Vathi beach
Jazumalu
Member (+) Posts: 7
Hello, we visited the non-organized Vathi beach near Porto Vathy Marble beach in 2016 and we liked it very much for it´s wild atmosphere. Now I found out that there is a luxury hotel Vathi Cove Luxury Resort & Spa built.
Have you any information if we can spend a day on the beach as tourists or if the beach is private only for hotel quests? Thanks for any reply.
Have you any information if we can spend a day on the beach as tourists or if the beach is private only for hotel quests? Thanks for any reply.
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Sorry for taking a while to answer you! It took me a while because I haven't had an opportunity to go to the beach and see what the situation is for you but today, a friend of mine who is a travel blogger went to Vathi Beach and sent me these photos (2 July 2021):
My friend said the beach is still accessible to people who are not staying at the hotel but if you want to sit on the beach, there is only a small area (the rocky part at the edge of the beach) where people can put their towels down and stay. There is probably enough room for 5 towels.
If you want to rent a sunbed, the staff said the price for 1 sunbed is 60€ for all day and this includes the umbrella and a coffee/drink. No, I didn't make a mistake. 60€ for 1 sunbed, 1 person.
I couldn't believe the price when I first heard it. For Thassos, 60 euros per sunbed is unbelievable. Vathi was always my favorite beach on Thassos and I loved visiting it throughout the summer while it was still wild and unorganized. I will certainly miss the many amazing experiences I had there with all of my friends and family!!
We (Gango) too have been there when there was a shell of a building up until last year. Such a shame with such a beautiful and amazing cove.
We still have our undiscovered spots on this amazing an wonderful island
Jai
Jai, could you give me some tips, please? Anything around north-east part of the island?
A staff argued with us and wanted us to go away. They said its a private place. I told them the beach is for all people and that we will stay on the side. Two more families stayed and also had to argue. Then the staf left.
We stayed for 2 hours. No problems after.
Yes! Here's an article that sums it up perfectly.
https://greekreporter.com/2019/05/04/how-public-are-greek-beaches-in-reality/
Jazumalu and the others who argued with the hotel's staff did well by defending their rights to free access.
Thank you for sharing this story. I really don't know what to say, it's hard to believe you were treated this way. Very sorry that you had this experience on Thassos. It would be helpful if you took a video of this encounter with the security person. With that kind of evidence, we could contact the island's town hall and submit a complaint.
Update:
There have been many complaints about the hotel's security staff illegally restricting people access to the Vathi Beach. You are not alone and this is getting a lot of attention now in the Greek media!
Here's a Greek article posted just today (use Google translate to read it in your language):
https://www.kavalanews.gr/21159-thasos-kataggelies-parempodisi-prosvasis-paralia-vathy-sekioyriti.html
Only 80% of the beach is rented by the hotel. 20% of Vathi Beach is available for the rest of us and they are not allowed to refuse us access. Anybody who is told by the security to leave should refuse and suggest they call the police. They will not call the police because the law is on your side. If they give you a serious problem, you should call the police and report the incident.
Police hotline: (+30) 100
Thassos police station: (+30) 25930 23111
I think my 2014 trip report shows Vathi Beach as it was I was told the derelict building that was once at the back was owned by the lady owner of Switzair. I heard she married a Greek and planned to stay there. I understand she passed away and it was left.
I dare say it has been sold on to a hotel complex that is trying to turn it into a place that has Mykonos prices.
Shame for the locals
This is by far the most expensive accommodation in the whole Kavala Region i would say - similar to high class properties in Mykonos / Santorini.
As far as i know @Delboy the rich Foreign Woman who had the Greek Man Lover both died a long time ago, and some said they had no children, but they did because i asked one of the construction workers some years ago who is the owner. They said it is their child. The building was in ruin for almost 20 or 30 years abandoned. In Greece there is a law and if no one takes ownership of the building the state will take it.
So the son took it and made this grand hyper hotel from his mother's money.
But maybe they did not have a son and the Greek state sold it to some investment funds.
I still believe the son or daughter of the owners was forced to finish the building and take ownership otherwise he/she would have lost the property.
Maybe we should all make a petition so this does not happen next year to the police to warn the owner of illegal practices or remove his right of renting the beach if he does not apply the rules. I bet the owner is even willing to block the path / road with rocks and soil and then say that he "fixed the ugly landscape" - the only way to the beach.
The rules as stated here : https://greekreporter.com/2019/05/04/how-public-are-greek-beaches-in-reality/
Say:
- sunbeds and umbrellas are not allowed to cover more than 50 percent of any beach = that means even if he is renting 80% he can only occupy 50% of the whole beach with umbrellas and sunbeds.
That means he will cover 50% of the beach with sunbeds and umbrellas, he will have 80%-50% = 30% of the beach from his own rented space that he must NOT cover it with umbrellas or sunbeds, but where you can't stay (?) because it is technically rented, and 20% where you CAN stay.
- There must be corridors at least one meter (3.4 feet) wide for beach-goers to be able to pass through. Sunbeds must also be placed at a distance of five meters (seventeen feet) away from the water.
There is no 5m from the sea left !
And if you zoom in you can see he is using almost 85%-90% of the beach not 50% as stated in law. The law says no more than 50% of the whole beach regardless of how much he rented.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vathi+Cove+Luxury+Resort+&+Spa/@40.7441587,24.7678498,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNYnkcYRdsLYqFC7hueDmC1l5v31co5i2ID_Q07!2e10!3e12!6shttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipNYnkcYRdsLYqFC7hueDmC1l5v31co5i2ID_Q07=w203-h152-k-no!7i5184!8i3888!4m8!3m7!1s0x14ae8d9b0fd316d5:0xce0841ca1555086b!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d40.7441587!4d24.7678498
What can be done about it, he is clearly not occupying just 50% of the beach.
Also please read comments here (many negative) :
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vathi+Cove+Luxury+Resort+&+Spa/@40.744043,24.7680838,342m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m10!3m9!1s0x14ae8d9b0fd316d5:0xce0841ca1555086b!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d40.7441587!4d24.7678498!9m1!1b1
I liked this one the most
" This old abandoned hotel belonged to some rich woman who had a Greek Lover, they both died, now their evil and drug dealer child has finished the hotel after 30 years ... but can this be true ? Did he transform the hotel into an illegal business, a luxury prison for the rich people and a defensive fortification with barb wire for the poor by blocking the access to the sea and coast ?
This is unacceptable. We should sue this hotel and call authorities.
Does he ask for a seat on the beach the price of a room in a normal villa ?
In Greece the access to the sea and coast is free and can't and will not be blocked by some shady rich person who wants to do illegal things.
This is already by far the most expensive Hotel on the island. But the beach is not private anywhere in Greece. The road to it is not private and the coast is not private either.
We should all call for tourist police while on the island and while visiting this beach in order for the police to allow us to pass and enter this beach, while the hotel gets closed down and sanctioned financially until it stops this illegal practice.
This is the most beautiful beach of Thassos Island and we will not allow the owner to do illegal fencing and having gorillas to threaten you at the door.
This is Mafia. People in this hotel take drugs from the drug dealer owner while nobody must be allowed on the beach to glimpse what is going on inside this dirty business !
Fight for what is right ! Call authorities !"