Location: Pachena
Number of rooms: 6
Milos is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea and the south-westernmost of the Cyclades. It draws visitors with white rock, a large gulf and a volcanic shore. A stay on the north coast puts a traveller close to quiet villages and small harbours. The pages of this site cover the island in full, while this page follows one property at Pachena.
Niriides Studios Milos is the subject of this page. The property stands at Pachena, a small settlement and sandy beach on the northern coast of the island. The studios in Milos section gathers the properties of the island in one place. The four sections below set out the setting, the studios, the nearby shore and the myth that gives the name.
Where does Niriides Studios Milos stand on Milos?
Niriides Studios Milos stands at Pachena, a small settlement and sandy beach on the northern coast of Milos, in the Cyclades. The village sits 20 metres above sea level, about nine kilometres from Plaka, the island capital, and seven kilometres from Adamas, the main port.
Milos belongs to the Western Cyclades and ranks as the fifth island of that group by size. It lies 102 kilometres from Cape Maleas on the Peloponnese and stretches roughly 23 kilometres from north-east to south-west. Profitis Ilias, the highest point, reaches 751 metres, and Chondro Vouno rises to 636 metres in the west. The island also forms one of the largest natural harbours in Greece. Niriides Studios Milos holds a place on the north side of that island.
The settlement of Pachena belongs to the community of Triovasalos, inside the municipal unit of Milos, and it appears as a separate settlement from the census of 1981. Along the north coast the beaches follow one another from west to east: Plathiena, Trachilas, Fyropotamos, Tourkothalassa, Sykia, Mandrakia, Sarakiniko, Mytakas, Alogomandra, Agios Konstantinos, Pachena, Kapros, Papafragas and Phylakopi. Niriides Studios Milos sits in that line, with Mytakas to the west and Kapros to the east, and the village of Pollonia closes the coast beyond Phylakopi.
The beach of Pachena is sandy and looks north-west toward the Glaronissia, the islets that face the village across the water. The houses stand on low ground above the sand, and the settlement holds a small number of buildings. The islets carry no residents. The oldest volcanic layer of northern Milos carries the name of the settlement, the Pachaina formation. Niriides Studios Milos stands at the water’s edge, so the sand lies close to the buildings.
Adamas, the chief port of Milos, lies seven kilometres from the studios, and the capital Plaka stands about nine kilometres away. Pollonia, the second harbour of the island, closes the north coast to the east. The island measures about 23 kilometres across, so the north coast stays within a short drive of the port. A stay at Niriides Studios Milos therefore keeps the port, the capital, the beach and the small coves within easy reach.
- Region: Pachena, on the northern coast of Milos.
- Administration: the community of Triovasalos, in the municipal unit of Milos.
- Height: about 20 metres above sea level.
- Plaka: about nine kilometres from the settlement.
- Adamas: seven kilometres from Niriides Studios Milos.
The north coast gathers the white rock, the small harbours and the prehistoric sites of Milos, and Pachena sits in the middle of that line. The settlement holds a sandy beach and a short row of houses above the water. A base at Niriides Studios Milos keeps the sea in front and the rest of the island within a short drive. The next section turns to the studios themselves.
What do the studios of Niriides Studios Milos offer?
Niriides Studios Milos keeps six studios by the sea at Pachena, with decoration drawn from the names of the Nereids. Air conditioning, internet access, a television, a kitchen, a mini bar, parking and rooms for non-smokers belong to the property, and children are welcome.
The property is built above the northern coast of the island, with a clear view toward the sea caves of Papafragas to the east. Its decoration draws on the names of the Nereids, and the studios mix strong colours with warm shades in different rooms. Island sofas, built-in beds, mosaic bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen belong to the interiors, which are ready for a summer stay. Niriides Studios Milos keeps the fittings plain and the focus on the water.
