Oinousses Island – The One That Took My Heart

As I was preparing to leave Oinousses and head off to Psara, I wanted to give a quick summary of some of the things I hadn’t yet talked about (and maybe repeat a few that I had). This post was just a mish-mash of observations and a round-up of my last few days of generally mooching around. Yes, that was mostly what I’d been doing – and it was very hard not to.

Oinousses has a real sense of grandeur in the form of its magnificent architecture. Set amphitheatrically (yes, I know I overuse this word) on the hillside that slopes down towards the port, the grand old sea captains’ and shipowners’ houses had a real presence in the landscape. Predominantly, the houses were in the neo-classical style: mansions painted in pastel shades of cream, terracotta and pale blue – nothing too gaudy – all topped with terracotta pan tiles. Some of the buildings were modern but blended in carefully with the rest.

A good proportion of the buildings were semi-derelict, and some were just a façade, defying gravity and the elements, refusing to fall. Several empty shells were now home to fig and ash trees. They had most likely blown in on the gentle sea breeze as seeds and, many years later, had established themselves as full-grown trees that were now part of the structure.

It was these faded gems that made Chora so atmospheric. There iss so much beauty in dereliction. The cracked render and layers of peeling paint all told a story of the lives that had taken place within the walls. The patina of time was a piece of art that only got better as it aged.

Wandering around Chora, I saw emblems and carvings signifying family connections to the maritime industry. Wherever I went on the island, there were references to the famous shipowning families who had long been generous benefactors. The island had a strong sense of who it was and where it had come from, and it didn’t feel the need to make concessions to tourism.

Oinousses Restaurants and Tavernas

There were three restaurants/tavernas on the island (that I knew of), with the odd café too. Maybe they were only open during the season. I had now had a meal (or two) at all of them and would say that they all had their strengths and were all worth a visit.

Palio Teloneio (Old Customs House) Taverna is the first place you come to in the square in front of the harbour. It had a great menu, including a good fish and seafood selection, and they did a pretty good Caesar salad, too. Portions were generous and the prices were what I’d call normal for Greece – certainly no inflated island prices. I also noticed they served pitta wraps, so it looked like a good option for a smaller meal. The menu was only in Greek, but with the aid of Google Translate, I was able to decipher everything quite well. The service was very friendly, and overall I thought it was an excellent place to eat.

Pateranissos, located in the main harbour square, is just behind Palio Teloneio. It had a large terrace at the front and could accommodate a lot of people. I ate here twice. It’s surrounded by greenery and nicely shaded. There wasn’t a menu so it was just a case of throwing ‘food words’ at the waiter until a couple of them stuck. You can’t go wrong with Greek salad and chicken souvlaki. Again, the food was good, basic Greek home-style cooking with big portions and good prices.

Rodostamo Trattoria was actually my favourite place to eat. It used to be Aignousiotiko Taverna, but three years ago, new owners took it over and it is now a fabulous restaurant a stone’s throw from St Nicholas Church. It doesn’t have sea views, but it does have the wonderful atmosphere of old Chora.

Being a trattoria, you can expect both pizza and pasta on the menu, but not only that – there was an excellent selection of appetisers, many Greek with a modern twist. I recommend the quinoa salad. They also provide a takeaway service, including delivery, though I’d really have been taking the mick being a 2-minute walk away.

Here is their Facebook page where you could see examples of what to expect:
https://www.facebook.com/rodostamo.trattoria

In addition to the restaurants I’ve mentioned, there are several cafes dotted about and also minimarkets with seating areas selling cold drinks not to mention the beach bars that open during the season.

Oinousses Beaches.

Well, Oinousses had a lot of them, and I was only able to get around a few. The island had many deeply riven bays which made ideal settings for beaches protected from the elements. I’d seen several of the beaches from above while walking, and many more from a fishing caique. The one thing they all had in common was that they were natural, except for the municipal straw parasols on several of them. This was a welcome concession in the absence of natural shade.

Oinousses had been awarded Natura 2000 status for its beaches, and the island was incredibly proud of this – quite rightly. Too many Greek islands had become slaves to tourism and had practically destroyed the nature of some of their most beautiful beaches. One thing was for sure – the water around the beaches was all shades of turquoise and blue.

My favourite beach was Apiganos Beach, which was unorganised and surrounded by a cluster of trees where sheep and goats roamed free. When I was there, the beach was totally deserted. With Chios across the way curling its tip inwards towards Oinousses, it created a very sheltered bay, nestled between large white villas belonging to the shipowning Lemos family – as if that wasn’t endorsement enough.

The beach was mainly sand with tiny pebbles – the kind you can actually walk on without maiming yourself. The beach shelved gradually into the sea, which was absolutely clear as glass. The only other signs of life were butterflies skittering across the water, the sheep snuffling in the undergrowth, and crows flying from tree to tree. The only unwelcome visitors were the wasps – but it was that time of year!

