Where to stay in Ios
Ios offers a good variety of accommodation, mostly centred in and around the capital Hora, the main beach resort Mylopotas and, to a lesser extent, the port of Ormos. Steer clear of the old quarter of Hora if you want a good night’s sleep (in fact you might be better off heading for a different island!).
If you’re travelling in high season you’ll be bombarded with offers of rooms to let by domatia owners who lie in wait for visitors disembarking at the ferry port. You’ll get less pressure and more choice if you head for one of the kiosks along the waterfront. The port has a number of hotels and pensions if you don’t fancy being in the thick of the frantic night time activity of Hora (two kilometres up the hill).
Hotel Poseidon is one of the most comfortable options in the port – its’ just 600 metres from Ormos Beach and has a good range of facilities including a swimming pool and poolside bar, billiard room, TV lounge and snack bar. Ios Camping is a well-equipped site without the crowds and noise of the better known Far Out Camp Site at Mylopotas. Facilities include a wonderful swimming pool with a sea view and a restaurant.
You’ll find various types of accommodation along the stepped road up to Hora but remember that the nearer you get to town, the nosier the nights are going to be.
Francesco’s youth hostel is the place most backpackers make a beeline for in Hora – either to bed down for the night or to meet up with like-minded travellers before hitting the town’s pubs and clubs. There are cheap dorm beds and double rooms, a bar and terrace with great views of the harbour and a lively party atmosphere in the summer months (aided by the free shots offered to all newcomers).
The town is packed with pensions, hotels and self-catering accommodation. The old quarter is the nosiest area so unless you want to stagger straight out of a night club into bed, head for the newer quarter or the hotels and pensions on the outskirts of town on the way to Mylopotas. Popular Markos Village Pension is ideally located half way between Hora and Mylopotas, built in the style of a traditional white Cycladic village. It attracts a young crowd and offers good facilities including a swimming pool, satellite TV and air conditioning.
Famous Far Out Camping at Mylopotas Beach is a resort in itself with a 24-hour bar, loud music, non-stop activity, two swimming pools and a restaurant. Nearby Stars Camping, set amid the shade of the eucalyptus trees, has first class facilities without the mayhem of Far Out. There’s a pool, mini-market, restaurant, barbecue area and recreation rooms. The site also has 13 bungalows with balconies available for rent.
The most luxurious hotel at Mylopotas is the Ios Palace – a complex of Cycladic-style bungalows with balconies overlooking the Aegean and two superb swimming pools, also with wonderful sea views. A full range of sports facilities is available here and the hotel’s restaurant offers top quality international and Greek cuisine.
There are plenty more hotels and pensions at Manganari in the south east corner of the island – one of the most enchanting corners of Ios without the madding crowds of Mylopotas. The plush and beautifully positioned Manganari Hotel is only accessible by boat.