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KATAPOLA , set at the head of a deep bay, is actually three separate hamlets: Katapola proper on the south flank, Rahidhi on the ridge at the head of the gulf and Xilokeratidhi along the north shore. There is a beach in front of Rahidhi, but the beach to the west of Katapola is better, though not up to the standards of Eyiali in the northeast. In season there is also a regular kaiki to nearby beaches at Maltezi and Plakes (?1.20 return) and a daily kaiki to the islet of Gramvoussa off the western end of Amorgos (?6 return). There are plenty of small hotels and pensions and, except in high summer when rooms are almost impossible to find, proprietors tend to meet those boats arriving around sunset - though not necessarily those that show up in the small hours. A good clean place next to the beach at the western end of Katapola is Eleni Rooms (tel 02850/71 543 or 71 628; ?43-58); Dhimitri's Place in Rahidhi (tel 02850/71 309; up to ?24) is a compound of interconnecting buildings in an orchard with shared cooking facilities; on the same road, Angeliki Rooms (tel 02850/71 280; ?24-33) is well run, friendly and good value; the smart traditional Hotel Minoa (tel 02850/71 480; ?34-72) on the waterfront may be a bit too noisy for some, who might try the Valsamitis (tel 02850/71 148; ?24-72), off the northeast corner of the port. Panayiotis Rooms (tel 02850/71 890; ?24-33) in Xilokeratidhi is also good value and inland, south of the port you'll find the Hotel Anna (tel 02850/71 218; ?24-33), with a lovely setting and basic cooking facilities. There are several similarly priced pensions further east, including Big Blue and Sofia . The campsite (tel 02850/71 802) is well signed between Rahidhi and Xilokeratidhi. In Katapola proper, Mourayio is the most popular taverna in town; alternatively try the Akrogiali . There are four tavernas near the campsite near Xilokeratidhi, of which the first is a friendly fish taverna, and of the others around the corner Vitzentzos is by far the best. What nightlife there is focuses on a handful of cafes and pubs. A bar called Le Grand Bleu in Xilokeratidhi regularly shows The Big Blue on video but there are other less obvious and less expensive places to drink, such as The Moon Bar next door or 45 Strofes , a cafe and bar on the front at Rahidhi. Prekas is the one-stop boat ticket agency , and there are several motorbike rental outlets including the friendly Corner Rentabike, though the local bus service is more than adequate and the walking trails are delightful. Steps, and then a jeep track, lead south out of Katapola to the remains of ancient Minoa , which are apt to disappoint close up: some polygonal wall four or five courses high, the foundations of an Apollo temple, a crumbled Roman structure and bushels of unsorted pottery shards. The setting, however, with views encompassing Hora and ancient Arkessini, is memorable. Beyond Minoa the track dwindles to a trail, continuing within a few hours to Arkessini via several hamlets - a wonderful excursion with the possibility of catching the bus back. The bus shuttles almost hourly until 11pm between Katapola and Hora, the island capital; several times daily it continues to Ayia Anna via Hozoviotissas monastery, and once a day (9.45am) out to the "Kato Meria", made up of the hamlets of Kamari, Arkessini and Kolofana. HORA , also accessible by an hour-long path beginning from behind the Rahidhi campsite, is one of the best-preserved settlements in the Cyclades, with a scattering of tourist shops, cafes, tavernas and rooms. Dominated by a rock plug wrapped with a chapel or two, the thirteenth-century Venetian fortifications look down on countless other bulbous churches - including Greece's smallest, Ayios Fanourios , which holds just three worshippers - and a line of decapitated windmills beyond. Of the half-dozen or so places to stay , Pension O Ilias (tel 02850/71 277; ?24-33) is recommended. Liotrivi restaurant, down the steps from the bus stop, is probably the best place to eat in town. In addition to a pair of traditional tavernas, Kastanis and Klimataria , there are several noisy bistro/cafe/pubs, with To Plateaki in the upper plaza perennially popular in the late afternoon, and Giulia Kafeneon , near the bus stop, livelier later on. Also in the upper square is the island's main post office . From the top of Hora, near the upper satellite-dish tower, a wide cobbled kalderimi drops down to two major attractions, effectively short-cutting the road and taking little longer than the bus to reach them. Bearing left at an inconspicuous fork after fifteen minutes, you'll come to the spectacular monastery of Hozoviotissas (daily 8am-1pm; donation expected, modest dress required), which appears suddenly as you round a bend, its vast wall gleaming white at the base of a towering orange cliff. Only four monks occupy the fifty rooms now, but they are quite welcoming considering the number of visitors who file through; you can see the eleventh-century icon around which the monastery was founded, along with a stack of other treasures. Legend has it that during the Iconoclastic period a precious icon of the Virgin was committed to the sea by beleaguered monks at Hozova, in the Middle East, and it washed up safely at the base of the palisade here. The view from the katholikon 's terrace overshadows all for most visitors, and to round off the experience, you are ushered into a comfy reception room and treated to a sugary lump of loukoumi , a fiery shot of kitron and a cool glass of water. The right-hand trail leads down, within forty minutes, to the pebble beaches at Ayia Anna . Skip the first batch of tiny coves in favour of the path to the westernmost bay, where naturists cavort, almost in scandalous sight of the monastery far above. As yet there are no tavernas here, nor a spring, so bring food and water for the day. For alternatives to Ayia Anna, take the morning bus out toward modern Arkessini, alighting at Kamari hamlet (where there's a single taverna) for the twenty-minute path down to the adjacent beaches of Notina, Mouros and Poulopodhi . Like most of Amorgos's south-facing beaches, they're clean, with calm water, and here, too, a freshwater spring dribbles most of the year. The road is paved as far as Kolofana , where there is one place with rooms . From here unpaved roads lead to the western tip of the island, and remote beaches at Kato Kambos and at Paradhisa, facing the islet of Gramvoussa. Archeology buffs will want to head north from Kamari to Vroutsi, start of the overgrown hour-long route to ancient Arkessini , a collection of tombs, six-metre-high walls and houses out on the cape of Kastri. The main path from Minoa also passes through Vroutsi, ending next to the well-preserved Hellenistic fort known locally as the "Pyrgos", just outside modern ARKESSINI . The village has a single taverna with rooms, and, more importantly, an afternoon bus back to Hora and Katapola.
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