Camping Kea

The beach is really close, and the staff are very friendly. The area is well organised. Pets are welcome only if you bring your own tent.

There’s a supermarket inside the camping area with all sorts of things, from fresh fruit to swimming gear. KeaCamping is in Pisses, about 15 minutes from Kea downtown. The facilities are nice and clean, and the staff are friendly and ready to help, even with the tent.

Getting to the port is a pain from here. It’s 17 klms away, and the taxi cost me 25 euros each way. The bus only runs once or twice a day, so staying here leaves you fairly isolated. There’s just the café and one restaurant, which I later found out they also run. I booked and paid 211 euros through Booking.com for a four-day stay in an air-conditioned room. When I arrived at Camping Kea in Pisses, I was shown to a tiny tipi-style timber cabin, about 2.5 x 2.5 m, with a fan. The receptionist said there were no rooms left and that Booking.com had mistakenly listed air conditioning instead of a fan. My paperwork clearly said it was a room with air conditioning, but I let it go because I didn’t want an argument to spoil the stay. I’m used to camping rough, but this time I’d wanted a little comfort. The cabin had a double bed that was firm but comfortable, one power point and one light, but no sheets, pillow covers, towels, or soap. The insect screen was too small for the opening, and there was barely room to move. I didn’t ask about breakfast because I already knew the answer. I felt I’d been ripped off, especially when hotels in town charged 60 euros for a room and I was paying 52 for this tipi. Later, he moved me to a similar log cabin and called it an upgrade. It still had only a fan. The place itself initially seemed tranquil, clean, and close to the beach, and I’d been looking forward to my first visit to the beautiful Island of Kea. The first night was fine, but after lunch the next day, two noisy groups moved into the tipis beside me. I’d asked for a quiet room when I first met the receptionist. The campsite was about 90% empty, with six or seven empty tipis farther away, yet the noisy guests were placed right next to me. Was it too much to ask for the quiet, air-conditioned room I’d paid for? There was no toilet paper in the toilet block, though the mini market sells paper, soap, and mosquito spray. On my last day, the internet was also getting worse, possibly as more people arrived. I was disappointed and left with a bad taste about this place.

The main drawback is the location. There’s only one mini market and one restaurant, and with the local bus coming through just twice a day, you’re pretty isolated without a car. If you want to explore the whole island, somewhere better placed may suit you more. It’s usually full of families, so expect some noise from the kids, though the prices are normal. The campsite and its facilities are good. The toilets and showers are clean, although toilet paper is only there sometimes. There’s a kitchen, plus a fridge and freezer for storing food, and charging points just outside the tents. The staff are really helpful too.