Villa Verde - Guest Information 

Please feel free to take with you on your travels any of the information that you will find in our Guest Information folder.  It will help us if you can please put leaflets and cards back in the folder before you leave.  We can make copies for you if you would like to take anything away with you.

Just ask if you would like any more information on these or other aspects of Nea Makri, Athens or Greece.  

24 Hour ‘Reception’ and Room Service

We’re available 24 hours a day to help you with absolutely anything.  When you’re at home just ring our doorbell.  One of us will usually be immediately available but, if we are both out, call our mobile number.  When you’re out and about please carry one of our cards with you so that you, or anyone you may be having problems with, can always contact us.

Identification

In Greece you should always carry identification papers with you.  For foreign tourists a photocopy of your passport should be enough.  If you need a copy, we can make one for you.

Emergencies

Please carry one of our cards with you and we’ll always try to help you with any problems.  The EU wide emergency telephone number is 112.  The tourist police are multilingual on 171.  The police station is near the town centre (7 on town map).

Safe

We can lock up your valuables in our safe, though there is no guarantee that our insurance would cover loss of these items so it would have to be at your own risk.

Waste

Please help us to recycle our waste by collecting glass, plastic, paper and metal waste in carrier bags and by using the waste bin only for other waste.  Silvia will collect your waste when she cleans your room every day.  If you prefer to take it out yourselves you’ll find waste bins at the side of the garage or otherwise there are plenty of street bins.  Recycled waste goes in the blue coloured street bins.

Washing & Ironing

We’re happy to put your washing through our machine for 5 Euros per load.  We can lend you an iron.

Cooking

Please help yourselves to any of the herbs and spices that you’ll find around our garden.  These include rosemary, mint, bay leaves, and a variety of hot peppers when in season.

Bakery & Pharmacy

There is an excellent bakery (ΦΟΥΡΝΟΣ), open all day and every day, around 600 metres from Villa Verde where you can buy freshly baked bread and home made biscuits and cakes (13 on town map).  Next door is the nearest pharmacy (ΦΑΡΜΑΚΕΙΟ with a large green cross outside the shop).

Banks

All of the national Greek banks have branches in Nea Makri and good rates of currency exchange are available (though it seems that large commissions are now charged for cashing travellers' cheques in currencies other than the Euro).   All are on Marathonas Avenue within 300 metres of the main square.  Opening hours are 08.00 – 14.00 Monday to Friday.

Shops

The commercial centre of Nea Makri surrounds the main square on Marathonas Avenue.  Most shops open from around 09.00 until 14.00 Monday to Saturday and from 17.30 until 21.00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  Fresh food shops (meat, seafood, fruit & vegetables) also open Sunday mornings.  There are several supermarkets and mini-markets near the town centre and on the outskirts of town.  Supermarkets (S on town map) open 08.00 to 21.00 Monday to Friday and 08.00 to 20.00 on Saturdays, and mini markets normally for longer hours including Sundays.

There’s a street market in the town centre every Thursday morning between around 08.30 and 14.30 in Agiou Pavlou Street, the first parallel street west of Marathonas Avenue (away from the coast) and running north from the square.  You can usually find good value fruit, vegetables and salads, much of it locally grown - look for ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝΑ (Marathon) on the stall for local products.

Foreign newspapers and magazines can usually be found at the shop on the southeast corner of the main square. 

The nearest kiosk, selling drinks, biscuits, sweets, snacks, cigarettes, etc., is on the coast road towards the harbour, around 600 metres from Villa Verde.

Post Office

Stamps can only be bought at the Post Office in the town centre (11 on town map).  Be prepared to queue!  Opening hours are 07.30 – 14.00 Monday to Friday.

Taxis

The taxi rank is on the main square.  Taxis can be called from the main square on 22940 91300 though they will start the meter as they set out from the square to pick you up. The taxi meter should always be running unless you have agreed a price for your trip and it should be on number 1 rate between 5 am and midnight. One very reliable local taxi driver is Manolis on 6944 474811, especially useful for advance bookings from Villa Verde.

Buses

Buses/coaches run from Marathon Avenue to the Athens metro, to Marathon town and beach, and to Agia Marina port. Please see the detailed information on other pages. There's also the 310 city bus that runs from Marathon via Nea Makri to Rafina and returns via a different route. For this bus you need to first buy tickets at one of the kiosks.

Car Hire and Day Trips

It’s usually best to hire from the airport – please see the Car or No Car page of our web site.

We can offer several options if you prefer to be driven rather than driving yourselves.

Bicycles

We have three bicycles for our guests to use at their own risk and on a first come first served basis.  There's a man's 26", a ladies 26", and a 24" mountain bike.  Like those available from the bike hire shop, they're fairly old but they all work well enough on level ground.  We're not going to get into formal hire arrangements but we ask guests who want to use them to please consider making a contribution towards the costs of buying and maintaining them, perhaps €2 a day or €10 per week per bike.  If ours are unavailable, bicycles can sometimes be hired for €5 a day or €20 a week at Sport Kypris in Nea Makri town near the Post Office (10 on town map), telephone 22940 98434.  You usually need to book in advance.

