Last summer I spotted two New Yorkers sipping icy ouzos at Cantina Moon on Lesbos’ most famous beach, wearing nothing but thongs, shades and skimpy vests bearing the slogan; ‘I went to Skala Eressos and all I got was RSI’.
As much as this tickled my funny bone, I wondered if sex was the sole pull for the returning hoards of lesbian holidaymakers.

After a few years on the wrong side of the lesbian rumour mill ‘Skala-la-la-la’ appears to be back on the up with new lesbian-run businesses, and restoring its reputation as the world’s most lively lesbian Mecca.

Skala Eressos at last has an alternative to hanging out on the beach and in the bars. Sappho Garden of the Arts is the island’s first dedicated performance space and a welcome addition to the town. The centre has planned a live arts programme that’s bound to be a hit with holidaymakers because it’s open to all-comers. Divas, drags acts, stage stars and wannabes – bring your slap and costumes.

Vicky Lyboropoulou, former owner of infamous Fuegos, has opened Aqua, a new bar on the sea front, giving sun worshippers the chance to stumble off the beach for a couple of caiparinias before dinner and return at night to party in the joyful atmosphere. Fuegos was legendary – full of wild Italian and Greek dykes in August, prone to anarchy and glamour all season.

The music crosses from R&B, house and mainstream depending on the night. The Tenth Muse has had a makeover. No-one can miss this favourite on the village square, with its famous sofas, friendly staff and tiny dancefloor. Muse’s, as it’s affectionately known, was Skala’s first lesbian bar, named after Plato’s moniker; ‘Behold, Sappho of Lesvos is the tenth Muse’. Muse’s bar/ cafe serves as a clubhouse for dyke footballers, too. They organise a weekly ‘international’ match at the local five-a-side football pitch, and donate the alcoholic trophy, usually tequila, to the winning team.

The other lesbian-owned bar, Mylos, down by the harbour is more mixed. Its new manager’s brief is to bring cutting-edge DJs to play for those who love its urban atmosphere and outdoor pool table – surely the most chilled-out, or tribal, game of pool you’ll ever play.

And when you get hungry, there are plenty of watering holes to choose from. The delicious gourmet food of the now-defunct Sappho Hotel has found a new home – same chef, same ambience but a different view of the sunset, is all we can reveal. Tchavari is tipped to come under parish ownership, while the best of the locally-run tavernas remain intact; Solatsou, the Blue Sardine and Karavagiannos are DIVA’s top three. Erstwhile Viennese cafe Margaritari has been taken by stylish French chef and jazz aficionado Alice Nordmann and is staffed by Greek god gay boys.



Behind the scenes, photographer Karolina Denning and her daughter, aka DJ Balekta, have opened @eressos, a specialist digital photography centre that also exhibits prints by the dozens of local women snappers inspired by the beauty of Lesvos. Arty tourists can also visit Rena Lamroussi’s working studio, Polytechneio, to view lyrical paintings and quirky objects d’art.

Lachari gift shop near Muse’s is owned by Christina Karamina, who’s known to many regulars for her back-lane souvlaki empire, Steki. DIVA also recommends Nikos Masakis’ shop, Helidoni, next to the open-air cinema. Nikos sells an excellent selection of chill-out, Latin, house and Greek CDs, and has a visiting tattooist whose work is beautiful and was very popular with dykes last year. At Kinky Planet you’ll find funky clothes from top Athenian designers and UK labels like Punky Fish, and there’s now a new lesbian-run launderette.

If you want a break from the women’s scene, don’t miss Par A Sol, the straight, lesbian-friendly, cool cocktail bar. Here you’ll find ambient Latina grooves, the best piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris, live reggae and Latin jazz nights and superb fire jugglers on the beach. After hours – this is an issue; local licensing laws dictate the bars stop the music at 1am or 2am – there’ll be monthly women’s nights with Greek lesbian DJs Maria Cyber and Sofia Trantali at Skala’s official nightclub, Naos. There are occasional lock-ins at bars we can’t name here, but ask around – and beach parties you’ll hear about on the grapevine, or be able to spot by the bonfires at the far end of the beach.

The beach has its own organic culture. It’s a meeting place for young Greek ‘free programme’ freaks who camp there, and you’ll find Bouzouki players, flamenco guitarists and drummers jamming around campfires at night. The Greek lesbian girls do this too, and nothing beats lying on the beach watching the shooting stars in August, listening to gales of laughter washing over the sand. Many a lesbian finds her sunbathing sessions mutate into a peaceful evening under the moonlight, and you can get provisions from Cantina Moon for sunset picnics. Also at sunset there’s a tradition of beach volleyball games, a great way to meet people.

If you’re not a party animal, the valley of Eressos is full of archaeological and wildlife discoveries, and local women specialise as guides through the maze of stone-walled dirt roads behind Skala. There are boat trips to deserted beaches at Creussos and Sigri, and women-only sunset cruises. Or you can really chill out; Tai Chi training, shiatsu, reflexology, osteopathy, Reiki, Hawaiian and Ayurdevic massage are available, and there’s even a resident astrologer. If you just want peace and inspiration, return to the Sappho Garden of the Arts’ gallery cafe in the day. You can browse Penelope’s Sapphic bookshop, listen to classical music in the afternoons or get creative with art classes, writers groups, theatre skills, meditation and massage workshops.

So why come? For the thrill of spotting shops advertising Pure Lesbian Honey – just in case you didn’t find your own. For the crystal-clear Aegean Sea, the freedom of sunbathing naked in the women’s zone of Eressos’ gorgeous beach, the music, the landscape, relaxed downtown ambience. Maybe it was the Greek’s filoxenia hospitality that drew you, or the artistic hubris of imaging you’re one of Sappho’s scholars. Take your pick.


Getting there: Direct charters flights to Lesvos leave from Gatwick and Manchester, or get to Athens and take Aegean or Olympic Airways flights to Mitilene airport. Off-season, packages to other resorts on the island can be cheaper.

Travel: Taxis from the airport are expensive; 60 Euros one way, so it’s worth dyke-spotting on the plane for sharing taxis. For a few Euros more, you can drive yourself across the island.

Miscellaneous: Unlock your mobile phone; Greek Sim cards are cheaper than roaming.
Learn to say ‘hello’ (‘yasou’) and ‘thank you’ (‘efharisto’) before you come, and the one-size-fits-all praise phrase; ‘para poly oreo’. This means ‘very very good’, ‘nice’, ‘beautiful’, or ‘tasty’, or ‘very, very strong’ when addressed to bartenders. Alcohol measures are triple those of the UK.
Wear Factor 30 sun block for the first two days; you’ll tan better afterwards.
There are a few mosquitoes around at night.
You can by everything you need locally, and the tap water is safe to drink.

www.sapphotravel.com: for info, booking rooms, etc
www.sapphogarden.com: performers can also contact the events manager via the site