STUDIO IN NORTH EVIA, GREECE CLOSE TO SMALL TOWN LIMNI

Introduction
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Do you feel tired and would you like to have a quiet holiday, under the bright Mediterranean sun? But you don't like the noisy Greek nights that you find generally close to beaches? Then this studio is the perfect place for you!

Location:
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Our studio is in a small village (apr. 300 inhabitants) called Dafni (Mantanika) and 6 km close to the beautiful town of Limni (Elymnio) and it's beaches. The village is very small, only apr. 300 inhabitants. It is situated on a high point of the Dafni-Kechries valley, with a very good general temperature, rarely going as high as near the beaches. The house itself is on the highest point of the vest part of the village, so there is enough air also on hot summer days. Nights can be very pleasant, with all the woods around.
The village is in a very good strategical point, 6 km from the vest coast and 20 from the nearest beach of the eastern coast, so you can choose each day to visit another gulf in the area.

The entire region of North Evia is characterized of a glorious historical past and deposits of great civilizations. Oreous, Istiea, Edipsos, Elimnio, Orovie (Rovies), Kirinthos, Artemisio, Kineo etc. are names of ancient cities that had developed great cultural activity in all of the historical periods, and of areas associated with the mythology or with determinant moments of the Greek history.

The modern cultural image of N. Evia has been improved considerably under the influence of the Greek refuges of Asia Minor since 1922. Prokopi, Farakla, Kirinthos, N. Pirgos, Taxiarhis, Kastaniotissa, N. Sinassos, these are the most important refugee settlements of N. Evia and the starting point of the wave of progress which was the characteristic of the past century.

The ideal combination of the verdurous woody mountainous environment with the beaches of superlative beauty, is what makes the northern part of Evia different from the other touristic areas of Greece.

Description of our studio:
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Our cosy studio is 30 m2, it includes a double bed and a single bed, an american style kitchen and a bathroom with shower. The studio is one of the best equipped in the area, it includes vessels for cooking, electric fireplace and oven, refrigerator, microwave, coffee-filter, toast preparator, roaster. It has a TV, but we have only the Greek channels running for the moment. It has plenty of books to read especially in Hungarian language, some in Romanian and very few in English. Maybe you bring us some books, that you don't want, for our next quests! ;)
In front of the studio there is a long balcony with chairs and table, offering a fantastic view in the valley. From here you can go to a small yard, shadowed by arbor.

Advantages:
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We offer free wi-fi internet.
We do not ask deposit and no extra cost, except the price on site. We are a Greek-Hungarian/Romanian family so communication can be done in 4 languages: Greek, English, Romanian and Hungarian.
There is plenty of parking place in front of the house.
The village is a very quiet one, except some of the Sundays, when eventually weddings are held in the central taverna.

What the studio do not include:
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- telephone, dish washing machine, washing machine, air conditioning. We can give you though a ventilator and you can also use our washing machine once a week if needed.

Smoking is not allowed inside the studio. Cleaning and change of sheets, towels every 4 day if requested.

Shopping:
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You can find a little shop at 50 m. Mobile vegetable-, fruit-, fish sellers at least twice a day, bigger shops you can find in Limni (6 km) or Mantoudi (15 km). They are are open even in the afternoon. In the village there are also two traditional taverns, a traditional Greek coffee-house and a fuel station. In Limni you will find everything you need, doctors, teachers, banks, taverns. 3 times a day the bus to Athens stops in the village.

Swimming:
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For swimming you can choose among the coasts of Aegean sea or Evian gulf. The nearest beach however, is the pebbled and crystal clear watered beach of Kochili, situated near the small town of Limni, aproximatelly 6 km from the house.

In Limni you can find also a nice beach called "The old factory" (Palio ergostasio), situated in front of a very old factory. There are several swimming possibilities further along the Evian gulf, and not far away from the house, beaches in Chronia, 9 km, beaches of Rovies, 15, Hlia 20 km, and tha famous Loutra Edipso 30 km. These are the thermal waters from where Herkules gained his super power. The best thing anyone can do, is to visit each day another place.

In the same way, on Aegean coast, beaches of Agia Anna (20 km from the house), Vasilika 30 km, Ellinika 40 km, Pefki 50 km are waiting to be discovered by the traveler.

You can make the round trip of North Evia, a very nice trip to do, visiting also the Monastery of David and the natural park of Drimonas, with the small waterfall.

