Mastihari – welcomes you !

(Image by kind permission of Manolis Smalios).

Mastihari, Kos, Greece is a village on the north-west coast of one of the larger of the Dodecanese islands. The translation from the Greek – Μαστιχαρι – means it is also written in English with an “h” leading to an an alternative spelling of Mastichari.

It is primarily a holiday destination and the economy is heavily reliant on tourism.

A map of the village can be found at  mastihari.com/map

For a bird’s eye view, play the video below (by fotosfromsky.com ).

A big attraction is its main beach which stretches for several kilometers.

Mastihari supports a small fleet of fishing boats whose catches supply the local tavernas and  restaurants.  They share the harbour with local ferry services that provide a direct link to the adjacent island of Kalymnos.

The village itself caters primarily for people that enjoy  its quiet ambience and general laid back feel. It has been variously  been described as “fashionably unfashionable” and “attractive for what  it does not offer”.

What you will not find in Mastihari are:-

•  tattoo parlours,
• wet T-shirt contests,
• night clubs,
• man-powered water sports (no  doughnuts or bananas being towed behind speed boats),
• “organised  events”,
• loutish behaviour from inebriated groups of “revellers”,
• branches of fast-food chains.

Money, banks, bureau-de-change

Although there are no bank branches in  the village, there are several bureau-de-change and a couple of cash  machines – notably one  in the parade of shops on the road to/from  Antimachea.

Atmosphere

What Mastihari offers – a laid back,  friendly atmosphere that’s condusive to rest and recouperation. It is a  place for people who lean towards a philosophy of “live to eat” rather  than “food is fuel”. Reading books, people watching, conversation and  gentle exercise tend to be the favoured pastimes.

 Main Beach

The beach never seems to be crowded  and is given over to sun loungers for approximately only one-third of  its length.

These peter out towards a beach based water sports business  (all wind powered).

The north-west facing aspect means there’s  invariably a cooling breeze from the land or sea. One gets the feeling  of getting a healthy tan rather than being browned in a tightly packed  rotisserie.

 Accessibility

The village is largely pedestrianised  and flat. For the most part the pavements have ramped access.

Mobility Hire Kos has established a good reputation for providing mobility aids. They are based in Kefalos but cover Mastihari. For more information visit their website and /or Facebook page.

The  tavernas, restaurants, bars and shops tend to be run by long-established  local families and is of a scale whereby everyone knows everyone else  by name. This makes for a safe environment that is attractive for  families with children, unaccompanied ladies and people who use  wheelchairs and other physical mobility aids.

 No pushy sales people

 The nearest thing to bar-reps, PRs or  other “sales people” one is likely to experience is the occasional visit to  restaurants by hearing and speech impaired islanders who offer an  assortment of novelty items. They carry ID cards and have the permission  of restaurant owners.

 Shopping / retail

 The village supports an assortment of  shops. The range of goods and prices compare favourably with those in  northern Europe (eg. sun tan lotion, beach towels).  It is also possible to find most day-to-day items in the local shops.  However, supermarket shopping is catered for by a branch of the  Konstantinos supermarket chain.

 Harbour

 The harbour at Mastihari is the  gateway to/from the neighbouring island of Kalymnos.  It is also the  central point for bus and taxi services which connect to the rest of  Kos.

Find out more and keep up-to-date

No self respecting site would be without its social media presence. We’ve a Facebook Group here or just search #masticharikos