Paxos may be the smallest of the seven Ionian Islands, the island measures only 25 sq kms and is dwarfed by neighbouring Corfu and the Epirus coast of the mainland, but once beyond the bustling little port of Gaios, the island’s capital it becomes easy to lose oneself in a network of country lanes and old mule paths.
The island seems like one huge olive grove. It produces a connoisseur’s oil, golden smooth and mellow. The climate is perfect, with warm moist winters and hot summers. Paxos is as much an island of dappled shade, cool glades and peaceful woodland walks as of beaches, hidden coves and wild cliffs. The island has avoided all forms of mass tourism, and whilst Gaios, the capital and to a lesser extent the smaller villages of Lakka and Longos, buzz with a cosmopolitan mix of yachtsmen and day visitors from Corfu, very few people wander further afield. Even in the middle of August one can wander along any of the hundreds of paths and rarely meet a soul. With no large hotel complexes, and villas and apartments that are mostly set by themselves amongst the olives the island can never become overcrowded. This has the added advantage of allowing the native islanders and their seasonal visitors to get to know each other. This is by no means an island centred on tourism. In fact it is still said that the cultivation of the olive is still the major source of income on Paxos. To stay here is to enjoy the complete Ionian way of life in a quiet and relaxing holiday close to nature.