About our village:
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The old name of the village was Mantanika, which probably originates from the word "mantani", meaning factory working with flowing water. The distance between it and the sea is 6 km. The nearest small town is Limni, and the nearest beach is Kochili, near Limni. The village could be characterized as a junction between the western and the eastern coast of the island, establishing thus, ideal conditions for anyone to spend his vacation in a quiet place, combining swimming in the sea with long walks in the green forests near the village. In the hills near Dafni is the small fountain called Erotocritos - named after the legendary knight who passed here, at the medieval village called Ligdia. Dafni along with Kechries, and Murtia (each situated apr. 3 km from Dafni) during the times of Turkish occupation was a Kara-Ali's estate. After the liberation it was signed to the hands of resolution fighter Angelos Tombazis, and later, due to a decision of the Greek Government in 1925 it was assigned to the landless farmers of the area.

To visit:
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*** The village Agia Anna ***is located on 300m and is the original village, where people lived before they built houses by the seaside settlement. Agia Anna was named after Saint Anna, who's image is placed in the temple of the village. In the area people are living since the Palaeolithic era. The mountain village of Agia Anna, like many others, is built on such a point, that has a marvelous belvedere, but it was also hidden from pirates. The beach village, where the apartments and hotels are located is also called sometimes Agia Anna, however it's official name is: Agali.
In Agia Anna the visitor can come across a museum of national art, where he/she can see the traditional clothes of Agia Anna and be informed about the customs, the way of life of the residents from the year 1821 until today. Outside the village 3 km west on a high area there is a known ravine, the ravine of Bolovinenas and the gorge of Nileas river, where extraordinary excursions can be made.

*** Agali *** is a 9 km long beach, with very clean sand and many natural gulfs around. From archaeological studies it is ascertained, that on the north edge of the beach there have been remainings of classical years, while most recent studies have revealed, that in the area must have been built the ancient town of Trigche. Admire-worthy in the wide area of Agali, is the one-room temple of Saint Vasilis (Agios Vasilis) that is located next to the aforementioned remainings. The beauty of the nature and the sunrise, are one of those that will fascinate the visitor. On the beach you can find traditional taverns and enjoy the regional products and especially the fresh fish.

*** Limni *** is one of the most beautiful villages of north Evia, that constitutes today the capital of the municipality with the same name. The special architecture of the buildings, the taverns by the sea, the cafeterias that are full of life day and night, the wooden benches in the walkway by the sea, combine a picture, that could be on any famous island of the country.
The onshore road of Limni is offered for nonstop walking, all day long, every hour of the day during summer period. Especially after the sunset, when the beach is colored with the last sunlight of the day, the scenery becomes so calming, almost imaginary. In Limni there are many sights, like the temple of Saint Christodoulos, which is inside a cave, the temple of Zoodochou Pigis and the nunnery of Galataki. Also in town there are two worth seing museums, the historic and the laographic. In the laographic museum ancient documents of the town are kept and also other findings, that residents gave to the museum. The last years important festivals take place in the area, the known "Elimnia" that last 15 days and includes book exhibitions, dance manifests, sport events and theatrical performances.

*** Kerasia *** is one of the highest villages of North Evia built on 600m. In the wide area of Kerasia there is the stoned forest for which scientists declare huge interest, studying the stoned remains of the mammals of the Paleontological era. According to studies the fauna of the area was extremely wealthy and contained knife-tethers, which must looked like lions, elathodiria which is something like a giraffe but with a lower neck and chalikothiria, big mammals that were fed with leaves. There have been also found skulls from rhinoceros with two horns. In the village there is a museum, where one can see these interesting remains from this region.

*** The village Drimonas*** is near the beautiful after-Byzantium monastery of Osios David. It's name is derived from the deep cold of the winter in the area and from the driina forest, that hug the village. Next to the village there is a natural park of extreme beauty: the pathways framed from various kind of flora, extends to a height of 850m, to arrive to a unique beauty water fall, the water of which is filling a small, green lake. A bit higher there is the plateau of Makrolivado, through which the road comes across and connects Kerasia with Kokkinomilia, which is the last village of the municipality of neighboring Istiaia.

*** Gouves*** is located on the country road at 13km from Istiaia. In Gouves one can see the famous tower of Gouves that later became privacy of the poet Drosinis. The building was built after 1800 by the Turk Impraim Aga.

*** In peninsula Lichas *** one can find some of the most beautiful beaches of Evia. Gialtra, Gerolimano and Saint Georgios combine the deep blue of the water, with the green of the trees that almost reach the sea. From the colorful gulf of Saint Georgios begin boats, that make all-day excursions to "Lichadonisia", small uninhabited island opposite to the cape of Kineon. Nisiotissa, N. Pyrgos and Orei offer you nice beaches with gold sand and blue waters, while on the other side of the Aegean sea, there is Ellinika with the continuous, sandy gulfs and the long, clean beach of Vasilika. After one dives at Lichadonisia, can wonder around the beautiful villages and make a stop for coffee with view.