Chapter 14: Traditional Apartments Alexandra, Kastellorizo, Greece
For the full Traditional Apartments Alexandra review and a few more pictures thrown in, you can read the entire article on my website (Disclaimer: This link is to a website to which I contribute/have a financial interest).
Kastellorizo
After a great journey on the night boat from Astypalea to Kastellorizo, it was a short walk from the dock to my accommodation for the next two nights.
I had booked a two night stay at Traditional Apartments Alexandra, a small pension inside a typical Kastellorizian house, for which I paid 58 euro per night.
Most of the accommodation options on Kastellorizo are self-catering apartments, small pensions and Airbnb rentals, with there only being two or three hotels on the small island of around 500 inhabitants.
At the front door, I was met by the welcoming elderly lady who runs the pension. She briefly showed me around the facilities of the apartment and handed me the keys.
Apartments Alexandra
The first thing you will notice at Apartments Alexandra is the unique, Italianesque architecture of the house. Most of the houses on Kastellorizo all have pastel-coloured facades, high ceilings and breathe a certain atmosphere of turn-of-the-century life.
These houses used to be the mansions of relatively wealthy traders and sea captains, and it clearly shows in the architecture on the island.
Even the newly built houses are all made in the same style, thereby retaining the traditional character of the island.
A look at the apartment
My apartment was located on the first floor of the building and consisted out of multiple rooms. When you enter the apartment, you arrive in the main bed and living room.
At the right side there is a cosy seating corner with a couple of chairs and a one-person bed which doubles as a sofa. On the left you will find a double bed.
With the high ceilings, mirror, curtains and some decorations, it did look both traditional and classy at the same time. It did however have modern-day amenities such as air-conditioning and a TV.
The WiFi internet connection was fast and reliable too, and there were plenty of power sockets throughout the entire apartment.
Kitchen
If you turn left around the corner through an arched opening you will arrive in the kitchen of the apartment, which was much more spacious and better equipped than I expected.
It has a dining table which seats four, a microwave oven, sink, fridge and two pits if you want do some cooking.
Although I didn’t really use the kitchen for cooking (one of the main points of coming to Greece is dining out!) it was for sure nice to have a large kitchen, if only to make some coffee and to prepare some breakfast in the morning.
Bathroom
The bathroom of my apartment was quite large too, although it wasn’t the best-equipped ever. That was especially visible when it comes to the shower, which had no shower curtain and a small shower head with poor water pressure.
Needless to say, it also makes the bathroom prone to flooding after you take a shower!
This is a however a wider issue among many Greek apartments and pensions, and it is certainly something you should expect at the bulk of accommodation options, including those on the island of Kastellorizo.
Apartment view
The apartment itself has multiple windows, as well as two large wooden doors leading to a small balcony, from where you have some decent views over the nearby streets and mountain right behind the house.
On Kastellorizo, the most expensive apartments are of course those which are located directly on the waterfront. If you want to have a cheaper apartment, you will most likely end up with an apartment with a similar town or mountain view.
Terrace
One of the great aspects of the apartment is the fact that is also featured a lovely terrace, although it is not directly connected to the apartment itself.
Instead, you have to get out of the living room into the main corridor and staircase and head through another door, which leads to the large terrace.
It features a big wooden table with a couple of chairs and panoramic views over the streets and mountain forested with Kastellorizo’s ubiquitous pine trees.
The terrace made for a great place to eat breakfast in the morning or to drink a glass of wine in the afternoon.
View from the terrace. As you can see, the local supermarket (with the red banner) is only a few steps away!
The terrace was an excellent place to drink some coffee and eat a fresh pastry from the nearby bakery in the morning.
The terrace was an equally fine spot for a glass of wine.
Location
Granted, due to its compact size and small population, there isn’t really a bad location for an apartment on the island of Kastellorizo as most accommodation options are just a few feet away from the waterfront and the local shops and taverns.
That was certainly the case with Traditional Apartments Alexandra, as the waterfront was only 30 metres away.
To reach the port where the ferry docks, it is a leisurely 10 minute walk, so you don’t really need to use the sole island taxi for this short distance either.
As you are smack in the middle of town, you have the local supermarket and bakery just a few feet away from the building as well.
Conclusion
I had a great stay at Traditional Apartments Alexandra, which certainly lived up to expectations. It was clean, cosy and nicely decorated, providing a comfortable base from where to explore Kastellorizo.
The apartment was value for money and had all the facilities you require, whether it is reliable internet, a fully equipped kitchen, and some pleasant seating areas to have a meal or drink.
The only negative was the bathroom, although given how common such a shower with weak water pressure and flooding is in Greek apartments and studios, it was something which I more or less have come to expect when travelling in the country.
Overall you certainly cannot go wrong by staying at Traditional Apartments Alexandra or one of the many similar self-service apartments and studios on the island.