 Agios
Nikolaos was inhabited in the beginning of the 19th century. The
village is located by the sea in one of the few flat areas of the
region. The first people ever lived in Agios Nikolaos were fishermen.
They were making their living by exchanging their products (fish)
with agricultural products supplied by other villagers of the area,
like olive-oil, wheat etc. That explains why the first houses were
built so close to the natural harbor of the village were the fishermen
of Agios Nikolaos used to anchor their boats. By the years the fishermen
enlarged the little physical harbor to a safer place for their boats
especially against the winter storms. The new harbor served in the
1930's small crafts, which were the only mean of transport for 13
villages of the region to Kalamata.
 Everyday
one or two crafts were conveying people, animals and merchandise
from Mani to Kalamata and vice versa. This frequent communication
was proved vital for the village, as more people from the surrounding
villages started moving to Agios Nikolaos, building new homes, establishing
stores, hotels, taverns and mini markets. The village's economical
growth was that big that two vessels were connecting Agios Nikolaos
to Peiraeus (the largest port of Greece), conveying passengers and
goods from and to Agios Nikolaos. In the 1940's the war resulted
as a negative factor to the growth that had been achieved till then.
People started migrating or moving to bigger cities so Agios Nikolaos
nailed for many decades.
 The
tourism growth of the recent years has boosted the village again.
Locals and foreigns have bought old houses or built new ones, to
use them as residency or to spend most of the year at the region.
The best season to visit Agios Nikolaos is from April to October
as many tourists visit the village during that period.
 The
beautiful bays and the crystal-clear sea attract many locals and
tourists especially during the summer. Alongside to Agios Nikolaos
is located a traditional settlement called Agios Dimitrios (known
as Pefnos in the ancient times). During the Turkish occupation in
Greece Imbraim leading turkish troops attempted to conquest the
region but the resistant of the locals prevented him. Just by Agios
Dimitrios there is a cave known as Katafygio. Speleologists who
have visited Katafygio, consider it as an interesting cave. The
past few years the cave is under supervision of a team of speleologists
from the University of Athens.
 Agios
Nikolaos is known for the fish-taverns located by the sea-side and
around the village where the visitor can try delicious fresh fish.
The view from the mountain villages that are around Agios Nikolaos
is breath-taking, especially during the sunset.
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