Location/Contact
The Dadia National Park is the home to the endangered black vulture and thirty-five other species of raptors. There are extensive walking tracks through the thirty-five-thousand-hectare park land, with some great pine and oak forests and a large number of flora and fauna easily observed for the casual walker. Bird watchers will also find an excellent hide, with binoculars available for free to hostel guests, through the park's cafeteria.
The hostel has twenty rooms, mostly doubles but with some three-bed dorms available. All rooms have private (and large) bathrooms, with air conditioning. All floors are also heated, a comfortable must in the winter time. A generous common area has several couches on offer, and one TV for viewing if you tire of the outdoor walks. Suited to long term stays, the rooms feature decent cupboards, and some have balcony space too. All the rooms are clean, simple, and just large enough for all doors to open fully and let people move about easily. In the same building as the hostel is the park's InfoCentre, with decent posters in Greek and English, staff on hand to answer questions, and an instructional video available for viewing.
We found some of the staff at times hard to locate, but the cafeteria is available to pay for rooms or assist with other hostel matters. The cafeteria has a limited menu, and without a kitchen, guests need to determine which of the four tavernas in town will be open on a particular night. The breakfasts are simple, but come at a cost (they do include juice and a choice of hot drink).
The town is a ten- to fifteen-minute dawdle away, which is fine as the main reason to stay at the hostel is access to the park. It is probably best to avoid on weekends over the summer, as many day trippers quickly fill the limited parking and all seating in the cafeteria. Buses run to and from Soufli (the next closest town) three times a day except on Sundays or you can catch a taxi. Otherwise a seven-kilometer walk to the highway will net you a bus between Soufli and Alexandroupolis.
-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