The property holds six studios. Air conditioning runs through the rooms, and internet access reaches the studios. A mini bar stands in each studio, a television and a kitchen complete the fittings, and the rooms are kept for non-smokers. Parking is available beside the buildings, and children are welcome at the property. The studios stand at the water’s edge, seven kilometres from Adamas, the main port of the island. Six studios keep the property at a small scale, and the beach lies below the buildings.
Pachena suits travellers who look for the north coast rather than the port of Adamas. The beach lies below the settlement, the small coves of Kapros and Papafragas follow the coast to the east, and the village stands within reach of the centre of the island. The studios stand above the water, with the sea caves of Papafragas in view. Niriides Studios Milos keeps that stretch of shore within easy reach of a summer stay.
- Cooling: air conditioning in the studios.
- Connection: internet access in the rooms.
- In the studio: a mini bar, a television and a kitchen.
- Outside: parking space beside the buildings.
- Guests: children are allowed, and the rooms serve non-smokers.
The studios keep the needs of a summer stay in view: cool rooms, a kitchen, a place for the car and a beach at the door. Niriides Studios Milos adds decoration that follows the names of the Nereids, so the myth enters the rooms as well as the coastline. The next section looks at the shore that surrounds the property.
Which places on the north coast lie near Niriides Studios Milos?
Niriides Studios Milos stands within a short distance of Sarakiniko, Mandrakia, Papafragas and the Bronze Age site of Phylakopi. The whole north coast of Milos forms one line of beaches, and Pachena belongs to that line. Each place carries its own rock, water and history.
Sarakiniko lies west of Pachena on the same stretch of north coast, about five kilometres from Plaka, the capital of the island. Waves have cut caves into the white volcanic rock along the shore, and Saracen pirates used those caves as shelter, which gave the place its name. The white volcanic rock runs along that coast, and the sea lies at its foot. From Niriides Studios Milos, Sarakiniko is a short trip west along the north coast.
Mandrakia is a traditional fishing village on the north coast, a short distance west of Sarakiniko. A small harbour holds the boats of the fishermen, and the houses stand around the water. The harbour was built to keep the boats safe, and it still serves that purpose. The church rises on the hill above the village and gives the place its outline. The fishing village of Mandrakia has a page of its own on this site, with the boat shelters and the village in detail.
Papafragas lies east of Pachena, next to the ruins of Phylakopi, and Kapros comes before it along the coast. The sea cave of Papafragas sits inside the archaeological site, and its water runs deep between walls of pale rock. Phylakopi was a settlement of the Bronze Age and a leading place of the Aegean and the Cyclades in its time. From Niriides Studios Milos, the cave and the ruins lie a short way to the east along the north coast.
The first settlers of Phylakopi were tuna fishermen, and the town lay on the north-east coast of Milos. Excavations in the 1890s opened a town wall and a room with wall paintings, where the fresco of the flying fish was found. The site was abandoned at the end of its long life and was never lived in again. Part of the site has since been washed away by the sea. The beaches of Milos cover the whole coastline, while this page stays with the north.
- Sarakiniko: white volcanic rock and caves, west of Pachena.
- Mandrakia: a fishing village with a small harbour.
- Papafragas: a deep sea cave in pale rock, east of Pachena.
- Phylakopi: a Bronze Age settlement beside the cave.
- Distance: Niriides Studios Milos sits between these places.
The northern shore holds the white rock of Sarakiniko, the harbour of Mandrakia, the cave of Papafragas and the ruins of Phylakopi within a short run of coast. Niriides Studios Milos stands in the middle of that stretch and gives the whole line of coast a base. A traveller who stays there finds each of these places within a short drive. A last section turns to the myth behind the name.
Where does the name Niriides Studios Milos come from?
Niriides Studios Milos takes its name from the Nereids, the sea nymphs of Greek myth. They were the fifty daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, and of the Oceanid Doris, and they lived in the depths of the Aegean in a golden palace.
