My mum and I have just returned from the Lovides Village Apartments where we had a weeks holiday from 29 June to 6 July and found them to be excellent on the whole.  Lovides is situated in an excellent location in Lourdes, right between the old part (Lourdata) which is located to the left down the hill and at the bottom you will find the beach.  Too the right is the long straight horizontal road where you will find the majority of the supermarkets, tavernas and a couple of bars.  Its worth the trek down the hill half way to teh beach to reach the old part of Lourdes and the 'square' (Lourdata).  There is a little old taverna on a hillside there run by a very friendly Welsh guy an his Greek wife and the locals congregate their to discuss the state of the world.  Its a little step back in time and worth the visit, perhaps in the evening when its cooler and less hard work to walk back up the hill!

Lovides is a little village of apartments set slightly off the main road up a small incline.  The apartments face towards the ocean and some have better views than others.  The village itself is generally quiet and serene and lovely to sit and watch the sunset from with the breathtaking mountain backdrop behind you.  Our apartment was right at the back (C block) and we were on the second floor (see picture attached, view from our balcony).  I was surprised by the excellent standard of accomodation.  Our room had a small kitchenette area as you entered the door to the right and on the left a good sized bathroom with toilet, good size sink and mirror above and best of all an excellent shower with hot/cold water and the cubicle itself was a seperate built up floor area with curtain.  There was also a hairdryer fitted to the wall!

Secondly water flow from the taps can be interrupted - it was only on two nights when we returned to our apartments at 10:30pm ish to find that there was no water from the taps in the bathroom or kitchen, not a drop.    The loo however did still flush?  One resident advised us it was due to a pressure problem they were endeavouring to fix.  We showered before we went out that night so it didnt really bother us since we had water chilling in the fridge to drink and water ressumed as normal the next morning.  If you have young children though this is useful to be aware of.

We flew from Bristol and arrived in the early hours which meant that coming home we were told to vacate our room at 11am prior to being picked up by the coach to the airport at 8:45pm.  Thats a long time with no room.  Luckily we lazed by the pool by day where there was shade if needed and our neighbours (Ian and Susie from Croydon, hello guys! ) were so very kind as to let us borrow their room to shower early evening so we could change in privacy and have a bite to eat all clean and refreshed prior to boarding the coach.  There are showers pool side but there was no room provided, and suitcases had to be left poolside all day long.  We are so grateful to Susie and Ian, thank you so much if you are reading, as my mum is 71 and it made all the difference to her.

Eating out..... When staying at Lovides you are in the middle of the resort.  A shortcut to the tavernas is to turn right out of the apartments and pass the pool and walk to the end of the road.  Then turn right again.  The road turns a little gravelly but its still walkable in flip flops, its not bad.  The road bends around to the left sharply and you stay on it and follow it to the end.  On the way you will see Andromeda restaurant on your right up the steps (we heard it was good, a little more expensive than the others though) and then at the bottom is the best restaurant of all - SPIROS.  We ate there on 4 evenings it was so good and everyone we spoke to agreed!  Its only about 100m from the apartment and has scenic views of the ocean and is beautifully set outside but under cover with an olive tree between the tables and under umbrellas in places.  The staff are so friendly and you couldnt ask for better service, it was immense.  For Greek authentic food & lovely fresh fish its a must - please do try the fillet of sole stuffed with seafood (baby squid, mussles & prawns) this dish was stunning!!!  I had Stamaki which I've not seen before on my Greek travels - big a casserole of tender chunks of lamb with a tasty greek herby tomato based sauce and vegetables and topped with melted cheese - yummy! They also do excellent pasta dishes, the bolognaise was really lovely and other grilled & UK foods for the less adventurous. Generous but not over the top portions. The appetizers were also gorgeous - try the mezze which is really unusual even though it had chips - a little bit of everything, lovely cheese pies.  If ordering seperate starter the calimari is to die for!  

Inonysis as you turn right at the main road and right along about 800m was a little more expensive but the view was stunning across the bay as the sun set - the service could be more polished, we had to ask twice for a glass of water, but the Becre Meze (tender chunks of beef in greek tomato based sauce) was absoutely gorgeous & two of the tenderist pieces of beef - almost fillet steak!  I requested potatoes with it instead of chips but was told this was not possible  so I had rice instead.  Apart from that, this dish was superb.

The beach....  well believe what you have read about the climb down to the beach, its a monster of a hill.  It winds downwards, slowly at first and then steeper (very steep in places) towards the bottom nearing the beach.  We walked down one morning and it was hard work at the bottom (my calves really felt it and I'm only 32 and quite fit!).  Walking up though - crazy, seriously.  We tried it and nearly passed out half way up .  Its not so much the hill - it is steep and quite long but it could be done if it were not for the heat.  Before the sun rise and after it sets it would be ok.  There are benches you could stop at along the way if need be and have a rest.  But in 32 degree heat (which is what we just came back from) its a formitable effort only for the brave hearted and 6 times a week gym goers.

Hopefully we have covered everything that we learned on our week in Lourdes and hopefully it might give you a head start to making the most of your holiday  Enjoy!!

