. We elected to stay in 4 different places in
Samos during our 9 days visit to the island: Vathi, Kokkari, Ormos Marathokampos, Pythagorion. At the end of June, the island was not yet invaded by tourists and we had a very pleasant and peaceful stay. I think this might not be the case aftermid July especially in Pythagorion.
Good overall dining experience particularly in Kokkari where there is a huge selection of restaurants (even a true Italian restaurant!). One very bad experience though on the smal harbour of Ormos Marathokampos were we waited for over an hour at a "taverna" to try and get our main dish after a small tzatziki plate. We finally gave up and decided to leave and retreat to our hotel for a picnic. The restaurant owner had given preference to a party of 15 people rather than to try and squeeze in the kitchen our order. An adventure we had not had in Greece for a long, long time! We did not write down the name of this restaurant as you can guess!
Prevent foreigners fom opening tourism businesses on the island! It is unacceptable to see a lady from Switzerland own a souvenir shop on the road from Karlovassi to Pythagorion, trying to sell products to French / German tourists!! What a shame! We expect a true native to interact with and exchange a few words in Greek!
A few recommendations for visitors:
1. Try at all cost to avoid the very high season on the island i.e. between early July and late August : it could be a real nightmare!
2. Spend a week minimum on the island and stay at 3 or 4 different locations to discover different aspects of it
3. If you travel on your own i.e. not with an organised tour, beware of
traditional hotels which are very expensive for what they have to offer. Prefer the small pensions that you can get recommandation for at the tourism office.
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