The Nereids personified the states and the features of the sea and were worshipped as goddesses of the calm water, friendly to people. They were granddaughters of the Titan Oceanus through their mother. They swam and played with dolphins, sang as they sat on the rocks, wove at their looms and dried their long hair, and they accompanied the chariots of the sea gods. Their number stood near fifty, though another account reaches a hundred. Niriides Studios Milos borrows its decoration from them.
The leader of the sisters was Thetis, who became the mother of the hero Achilles and was given in marriage to the mortal Peleus. Amphitrite married Poseidon, the god of the sea, and bore Triton. Galatea lived near Sicily, where the Cyclops Polyphemus loved her. Psamathe married Aeacus, king of Aegina. The sisters had the power to stir the sea and to calm it. In the Iliad, thirty-two Nereids rise from the water to mourn Achilles with Thetis. Niriides Studios Milos carries those names in its rooms.
The names of the sisters describe the work of the sea. Actaea lived on the shores, Speio took her name from the word for a cave, and Nesaea belonged to the islands. Galene brought stillness, Glauce stood for the green-grey water, Cymatolege stopped the waves and Cymodoce raised them. Halie watched the fish, Ploto was the swimmer, and Eulimene kept the harbours good for ships. Niriides Studios Milos repeats that pattern in the decoration of the studios.
- Parents: Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea, and the Oceanid Doris.
- Number: fifty sisters, with a hundred in another account.
- Home: a golden palace in the depths of the Aegean.
- Nature: friendly to people and to sailors.
- Name: the word survives in Greek folklore as the neraides.
The myth gives the property a name with a clear meaning, and the Greek word for those nymphs still lives in the speech of the island. The names of the sisters also describe the coast itself, from the shores to the caves and the islands. Niriides Studios Milos keeps the old word in use beside the water that the Nereids ruled. The questions below gather the points that travellers raise.
What do visitors ask about Niriides Studios Milos?
Niriides Studios Milos raises questions of place, access, the shore and the myth. The answers below cover the setting at Pachena, the way from the port, the beaches and the ancient site next door, the welcome for families and the origin of the name.
Is Niriides Studios Milos close to the sea?
Pachena is a sandy beach on the northern coast, and the property stands at the water’s edge, so the sea sits beside the settlement. The beach looks north-west toward the Glaronissia, the islets opposite the village. The houses of Pachena stand on low ground above the sand, about 20 metres above sea level, and Niriides Studios Milos stands among them.
How do travellers reach Niriides Studios Milos?
Adamas, the main port of Milos, lies seven kilometres from the property, and the capital Plaka stands about nine kilometres away. The airport of the island lies about four kilometres from Adamas. The north side of the island links with the centre by road. A car makes the last stretch to Niriides Studios Milos easy.
Which beaches lie near Niriides Studios Milos?
Sarakiniko lies west of Pachena, about five kilometres from Plaka, with its white rock and its caves. Kapros comes next to the east, and Papafragas follows with its deep sea cave. Mytakas closes the line to the west. All of them share the north coast with Pachena, and Niriides Studios Milos sits in the middle of that run.
What is the ancient site near Niriides Studios Milos?
Phylakopi, a settlement of the Bronze Age, lies on the north-east coast of Milos beside Papafragas. The first settlers were tuna fishermen. Excavations in the 1890s uncovered a town wall and wall paintings. The site was later abandoned, and part of it has been washed away by the sea. Niriides Studios Milos stands close by.
Does Niriides Studios Milos welcome families?
The property allows children and keeps rooms for non-smokers, and air conditioning runs through the studios. A mini bar, a television and a kitchen belong to each studio, internet access is available, and parking stands beside the buildings. Pachena adds a sandy beach at the edge of the settlement, and Niriides Studios Milos sits beside it.
Where does the name of Niriides Studios Milos point?
The name comes from the Nereids, the sea nymphs of Greek myth, and it survives in Greek folklore as the neraides, the fairies of the sea. The decoration of the studios follows the names of the sisters, such as Actaea for the shores and Speio for the caves. Niriides Studios Milos keeps that old word in use.