"STOUPA; THE AWAKENING OF A RESORT " a Stoupa Travel Page by nickandchris

Way back in 1993 we finally got to Stoupa, in the Peloponnese, somewhere we had been wanting to go to for a good few years but in those days flights were only from Gatwick, in England.
We holidayed with Inspirations Holidays (no longer operating) and ended up flying from Gatwick (with Monarch Airlines)
due to a last minute flight change. We were not amused but what could we do?
Our holiday was for three whole weeks (the good old days before schools became awkward about holidays in term time) and we fell in love with Stoupa and the Peloponnese and have returned to the region many times.
The transfer to Stoupa from Kalamata airport took longer than we had anticipated. This was due to the terrain and the never ending winding road. We seriously thought the coach driver had taken a detour as the journey didn't look that far on the map. It wasn't until we hired a car and drove the road ourselves that we understood the nature of the driving.
We stayed in George's Apartments, down a dirt track from the main road. The accommodation was excellent and it was about a ten minute walk into the village.

In 1993 Stoupa was only just emerging as a tourist resort and in May/June it was reasonably quiet. I think Sunmed were the biggie package company in the resort then. There are literally hundreds of rooms to rent but do be aware that this is BIG package tourist territory. There is also a campsite, near Kalogria beach, but not on the beach.
The main beach is a glorious sweep of clean, golden sand, right in the centre of the village and therefore backed by numerous establishments. Definitely no privacy here. We did find the northern end of the beach much quieter but also a bit rocky.
There is also the pretty cove of Kalogria just round the corner, complete with accommodation and tavernas. The water here is much cooler, owing to the fresh water springs bubbling up through the sea. Quite refreshing in May!
One or two little coves can be found out towards the Halikoura Hotel, at the south end of the village.
There are plenty of souvenir shops, restaurants, tavernas and bars, bakeries and butcher but there was only one supermarket when we were there which was expensive, having the monopoly.
The accommodation in Stoupa is well spread out, owing to everyone getting on the bandwagon and building on any spare land they owned. As well as this being obvious on the main approaches to the resort, it is evident in the olive groves and surrounding countryside also.
To the south end of the main bay of Stoupa is a man-made harbour where boats are moored and the local boys use to dive from.

It would have been daft of us to have spent three weeks sat on the beach at Stoupa, well I wouldn't have wanted to, so we had pre-booked car-hire. There are so many fantastic places to visit in the Mani and Peloponnese, just waiting to be explored. We still hadn't had enough after three weeks and so have returned to the area time and again.
Travel north 10km. and you come to Kardamili, another small resort with a long pebble beach and a campsite. Plenty of tavernas here, also. This is the home of Patrick Leigh Fermor, author of "Mani". Personally i found this book hard going.
Just south of Stoupa is the lovely fishing village of Aghios Nikolaos, with it's taverna-lined small harbour and resident ducks. Take a minor road south here and you'll come to another good beach and the old, very friendly village of Trachila where time passes slowly at the taverna, enjoying eating whatever is served with your drink ( often gratis). You'll never want to leave and will certainly return.

We were certainly sorry when our holiday in Stoupa came to an end. We did return for a brief drink the following year when we were touring independantly and more building was proceeding. I really don't think I would like to re-visit now, it just wouldn't be the same.

2008 RETURNED BRIEFLY FOR A LOOK. DROVE THROUGH STOUPA AND ALONG THE SEAFRONT. STILL PLEASANT ENOUGH ALTHOUGH MANY MORE ESTABLISHMENTS HAD POPPED UP OVER THE 15 YEARS. IT WAS THE DEVELOPMENT ON THE MAIN ROAD AND BEHIND IN THE HINTERLAND THAT REALLY SHOCKED AND UPSET US. WE BARELY RECOGNISED THE MAIN ROAD WITH ALL IT'S NEW APARTMENTS AND SHOPS. SO MANY HOUSING COMPLEXES NOW MARRED THE HILLSIDES, IT HAD ALMOST BECOME COSTA'D.