Many of you have probably heard of Elafonisi on Crete, but how many of you have actually visited Elafonisos, this beautiful little island just a 10-minute boat ride from the main land of Peloponnese?
I’ve been here a couple of times before, but as the last time was about 10 years ago, so I felt it was time to go there again this year. Why? Because I only needed one thing from my vacation this year… Relaxation (with a capital R)!
Big Simos 
Panagia
After one day and one overnight stay in the wonderful town of Monemvasia, my friend and I drove down towards Neapoli in our nice little rental car and within an hour we arrived at the small ferry boat that would take us over to the paradise island called Elafonisos. Due to the whole Corona situation, we had also prepared and taken a a so-called “self test” (bought in pharmacies for 6 euros) but we never had to show it. The ferry boats run once every half hour and the cost of taking the boat across the small strait is 1 euro per person and 11 euros for a small car. You can count on a 10 minute crossing time from one bank to the other.
Read more about how to reach the island of Elafonisos here.
As soon as we parked the car on the boat and looked out over the strait, we were immediately struck by what is so special about Elafonisos – the absolutely magical turquoise green water. The welcoming couldn’t have been better!
We would stay here for four days and enjoy the tranquility, the calm and the island’s incredible and world-famous beaches. We had booked a room in a small and charming family hotel called “Anett Studios” which was situated only 200 meters from the towns water front promenade. The hotel was wonderful with large and clean rooms and close to Elafoniso’s small and actually only “town” (if you can even call it that) where taverns and smaller shops line up on the pretty promenade with the small bridge over to Agios Spyridonas church. We felt right at home!
Elafonisos is not an island for those who want a lot of people and life around them, or who want a number of sights to visit. This island is visited mainly by Greeks, Italians and French who have mostly arrived with their camper van and the tourist season reaches its “peak” here in August.
As said earlier, the sights of Elafonisos are basicaly only its beautiful beaches and barren nature. With its 18.2 square kilometers in total, it is not an island you need several days to see, but you do need to have a car or other mean of transportation to get from the “town” to the best beaches which are located about 10 – 15 minutes from there.
So, as you can imagine, this island, with its only 100 inhabitants during the winter months, is just for relaxation, sun and swimming.
The first thing we did when we arrived at our hotel and unpacked our things, was to put on swimwear and embark on a first adventure to one of Greece’s most beautiful beaches, “Simos beach”.
From the city it is a 15-minute drive there and the beach has a nice parking where you can leave your car and then walk the last stretch down to the water. A sign with the words “This way to paradise” guides you to a path to what can only be described as a dream. “Simos beach” is actually not one, but two beaches: “big” and “little Simos”.
“Big Simos” is more wild and shallow and is often visited by those who enjoy water sports such as kite surf and games among the waves. There you will also find the island’s large and well-organized campsite.
“Small Simos” is calmer and more organized, but in saying so you can expect to pay a little more for a set of sun loungers and umbrellas than usual. Actually, quite a lot more…
Since we were incredibly tired and it was windy on the day we visited “Simos”, we decided to go to “little Simos” and enjoy our drinks and the amazing view under a very expensive umbrella. Here you can stay all day as the sun loungers come with a menu where you can find food, drinks, ice cream, snacks and everything one may need!
Big Simos 
Little Simos
After many dips in the wonderful water, we felt the hunger creeping up on us so we made our way into the “town” and sat down on a fish tavern called “Antonis”. In addition to the fact that the food here was incredibly good, the owners were also very nice and chatty! That’s probably one of the things I took with me from this trip to Elafonisos. Maybe it’s because the island is very small and “intimate”, but the truth is that everywhere we sat down for a bite to eat or a drink, the staff was so hospitable and wonderful!
The day after our arrival, we decided to see the island’s other beautiful (and lesser-known) beach called “Panagia”. To be perfectly honest, this is probably my favourite beach here since the first time I visited Elafonisos in 2011. “Panagia” is also a long sandy beach with turquoise blue waters, but here there is a more wild and free feeling. The few sun loungers you can rent for the day cost between 5 and 10 euros (instead of 40 euros at Simos) and you can also order coffee or other drinks and simple food from your sun lounger if you wish. The big “plus” here is that it is also worth bringing a diving mask, as you can actually see incredibly beautiful fish swimming around in the relatively shallow waters!
Panagia
The beach “Panagia” is just a 5 minute ride from the “town” and since there are two larger hotel complexes behind the beach you will also find easy parking.
You can also choose to swim by the beach right next to Elafonisos town if you wish. It also maintains a very high standard and it can be better and more convenient if you are traveling with small children and want to swim within walking distance of the hotel you are staying at.
the beach by Elafonisos town 
Our days on the island were thus spent with a simple schedule that looked like this: wake up, go to the beach, have lunch, rest at the hotel and go out for an evening walk, dinner and drinks. What else do you need on your vacation?
Elafonisos has a large selection of restaurants and bars for its size and one place I can highly recommend is the “all round” place “Stin akri”. Here you can have breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner while they also serve really good coktails and sweets. “Stin akri” is also located right on the shoreline and if you are lucky enough you can maybe catch a glimpse of the sea turtles when eating your waffle or “bannoffee” at sunset! This place is magical!
“Stin Akri”
In general, the food on the island is very good and affordable and one tip is that you stick to fish dishes as the fish is always fresh here! They also specialize in lobster pasta around this area, for those of you who would like to experience some everyday luxury.
Visit the taverns “Aronis”, “Antonis” and “Ourania” for a really good meal!
The city of Elafonisos also houses a number of smaller shops with clothes, shoes and other small things that are actually worth visiting if you are looking for tasteful souvenirs to take back home or for something nice for yourself. The shop “Kapari” has both nice clothes and wonderful handmade souvenirs and jewelry!
Elafonisos is the perfect island for those who want to find peace and who enjoy long hours at the beach. Anyone who feels restless here on the island can at least enjoy day trips to both the town of Neapoli and to Monemvasia (which I promise to write about soon) and which are just on the other side of the strait.
The nature of the island is quite dry and it is difficult to imagine that the island got its name (which directly translated into English means “deer island”) by its many deer and because in ancient times and later years the island was used for hunting.
However, even if the island is not covered by tall trees or forests today, it is still fully protected under the EU’s Natura2000 programme as Elafonisos is actually home to many different species and an important place for migrating birds.
In short, this island is one of the smaller Greek gems worth visiting. Since you cannot reach Elafonisos easily because it is far from major airports and cities, it is a place I would recommend you to discover in connection with a road trip in the beautiful Peloponnese. There are some flights down to the city of Kalamata and from there you can for instance rent a car and get to Elafonisos in about 3 hours. If you drive down here from Athens you can expect a 6 hour drive as the roads after the city of Sparti are smaller and with many turns.
However, there is nothing better than discovering a place “for yourself”, and that is exactly the feeling you get when visiting Elafonisos. Here you can let go of all the everyday stress and find the peace and quiet that we all are in need of.
