Peloponnese Beach Stop

Posted by mlucius on 01/13/25 01:44 AM

Hello All - thank you in advance for any thoughts or guidance.

We are planning a Greece trip in July (kids, work, ect - it is the only time we can do it.) It is family group with a two sets of parents, one grandparent, and teenagers. (9 total)
We are doing Athens and the Peloponnese.
We would like to find a decent "beach" town for a few nights (probably around 3)- looking to have a day at the beach, local restaurants that we can walk to and then use as a base for few casual side trips - looking to slow down in the middle of the vacation. (We will have cars and are covering a lot of the other sites already recommended by Rick Steves' in his guide book).

Getting mixed messages about Kardamyli being a good stop.

Does any one have experience with, Areopli, Stoupa, Gythio, Koroni or another similar location and would like to share advise and/or hotel recommendations?

Thank you so much - really enjoy reading the thoughts and advise of this community.

Posted by JoLui

France Southwest

01/13/25 10:07 AM

2466 posts

From Karamyli and down south along the west coast of Mani there are quite a few places that might be suitable (they are more large villages than towns, the only city in the area is Kalamata)

All are quite popular and probably crowded in the summer.
In Kardamily see if the Vardia hotel has any availability. They have apartments and studios. It's not right in the village centre but there is a short pedestrian path to get there.

https://www.vardia-hotel.gr/

In Stoupa there are also quite a few accommodation options (but I remember it's a real hell to park the car)

https://maps.app.goo.gl/pD7dzHKinD9d5ZSX6

Another option could be Aeropoli

https://maps.app.goo.gl/QhgHJz6AjckFRmMm9

Gythio is pleasant but it is more of a port than a place where you will find a beach. The nearest beaches are several kilometers away.

It all depends on your itinerary, what you want to do and the places you want to visit. With 3 generations of travelers I guess it's not going to be easy to please everyone.

Anyway book your accommodations as early as possible. It's not going to be easy to find accommodation to accommodate 9 people in the same place.

Kalamata although not very attractive can also be a good base if your needs are very diversified between teenagers and grandparents. There is a seafront with the beach, quite a few restaurants and hotels, lots of shops, an old town to walk around. We only stayed there one day, it was a Sunday, the atmosphere with the Greek families who spent their days in the cafes and on the beach was rather nice.

Posted by edwardius

01/13/25 04:31 PM

418 posts

We stayed in Gialova, near Pylos, last year and it was beautiful. Nice beaches, good restaurants. Very peaceful area

We went down to Methoni to see the castle and spent some time in Pylos. Barely scratched the surface!

Posted by janet

Philadelphia, PA, USA

01/13/25 05:19 PM

3429 posts

Wilth that group, Gialova would be a wonderful choice. Look at Zoe's (they now call it a "resort" but that's for marketing) - it's a family-owned and run hotel, practically lthe only one on this idyllic beach. wonderful pllace to relax & great side trips to ruins, wildllife refuge, and Nestor's Palace. book Now.

Posted by mlucius OP

01/19/25 12:04 AM

4 posts

Thank you all. We reached out to Vardia hotel and were able to book! We have traveled to Portugal, France, Germany and England on trips heavy influenced by the Rick Steves' Guidebooks and have never been let down, so we decided that we would just go with the suggestion for this trip, since we are unfamiliar with the area. Maybe on our next trip we will venture to other suggested areas. Thank you again for all of the recommendations.