The small cove beach of Ammousso in the south of Lefkada Island.
Greek-style lunch at Akrogiali Taverna in Ammousso.
This is partly my personal mission, aside from journaling my travels, is to document all our Greek island holidays escapades, down to the lunches and dinners we’ve had at every cafe and taverna, and all the lovely Greek villages and beaches we have visited for other Greek Island lovers.
In Lefkada (this was our 2016 summer holiday), we spent a lazy, as usual, afternoon in a small cove beach called Ammoussa, which is also spelt as Amousa and Amousso. It is located in the southern part of the island near the village of Marantochori. This is just before reaching Vasiliki. In Marantochori there is a small road to the beach. From here the road will be winding and partly unpaved. This is quite typical in the islands when some of the lovely beaches are somewhat well concealed from the outside world.
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LOCATION OF AMMOUSSO BEACH
This is our route to Amouso Beach from Nydri where we were based for our summer holiday.
Dutchman and I usually rent a scooter whenever we are summer holidaying in the islands but because the Dutch mother is with us, we have rented a small car instead. Well with the car, we can go faster as well, I guess that is another advantage. But we have missed the feeling of being one with the island and nature which is the experience you get out of riding on a scooter. We wait then until the next summer holiday.
There are also 2 other lovely cove beaches nearby – Afteli and Agiofili – which we would love to visit as well but didn’t get to as we can’t be rushing from one place to another. When we holiday in the Greek Islands, our pace slows. Life slows down. We normally visit 1 or 2 places only per day, depending on how far these places are from our base. Usually combining lunch and beach time at a particular beach and later a village to visit nearby for some sightseeing and eventually dinner.
2 weeks summer holiday was not enough to uncover the secrets of Lefkada, but we managed to discover and enjoy a few of its hidden gems, such as Ammoussa Beach.
LUNCH AT AKROGIALI TAVERNA
After successfully finding a parking space, we first settled at Akrogiali beach bar and taverna. The other taverna which is facing near the beachfront was more like a bar whereas Akrogiali looked like a real taverna where you can have lunch.
We normally eat a very light lunch so we ordered a Greek Salad and Gemista which are rice-stuffed grilled red paprikas to share. A good combination of warm and cold for our late mid-day lunch.
Now every meal in Greek comes with a portion of bread served on the table, which is not free by the way. The bread is a cover charge for about 50 cents or 1 euro. This may be very insignificant when it comes to the amount but the danger comes in when you start eating it. So we always take this bread cover charge into consideration because bread can be heavy. When you eat out every day in your holiday, you have to learn to watch your portions.
We have enjoyed this lunch very much and below are the pictures.
We never tire of eating this every day when we holiday in the Greek Islands.
Traditional Greek Cuisine - Gemista (rice-stuffed paprikas and grilled to finish).
Those Gemistas were for sure huge.
THE OTHER TAVERNA / BEACH BAR
The other taverna which is more a beach bar is located just beside Akrogiali. It has, however, the best view and ambience to sit down for a drink and relax. The pictures below won’t lie.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW
- Just like Afteli and Agiofili, Ammoussa is a cove beach hidden from the strong currents of the Ionian Sea. The beach is perfect for swimming and hanging out.
- There are 2 tavernas on the beach front of Ammoussa.
- There is limited parking here so when it gets busy you may have to park on the narrow road.
- Sunbeds and umbrellas have a fee but they are not expensive. You may want to bring your own beach umbrella in the high season as this beach gets quickly full.
- It is a pebble beach but when you get in the water it is sand.
BEACH TIME
Now that lunch is over, it is beach time. Well, let me correct that, it is siesta time on the beach, something we all have been looking forward to for the day =)
We did not expect the beach to be busy since the high season will be in 2 weeks time but the beach was quite full, yet we were lucky to have snagged 3 sunbeds and parasols. They were actually the last ones not taken. What I love about this beach is they have a wooden walkway to the water which is really handy, although I do not really need it much as I now wear my beach shoes. In the Greek Isles, many beaches are pebble beaches which are not best to walk on barefooted.
I managed to dip in the water a few times and the did the usual stuff. Read my book, people watched, took lots of photos and even snoozed a bit. This is a typical ritual we do almost every day in the Greek Islands, which I am missing right now.
We usually call it a day when the sun starts to set down the horizon, and around 19:00 we begin packing up. We then go to a nearby town or village to do some sightseeing before finally having dinner somewhere nice on the waterfront.
Dutchman sometimes likes to take silly pictures.
I really find this beach elegant, what with the beach walkways and the thatched-roof parasols. In addition, it is a small beach giving it an intimate and exclusive ambience.
Travel Period: June-July 2016
Destination: Ammoussa, Apollonoi (Lefkada Island - Ionian), Greece
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.