Mesa Gonia, also known as Episkopi Gonias is a rural village 8km south east of
Fira and just inland from
Kamari. It’s set among vineyards and close to the centre of
Santorini island.
Mesa Gonia is a small and quiet village, It was largely abandoned after the 1956 earthquake but has seen people move back in recent years. Since then the houses have been restored and repainted and it's now a beautiful place for a walk round, one of the most popular attractions is the Church of
Panagia Episkopi.
Episkopi Gonias is probably not a place to stay for your entire Santorini holiday as it would be too quiet for most peoples tastes but it's a lovely place to visit and you can easily stop off when travelling between Fira or other west coast villages to the east coast beaches and villages like Kamari.
If you are the sort of person that likes to get away from the tourist crowds then there's a small selection of hotels, mainly little villas or suites, places with just a room or two so make sure you book early so you don't miss out.
If you'd like to stay in the area then have a look at the Mesa Gonia page of booking.com
here. Alternatively find a great package holiday through Tui
here.
Mesa Gonia has virtually no nightlife, there's only a couple of restaurants and no late night bars or cocktail bars. You wont find evening entertainment like live music or dancing so if you need that then look elsewhere.
Episkopi Gonias is going to appeal to those that like a quiet, relaxing holiday with a glass of wine and a nice meal followed by a walk or pulling up a seat in a courtyard and relaxing.
Mesa Gonia is home to a handful of winery's and the islands only brewery so you can pop along for a tasting and a tour and help support local producers at the same time.
The nearest main resort is Kamari so you can easily visit there and take in arguably the best beach on the island (
Kamari Beach) and enjoy the more varied restaurants and nightlife that is on offer there. You can also watch a film at the
open air cinema there too.