Bilali Beach Bar is one of the organised beaches that I’d seen, though absolutely deserted when I passed through.

For more beach info on Oinousses, see my previous posts.

Oinousses Accommodation

Let’s talk about accommodation on Oinousses. There isn’t a lot, and virtually nothing was advertised on booking.com when I looked. Through a bit of investigative work, I found the contact details for Ksaplas Studios. They were booked from September all the way through to June as the rooms were let to teachers at the Naval Academy during term time. They were very helpful and gave me a list of about a dozen properties – many just a name and a phone number. That was a good starting point.

The Thalassoporos Hotel used to be the only hotel on the island, but it is currently closed. According to the kindly gentleman in the bakery, it hasn’t been open for a while – but maybe next year it will be. It looked like it was in need of a bit of refurbishment from what I could see through a broken pane of glass in the door, but obviously a glorious hotel in the past. It’s in a great location with views over the bay and next to the bakery, so what else could you ask for! Hidden Greece used to deal with them many years ago, but hopefully we can make the connection again when they open.

Down by the port on the flat was the Captain Diamantis Mansion. It’s an impressive-looking building with a large sweeping staircase up to the front door. It looked very upmarket but at this point in the season, there were no signs of life.

Ksaplas Studios is at the very top of Chora – almost directly above St Nicholas Church. It is a bit of a trek uphill so bear this in mind.

I stayed at Oinousses Apartments and Studios, and I can’t rate it highly enough. I love the apartment especially the comfortable bed on the mezzanine. (though the curved wrought iron staircase isn’t for the faint-hearted or for people with dodgy knees!) Despoina had stocked my fridge with all the basics for breakfast, and the kitchen was fully functioning for those who’d like to self-cater. The views from the spacious terrace down towards the port were just amazing. It is definitely suitable for long-term stays, and it really has become a home from home. Kind and welcoming hosts are always the key to a special stay – not the swimming pool or the luxury room. Despoina and Captain Margaritis were the perfect hosts.

The Ferries

Oinousses is served primarily by the Oinoussai III directly from Chios and sporadically by the Nissos Samos. At the time of staying the Oinoussai III was put into dry dock for winter and the route was supplemented by the Psara Glory. It’s a reliable service that has to run throughout the year to provide a service to the residents of the island. There is also the water taxi service that runs between Oinousses and Lagada, just north of Chios Town.

The Landscape

The landscape of Oinousses is, quite simply, exceptional. It isn’t only the outward-looking views across the channel to the islets and to Chios – though they are breathtaking – but the island’s interior, which holds its own quiet magic. For a place that appears so rocky from a distance, it unfolds into pockets of surprising fertility: terraces of tomatoes, grapevines, courgettes and smallholdings tucked between stone walls, all thriving with a sense of self-sufficiency. Fruit trees are everywhere, often left to their own devices – pomegranates splitting open under their own weight, figs swelling in the sun, pears, lemons and olives ripening on branches that seem to have been part of the landscape forever. It feels like a gardener’s paradise hidden in plain sight.

Walking through Chora and beyond, the scents shift with every turn. One moment it’s the rich, syrupy scent of figs, then the sweet perfume of jasmine drifting over a wall, followed by the wild, herbal notes of fennel and thyme carried on the breeze. Sight, scent, colour, texture – the island offers all of it, layer upon layer. Oinousses is a sensory wonder, best discovered slowly, with time to let its beauty reveal itself in the simplest, most unexpected ways.

The People

After ten days into my solo trip, Oinousses had gently eased me into being away from my family and all the bustle that comes with that. Solo travel isn’t for everyone, but being happy in my own company helps (I think I’m hilarious), and what made it even easier were the small interactions where language barely mattered. Coming back from Apiganos Beach one afternoon, I met a couple walking up to the church with a bunch of flowers; with nothing more than “banio,” hand movements and shared smiles, we managed an entire conversation, and their delighted surprise at my eight-day stay needed no translation. Another morning, on my way to the bakery, I met an elderly lady called Penelope, who lit up when I said I was staying with Despoina and even more so when I told her how much I loved Oinousses. As we chatted, her soft, resigned shrug told me her husband had passed away; I didn’t need to understand every word to feel what she meant. And at the bakery, the kind man who almost knew my order by heart declared me “the last tourist on the island,” offered me a biscuit, and congratulated me with a proud “Bravo” when he heard I was staying eight days. None of these exchanges relied on fluent Greek or English—just warmth, gestures, and that universal human language of goodwill.

For all the reasons above, is why I say that Oinousses can’t be done in a day. It can’t be done as a day trip from Chios or a hop off a yacht. It needs time to travel through the landscape, and by doing that, you have the opportunity to connect with the gentle souls that live on the island and to feel the very unique gifts this special place has to share.

Farewell Oinousses. I really hope to be back one day.