Continued from Part 2 - Kardamyli because I'm too verbose...
Aeropoli - 2 nights
My original plan here was to stay 2 nights as the day after arrival was market day and this would give us time to see the town and Pyrgos Dirou caves. Then on our departure day we were going to drive the tip of the Mani peninsula around to Gytheio and catch the 7p ferry to Kythera.
So first off we stayed at Kastro Mani hotel which was great, I would definitely recommend it. Big rooms and very comfortable bed plus plenty of parking for drivers.
Second, the market was a disappointment. It wasn't the cute market like I've been to in France, which is what I expected. It was just produce, live animals, and a honey and olive oil vendor. Very small and not worth a stop for tourists. The old town center is charming but only a few blocks long so can be seen in a quick stop. The caves were cool, reminded me of Gouffre de Padirac in France. The boat tour was in Greek, the guide ignored us when we tried to ask a couple of questions on English, so we didn't get much out of that. But the cave formations were beautiful and interesting. And again, all something that could be done in a stopover, no need to stay here.
And finally the ferry from Gytheio was delayed due to a forecasted incoming storm so that we wouldn't have arrived in Kythera until 1a and then we had a 45 minute drive from Diakofti Port to our rental in Kapsali which really wasn't fair to our host, let alone being a hardship for us. So we decided to leave Aeropoli early in the morning, skip the rest of the Mani peninsula, and drive to Neapoli and catch the ferry there to Kythera before the storm blew in. That worked but I'm sad we missed the rest of the peninsula.
If I had it to do over again: I would stay just 1 night in Aeropoli to break up the trip around the peninsula and have time to see the caves. We made multiple stops between Kardamyli and Aeropoli, plus lunch and swimming in Limeni, so it was a journey just getting from those 2 towns. Aeropoli makes a nice 1 night stopover and has good services. I would then make the circuit around the peninsula and up to Gytheio. Stay 1 night there and then go on to Neapoli for the ferry. Or stay the night in Neapoli and make time to see Elafonisos. I wouldn't plan to take the ferry from Gytheio again because it's too infrequent and runs at a late hour so if there's a delay or cancellation it's a problem.
One note about Limeni: please ignore the advice in the RS guide to have lunch at O Takis Taverna. The prices are absurdly high, our seafood was criminally overcooked, and the service is terrible. Yes, you have a table right on the water and you get to watch the resident sea turtle swim about practically at your feet. But here's a tip: before or after your lunch (at another restaurant) go to the public dock/lookout/shelter on the rocks along the bay. There are 3 staircases straight down into the water from here, a number of people were using them. Get in the water and you can actually swim out and see the turtle and all the fish up close. You can buy a snorkel and mask from most of the little markets along the coast (I got mine for €12 in Kardamyli). I did this after our awful lunch at Takis. Just don't get too close to the turtle, they can be known to bite.
Links to all reports for this trip:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-greece-part-1-athens
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-greece-part-2-kardamyli
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-greece-part-5-nafplio