Located on the road towards the beach but only about 25m down the hill and around the corner past Muses Cafe...a lovely restaurant with air conditioning and a sweet little olive grove garden out the back which was refreshing and cool if there is a table free - worth a peek as you arrive.  We had calimari and vine leaves to start which were both generous and stunning.  We then asked for some olives to nibble and a huge plate of kalamata olives arrived!  Lovely.  My mum had the Kleftico which she very much enjoyed, very tasty and a good portion, the only critisism was that it was a neck of lamb to be picked off the bone whereas elsewhere we experienced lovely tender chunks of lamb without bone.  I had the mousakka which was a little bit of a let down as I could see it was an old piece that had been warmed up - the mince had little flavour and the aubergine was skimpy and shrivelled and the potato on top was browned inside and limp.  Bit of a shame because other than that the rest of the meal was lovely, with lovely wine too and reasonable.  The waitress was sooo sweet to - she gaves us a rose before we left and chatted away to us.  We visited on a Monday but no live music so I guess you need to watch out for a notice or something to catch it. 

Inopolis Restaurant is located towards the far west of Lourdes on the main road.  It is worth the walk along on an evening for the stunning views alone. 

This is one of the best restaurants I've visited during my travels of the Greek Islands over the past 8 years and I cant praise it enough!!  I am very puzzled by the previous comments on this restaurant and this is why....

We ate there on 4 evenings it was so good and everyone we spoke to agreed! It is centrally located in Lourdes on the main road opposite the jewellery shop and has scenic views of the ocean.  It is tranquilly set outside for al fresco dining but under cover with an olive tree between the tables and under umbrellas in places. The staff are so friendly and you couldnt ask for better service, the lady and more mature gentleman serving (I think may be Spiros) were accomodating and described the dishes excellently.  They were friendly and attentive without being intrusive.  If you venture into the restaurant kitchen where the till is to pay your bill (which you are welcome to do if paying by card or are in a rush) you will see the family preparing the food for everyone to see and chatting away to each other - delightful.

They also do excellent pasta dishes, I fancied the bolognaise was evening and it was really lovely if you would like something a bit more simple and other grilled & UK foods for the less adventurous. Try to be brave though and indulge the Greek part of the menu, absolutely gorgeous.  Very generous but not over the top portions. The appetizers were also fabulous - try the mezze which is really unusual even though it had chips, look past that to the lovely variety of different things - a little bit of everything, lovely little cheese pies. If ordering seperate starter the calimari is to die for, a big plate of generous lightly battered tender squid.

The Greeks, as do many countries in the med, do favour olive oil.  You will see this in their dishes.  Try not to be frightened of it - scientists have proved this is part of the reason the Greeks are far healthier than us westerners.  Mix the olive oil on your plate with the light vinegar provided and dip your bread in it - much heathier than the butter we favour in the UK and its very tasty.  Whilst in Greece... do as the Greeks do... maybe you'll learn how they live longer than we do!  People mistake the food as greasy but its not to be honest, its simply the virgin olive oil they use in cooking which gives their potatos and food a sunny glow.  Its traditional and its healthier than our butter and our packaged food full of additives and bad fats, embrace the culture and remember you are not in the UK.

On top of this the restaurant was very busy every night and one of the most reasonable in Lourdes - only 4.20 Euros for a litre of white wine served in their traditional jug - lovely gentle wine to accompany any meal.

Look out for the black and white cat who is subtle and patiently mills about the tables for any generousity she can tempt from you - almost as cute as the little black kitten her accompanies her and who is adorable and loves to be cuddled if you let her know you like cats and show her some attention.  Bless.

We stopped here for lunch and found it to be very nice.  We both had Greek salads which had a two reasonable sices of feta topped with oregano.  The salad beneath was fresh, crisp and tasty.  We didnt experience a main meal here but we couldnt fault our salads - the service was prompt and the waiters attentive.  A nice view across the sea too.  I'd recommend it for lunch or something light.

A lovely friendly restaurant whose owner was very honest indeed when we asked if the fish was frozen or not.  My mum had the fish anyway and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We shared the skin with a patient little cat who was very grateful but unfortunately this attracted another 3 cats who were not so well behaved and the poor owner had to shoe them away!  We felt very guilty.  But the fish was excellent.

Klimatis Taverna is located on the beach but worth the trek... so friendly and a lovey setting looking right out on to the ocean.  Alfresco dining under a roof of vines and a bounty of hanging grapes.

For a small car we were very pleasantly surprised - she climbed the mountain roads with ease and turned the hairpin corners in second with the effort you'd expect from a much more powerful car.  I drive a large Honda 2.2 at home so I was surprised how well it went.  No air con on these models but thats what windows are for - take in the Greek air!! 

Martin (who is Engish) provides an excellent service - clean and serviceable cars and a happy disposition with each one!  He gave us a map and was happy to give advice and answer any questions we had.  A full and excellent service explain in every detail and this is imporant - fully comprehensive insurance cover - note that most claim this but what you actually get in our terms is third party.  So if you come back to find a dent in your hire car (and be aware the Greeks drive like nutters) then you dont have to worry. 

On our adventure around the island by car we stopped at Skala and had lunch at The Pines before heading to the beach.  It was a very hot day and we came across this restaurant at the bottom of the main street, opposite the sea through a few pine trees.

I took out Euros from the AlfaBank which was on the main road in Poros and there was no charge at all for withdrawing and I got an excellent rate of exhange too.