Loggos, Glyfada Beach Villas Review

Overall Rating

Good Views from Villas, Very friendly staff, well cooked Greek food,

Very steep walk up, no proper showers in villas, all a bit basic, very crowded beach, steep sloping pebbled beach

We went in August 2003. Each of the villa's at Glyfada Beach has a fantastic view of the sea. They are positioned one above the other to give uninterrupted views but for a few trees. Right at the bottom of the complex is the taverna and the pool is at the top. The age group here is about 7yrs-50yrs made up of families with older children. Much older or younger would not enjoy the long steep walk up which is equivalent to about 14 storeys from beach to pool. The Villas are between except Ionio which is above the pool.

There are two beaches Glyfada and Monodendri. Glyfada is small, very pretty and unspoilt and is reached via a steep and rocky unadopted hill path. Most visitors to Glyfada come by boat, there are no sun beds. Monodendri is much more user friendly with lots of sun beds (grab one before the lunch time rush), two tavernas and a small rental centre with everything from pedalos to windsurfers. For some reason you can not see the bigger taverna and the rental centre in the brochure picture. There are no buildings right on the waterfront. Monodendri has lots of Italian atmosphere by midmorning. Both beaches are steep sloping pebbles that become almost football size just under the waterline. Paddling and wading is almost impossible without good beach shoes. Beaches in Paxos are not small child friendly.

The gbv taverna serves a basic breakfast of cereals, bread and cheese, sometimes there is fruit and different breads but they run out quickly. Lunch is well cooked Greek food and they do a special everyday and the staff are very friendly. Again get there early if you want comfy chairs as there are only a few. All of the furniture at gbv is very basic.
The villas are all very pretty and have ac at extra cost. They do not allow you to leave the ac on and some of the villas with upstairs bedroom areas suffer from this. Temps in August can reach 40c.+
Beds are small and hard and there are no proper showers. Fresh water is only available bottled all other water is brackish. We christened our shower the saline drip. It was just a tap and a dribbling hose at hip level. We had no bedside lights and the sheet was too small for the mattress but it did get cleaned twice a week.

The pool is a refreshing and attractive area. It is quietest in the morning but quickly fills up in the afternoon as gbv guests retreat from the busy beaches and return from their hot daytrips. On some evenings there is a hectic game of water polo which is fun.

Good food can also be had at the many tavernas and bars in Loggos, Lakka and Gaios. These are unspoilt fishing villages that have adapted sensitively to tourism.

Members' Comments onlawrenca's Review

• dutch on 19th Nov 2003

  beatiful beaches with a wonderful blue-green colour/wonderful villas

• modiba on 25th Nov 2003

  I have been to Glyfada Beach Villas for the last six consecutive years and I undoubtedly will be returning next summer. The beautiful location of the villas on the island of Paxos is one of the reasons why I have been drawn back time and time again, but this is not the only reason.
  
  The villas are located very close to Monodendri Beach, which has extremely clear water. The waters here are only of equal quality in the Caribbean, although Paxos is in Europe and so much more convenient if travelling from within Europe, especially the Uk. The travelling time to Paxos takes less than five hours from the Uk rather than approx. ten hours to the Caribbean, and once you get there you will be amazed at what you see.
  
  On arriving in Glyfada Beach Villas you will see many beautiful olive groves lining the unadopted road to Glyfada. The villas are on a hill, which does require some exercise but as with all things on Paxos there is no rush to get to the top! Once you are at the top however the view is staggering. It is possible to see the Greek mainland on a clear day from Glyfada and the sunsets on Paxos can be breath-taking.
  
  As I have been to the island so often I have established a great network of people that live on Paxos and also return for their holidays. The community is so friendly that even if you haven’t been to the island before, you only have to return to the same bar or restaurant on two nights and you will feel like you have been returning year after year. The staff at Glyfada Beach Villas are exceptionally warm and the owner Spiros will go out of his way to ensure that everything is how you want throughout your stay on Paxos.
  
  The swimming pool has transformed Glyfada Beach Villas. The view from the pool is arguably one of the best on Paxos and with the new tennis court for Summer 2004 the facilities at Glyfada are continually improving. The Glyfada Beach villas are simply furnished but this is no bad thing. When you go to Glyfada Beach Villas you cannot expect ‘hotel quality furniture and luxuries’. Yes, you are provided with clean sheets and towels as well as soaps and shampoo but you must remember where you are. You are on a Greek island, miles away from the Greek mainland and from Corfu and so it is naïve to expect that the locals will be able to offer you the same luxuries, as you would find at a five star hotel. What they can offer is complete integrity and a passion to ensure that you enjoy your stay on Paxos.
  
  Paxos has been kept a secret for many years and is now just finding the lime light with coverage by the BBC and having been voted a Cultural Village of Europe in 2004. Out of all the locations on Paxos, staying at Glyfada Beach Villas is without a doubt the best! I urge you to visit Paxos for your next holiday and I would recommend booking early!
  
  The Glyfada Beach web site is http://www.paxos-glyfadabeach.com/