Local Area   Food   Getting Here

Greek Holidays in May, June and September

Serenity Retreat is based in Nikiana on the Greek island of Lefkada in May, June and September.  If it's July and August you're after, you'll find us in Ammoudia.

Lefkada

No one has ever heard of Lefkada and we think that’s a good thing!

The island of Lefkada (or Lefkas as it is sometimes known) is the fourth largest of the Ionian Islands. It’s situated south of Corfu and Paxos and north of Kefalonia and Ithica.

Linked by a bridge to the mainland, Lefkada is a magical combination of award winning beaches, spectacular mountain forests and verdant, fertile plains. Life in the traditional mountain villages offers a great contrast to the more cosmopolitan towns of Nidri and Lekfas Town.

Nikiana

Serenity Retreat is based in Nikiana for a very good reason. It provides the perfect location to have as much or as little as you like of the ‘outside’ world.

Nikiana is a small harbour village on the eastern coastal road of Lefkada. It has some beautiful beach and harbour-side tavernas as well as a couple of pizzerias, coffee shops, a bakery, a Greek fast food outlet (gyros), a choice of supermarkets, a great souvenir shop, a butcher’s and Danai’s shop (difficult to explain, easier if you just go and visit – Danai is a great hostess).

The village is on the coast between Nidri and Lefkas Town (15 minutes to either by car or bus). There is a regular bus service that runs to both towns during the day time as well as further south to the picturesque village of Sivota and the windsurfing centre of Vassilliki. Taxis to either Nidri or Lefkas Town cost in the region of 8 – 10 Euros. So you can enjoy the livelier environments of the towns and come back to the peace and quiet of the village, alternatively don’t leave the village!

Nikiana has a fabulous beach with crystal clear waters and safe swimming. Watching the mountains of the Greek mainland turn red as the sun sets is a great way to enjoy dinner in one of the sea side tavernas.

Lefkas Town

The main town of Lefkada (Lefkas Town) is charming and quaint. It’s a great place to spend a few leisurely hours wandering through the pedestrianised main street and browsing the curio shops and the craft shops that the town has to offer. There are plenty of opportunities to sit and enjoy a coffee or lunch and the main square is a fantastic place to watch the world go by. It’s a mish mash of architectural styles but all the more charming for it. Definitely worth a visit (if you have the energy!).

The West Coast

Trips to the spectacular beaches of the West Coast can be arranged quite cheaply for those wishing to share a taxi or to share a day's car hire. We can also arrange bicycle hire, car hire and boat hire for you. Opportunities for all types of watersports are also available in nearby Nidri.

Food

Breakfast is available at a number of places in the village starting at 3.50 Euros for a basic bread and jam affair, to 6 Euros for a full-on buffet type eat-as-much-as-you-like number.  Or you can take advantage of the fabulous local fruit, yoghurt and honey and make your own breakfast....  

Nikiana has a variety of supermarkets selling the afore-mentioned fresh fruit and vegetables as well as the staples. It has restaurants, a baker and a butcher.

If you’re on a tight budget you can make sandwiches quite cheaply for lunch. All the rooms have fridges. It might actually prove cost effective to stay in the self catering accommodations where you’re guaranteed some light self catering facilities if the cost of eating out is a concern to you.

There are plenty of places to eat in Nikiana: fish restaurants, pizzerias, fast food, home style tavernas. You could go somewhere different every night if you wanted to.

Vegetarian, vegan, wheat, dairy or sugar free eating. You can find dishes in restaurants that cater for all types of eating – some more easily than others. If you are on a strict or rigorous eating programme then it’s probably better to stay at the self catering accommodations.

The food is predominantly Greek with an Italian influence (the Italians and the Greeks come in amazing numbers in the peak season). You won’t get much in the way of ham, egg and chips. Just so you know.

 

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Getting Here

• Flights are available on Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays) from Gatwick and Manchester to Preveza airport.
• The flight time is about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
• Free transfers are available to meet all Sunday flights.
• Transfer time is approximately 40 minutes.

If you don’t want the bother of hunting out flights then Barry Lewis is your man. He knows the market inside out, he isn’t always the cheapest (although sometimes he is) but he has a habit of finding flights when the internet doesn’t appear to have any (half terms are a great example of this). And we think he’s an all round Good Egg. His email address is: barry@charterflights.co.uk and you can call him on 020 8714 0025 

If you do want to do your own research and booking then these are the most likely places you’ll find flights:

• www.charterflights.co.uk
• www.justtheflight.co.uk
• www.cheapflights.co.uk
• www.skyscanner.co.uk

• This year the flights are about £220 (good deal) £250 (average) £300 + (September, if you leave it too late and half terms).
• As a rule of thumb – but by no means guaranteed – you can play the market a bit and hold off for cheaper flights (if you have the nerve) in May and June although half term flights need to be snapped up as quickly as possible.
• September flights are always really popular, so we would recommend not hanging about with booking them.