Niki Studio Dio

If you like being close to the action, this could suit you. The apartment itself was comfortable, spacious, clean, and well looked after. Just be ready for noise: restaurants and a bus stop are right nearby, with evening music sometimes going until around 1 AM. Mornings can be loud too, when people bring bikes back to the nearby rental shop. For a quiet break, I’d look elsewhere.

It’s a studio, but it has what you need, and the location is excellent. Good value too. Parking can be found.

We found parking under the house most of the time with our rented quad, though anyone driving should plan ahead since spaces aren’t easy to find. There’s a paid lot at the entrance to Lakka, but I never used it, so I can’t say what it costs. The house was clean, and towels were replaced every 48 hours. Room cleaning and taking out the rubbish were up to us. The kitchenette had the basics for cooking, plus a kettle and even an iron. Lakka has a charming old center and the apartment is small, as the video shows, but it had what we needed. There’s a bar, a market, and a bakery nearby, and the island’s nicest beaches are about 10 minutes away. Gaios and the port are around 15 minutes away, so staying across the island from the main port wasn’t a problem. To me, Lakka feels like the most inland part of the island. One tip: do your grocery shopping in Gaios, because the local supermarket charges really high prices for almost everything. The owner, Niki, is a sweetheart and very kind. We’d arrived the previous day without meeting her and found the keys under the door. When she knocked hard the next day, it startled us, almost like an angry neighbor. Still, everything was fine and the stay was a very positive experience. Thank you.

The convenient location didn’t make up for the constant bustle and traffic, which made it feel unlike a beach holiday at any hour. The photos had led me to expect something quite different. The entrance looked unpleasant, the decor was shabby and ugly, and the apartment needed a serious renovation and, above all, a thorough clean. It felt utterly squalid. I wanted to move, but in mid-August there was nowhere else available. I was lucky to be on my own. If I’d brought someone, I’d have felt guilty about choosing this place.