Anaxos Gardens

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Anaxos Gardens, Anaxos.
Unable to find many reviews prior to our departure, we were unsure of whether our destination was not worth mentioning or a secret best kept. My family and I were pleased to discover that in this case it was the latter!
This little complex is a family run place that offers a friendly face at any time of day or night. Good food within the bar and entertainment most evenings for those who don’t wish to venture too far. BBQ evenings and quiz nights are great fun as are the first 3 shots of Ouzo. After that you’re on your own! The pool and surrounding gardens are very pretty and full of colour and ideal for relaxing while you tan! Rooms are very clean and adequately furnished with regular maid service and fresh linen/towels. Fans can be hired cheaply for rooms that have no Air-Con.
Anaxos itself is a small, quiet resort. English orientated but at the same time quite traditionally Greek. Ideal for ‘getting away from it all’. There are no big bars or music clubs here but there are several restaurants scattered along the sea front that offer the most fabulous sunsets while you dine. Delicious Greek dishes are a plenty, no steak, egg and chips! (Not that I saw anyway)! ‘Paradise’ at the far end of the beach, run by brothers Babbis and George has to be tried. The service as well as the food is excellent. If you walk away from the front, you will find many more restaurants worthy of an evenings dining. I have already seen ‘VASSILIS GRILL’ mentioned and that is well worth a visit, run by a friendly young man who aims to please.
The Country Sausage or Veal is incredibly tasty as are most dishes on the menu here. Also worthy of a mention is Kostas on the top main road. Try the Lamb or Chicken special for meat that melts in your mouth! A family run restaurant where you can watch the chefs preparing your meal while you nibble on fresh bread and tzatziki. Opposite is a bar where the men of the village gather most evenings for an Ouzo or two. Hear them telling their stories or singing the occasional song but watch out for the guy who saddles up his donkey at the end of the evening, looking slightly worse for wear and riding off into the dark of the night!
The beach is slightly coarse and dark but being a volcanic island, one can hardly expect golden beaches! We found the best area to be around to the edge of the beach close to the ‘Seaside Restaurant’. Parasols and sun beds can be hired for as little as 5 euros per day.
Car hire is available from within the village and Lesvos is worthy of a couple of days car rental if you like to get out and about. We hired a jeep and went off the beaten track and along some of the dirt roads. Great fun for the teenagers who wouldn’t normally want to ride with you and do the ‘scenic stuff’! If you’re looking for a great evening out, try the Sunset Donkey trail and BBQ, 4 miles sitting side saddle on a donkey with a mind of its own. Hilarious!
A little shout out to the ‘Yorkshire Pensioners’ & ‘Hampshire Man’ and his good lady wife. The kids are missing you!
Temperatures were incredibly high while we were there, (late August) but did cool slightly with the change of the month. Mosquito’s were around but using two ‘plug-ins’ per room and plenty of repellent, we were not bothered by them.

Petra, Molyvos and Eftalou are all within a short distance and worthy of a visit. All can be reached by cheap bus/taxi rides. (Petra by foot if you’re careful of the tide)!
Final mention is for the Manos Rep this year, Alison. She was incredibly helpful and was on site at some point everyday. Her first aid also came in very handy at the airport but I think that I would have much preferred to DRINK the Ouzo!
Our thanks go to the warm, friendly people of Anaxos for making us feel so welcome in their little part of Greece.
We WILL return.