Sandy beaches with beach bars, loungers & umbrellas are to be found in front of the Best Western Hotel Rozos, AKS Porto Heli Hotel and the Nautica Bay Hotel (ex. Hotel La Cite). There are also sandy beaches next to the Hinitsa Hotel, situated on the Hinitsa bay and in Costa, in front of the Lido Hotel, again with refreshments a few steps away. If you drive along the road to St. Amillianos there are several pleasant tree-edged beaches & you’ll find plenty of pebble beaches along the Ververoda road too. If you want more privacy you’ll have to explore either on foot or from the sea as the whole coastline of Argolis offers plenty of small coves and beaches and as there is no real tide in the Mediterranean the sea stays pretty calm. Most of the beaches I mentioned above slope gently into the water so they are ideal for children. Snorkeling gear, rubber wading shoes, towels, buckets & spades and anything else you might be wanting to take to the beach with you can be bought in a number of shops in the village. It is rare to hear of anything nasty in the water off the beaches here so enjoy your swimming.
Porto Heli has both sandy and pebbled beaches to swim from.
Sailing, Kayaking & Windsurfing are the domain of Biff and Amy of Poseidon Sports and Studios. Located on the beach in front of the Nautica Bay Hotel, they can teach absolute beginners to sail and windsurf with confidence, help the more experienced amongst you refine your skills or just take the kids for a joyride aboard the catamarans. All with massive enthusiasm and a keen eye on safety. Kids love them for the fun they’ll have, Mums love them because they get to take a break (or a quiet kayak around the bay), Dads love them because they can show off out on the water (or get taken for a speedy catamaran ride).
Water skiing in Porto Heli means checking out Porto Heli WaterSports on the beach in front of the AKS Hotel. Mario is a great coach with loads of experience and fluent in four languages. He’s particularly good with kids and, if they’re non-skiers they can still have a ‘donut’ ride to keep them amused. In the Ververoda Bay are Dimitris and Trisha of the Ververoda Water Ski Centre. Many competition skiers from all over the world come to visit them, combining a holiday with ski training as Dimitris is the trainer for the Greek Ski team and Trisha is the Greek Open Woman Slalom Champion and The European and the World Senior Ladies Slalom Champion.
Scuba diving is available from two centres in Porto Heli. John (PADI qualified and speaking fluent English) runs the Porto Heli Scuba Club open from May to September or you can dive with Kallianos Diving Center. Both provide all the equipment and training you need plus a wide range of dives, including courses for kids and PADI certificate courses.
Mario of Porto Heli WaterSports gives a 'donut' ride to some friends.
Motor boats or yachts can safely moor along the Porto Heli quay, in the bay or in one of the numerous little coatline coves. At Franks Boat Yard (27540 52380) you can have your yacht serviced and repaired, craned in or out of the water and if you want to leave it here, they can look after it for you. Porto Heli Marine Service (+30 27540 52388 or +30 6976837320), deals with motorboats in the main and can provide parking, service, spare parts, nautical accessories, bodywork and put your boat in or out of the water. There are also boat yards in Ermioni, Koilada and Spetses and the boatyards, chandlery/hardware shops and petrol stations have got most of the bits and pieces you may need.
Small motor boat hire is available from Takis at Afros Rent a boat at the side of the Best Western Hotel Rozos beach. Treat yourself to an afternoon or full day of exploring the gorgeous coastline.
I came across a site for those of you who would like to travel around in style: Yacht Charters in Greece have a good range of yachts for charter at reasonable prices and provide a full range of options regarding routes and extras. Make your dream of a yachting holiday in Greece come true this summer.
Link I came across a while back, Tradewinds of Emsworth II is captained by Tony and could be crewed by YOU. To find out more, visit his site about cruising in the Med.
Also, here’s a link for a yacht for sale in Porto Heli.