Archaeology

Our local sites are closed on Tuesdays and open 08.00 to 15.00 on other days.  The Acropolis closes very early through the winter.  We’ll happily make phone calls to confirm opening times for any sites you may want to visit.

The small archaeological museum at Marathon is two kilometres from the nearest bus stop so, unless we can take you, you’ll need to get there by car, bicycle or taxi.  The museum ticket costs €6 summer, €3 winter, and also includes entry to the Tumulus of the Athenians.

Archaeological sites in Greece offer free entry to under 25’s who live in EU countries on production of a passport or identity card.  Entry is also free for older EU students on production of a student card.  All under 5’s can enter without payment.  There are reduced price tickets for over 65’s who live in the EU, for all under 25’s on production of a passport or identity card, and for non-EU students on production of a student card.  

Boat Trips

A local fisherman has a licence to  take people out in his boat, maybe for fishing, maybe just for the ride.  Prices on application, Jannis Armenistis 6932 267887 or, better, speak to us and Chris might join you.

Sunbeds

Following requests by previous guests, we’ve bought two very good quality sunbeds that our guests with cars can take to the beach.  There’s a small beach umbrella with each sunbed.  We ask for a contribution, please, of €2 a day or €10 per week per sunbed – umbrella set.  Please do not use them in our garden because space is limited and they could damage our lawns.

Water Sports

Between June and September the section of coast between Marathon Beach and Schinias Beach has a number of beach clubs with water sports including windsurfing, sailing, water skiing and canoeing.  Scuba diving is available all year round (accessible by bus).

Cinemas

There is an open-air cinema on Marathonas Avenue near the main square (summer only - 12 on town map).  There is also a closed cinema at the municipal recreation centre on Marathonas Avenue around 2 km north of the main square.

Tennis

There are two hard courts at the municipal recreation centre on Marathonas Avenue around 2 km north of the main square with limited availability to the public.  There’s also a tennis club on the Nea Makri – Marathon borders, phone 22940 55481.  Please ask us if you are interested.

Horse Riding

There’s a riding school close to the Marathon archaeological museum, phone 22940 57051, 6932 465365.  Again, please ask us if you are interested.

Postcards

You won’t find decent postcards in Nea Makri so buy them in Athens.  We have a few for guests who don’t go into Athens so please ask.

Food and Drink

Café Bars

Nea Makri has many café bars.  Most of those on the sea front charge relatively high prices.  You’ll find much better value in the café bars around the central square.

Restaurants

WE DO NOT ACCEPT COMMISSION FROM ANYONE.  These are genuinely the places that we believe offer the best value for money.

Nea Makri also has many restaurants.  Most of those on the sea front offer salads and other simple starters along with good quality meat and fish cooked to order.

Opposite the harbour is Ladokosta (Λαδόκωστα) that offers only home made beef and chicken burgers and mini pork kebabs with a couple of side dishes, but in a very nice location and at good prices (5 on town map).  Order from the counter. They also offer ‘gyros’ but we much prefer those at the central square.

Our favourites for seafood are the Corali (το Κοράλι) and the Dichty (το Δίχτυ), next to each other and around 200 metres from Villa Verde (1 on town map).  Whole fresh fish can be expensive in Greece so check the price before you order.  Other good seafood restaurants are To Plokami (Το ΠΛΟΚΑΜΙ) (6 on town map) and Ta Votsalakia (Τα Βοτσαλάκια) by the far end of the harbour, near the corner of the street that heads up to the church (very close to 5 on town map).

At the main square there are a number of grill and souvlaki houses offering competitively priced meals and snacks, including Eponimo (Το Επώνυμο) with seating inside and out.

A choice of traditional, pre-cooked Greek dishes is only available café style or takeaway, usually only between 11.30 and 17.00.  There’s Andromachi on the east side of the central square (opposite the taxi rank), and Dora’s (Ντόρας) (9 on town map).  Dora's has a few tables if you want to eat lunch there.

Steki (ΤΟ ΣΤΕΚΙ) is usually very good for fresh meat cooked to order (8 on town map).  They open from 6 pm Monday to Saturday and for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.  Closed for holidays for one week Easter and two weeks August.

You’ll find business cards for most of these cafes and restaurants in the information folder that will help you to recognise their Greek language signs.

There’s a Vietnamese restaurant on Marathonas Avenue, around 500 metres north of the main square, open only evenings except Sunday.  They offer a fixed price buffet meal on Wednesday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes.

Home Delivery Meals

Many restaurants will deliver meals and there are also pizza delivery services.  Some leaflets are included at the back of the folder but unfortunately in some cases only in Greek.  We can strongly recommend Pizza Jumbo and we’ll be happy to make a telephone order on your behalf for free delivery to Villa Verde.  We’d also be happy to make phone calls if you’d like to order from anywhere else.