Looking toward the Fildisi hotel (the uppermost building near the middle of the photo) from the north end of Livadi beach 

 

 

A Livadi beach telephoto view of the Fildisi hotel

 

 

Unexpected upgrade to the Pearl Suite

I had booked the smallest and least expensive room available, but when Fildisi hotel owner Elias picked us up at the Astiypalea airport, he surprised us with news that he was giving us a complimentary upgrade to the “VIP Suite” — the Pearl. It was a spacious 60-square-meter room boasting an enormous private veranda the same size, as well as a 25-square-meter terrace on a separate level just a few steps below the main deck. The Pearl had a built-in sound system with CD player, Internet service, a bathroom with a stand-up shower, a soaker bathtub tucked into one corner (sort of an en suite mini-spa), and a kitchenette-style cupboard with sink, small  refrigerator, dishes and cutlery (but no cooking appliance). Pearl also had a large alcove with chests of drawers and plenty of storage space — perfect for keeping luggage out of sight and out of the way.

Although we appreciated Pearl’s generous interior space, really didn’t need so much room, and felt a little lost in it. Nevertheless, we were glad we didn’t have to squeeze around our suitcases whenever we moved about, as has been the case with some tiny hotel rooms we’ve stayed in on other holidays. There was no risk of stubbing our toes on a suitcase while making a middle-of-the-night trip to the bathroom here!

 

Wall plates indicating the Pearl suite (Perla). The Fildisi’s 10 rooms are named after precious gemstones

 

 

Inside the Pearl suite. The bathroom is in the corner at right.

 

 

Bedroom section of the spacious Pearl suite

 

 

A contemporary floor lamp stands near the arched doorway to a large storage alcove in the Pearl suite

 

 

The Pearl suite’s bathroom

 

 

Another view of the bathroom in the Pearl suite

 

 

This soaker tub occupied one corner of the Pearl Suite, just off the bathroom

 

 

 

Two large verandas with fabulous panoramic views

The giant terrace in front of our suite was a bit overwhelming, too, with a large teak dining table and four chairs shaded by a huge white pergola.  There was space at the table for at least two more chairs and, with plenty of room all around, the veranda would have been an ideal spot for entertaining a family or group.

We didn’t use the patio furniture much. I sat at the big table for awhile each day to read or to write in my travel journal, and on two evenings we sat outside with a glass of wine to enjoy the view before going to dinner.

Lounge chairs on the smaller terrace provided us with a much cozier place to sunbathe while admiring the scenery.

 

The view from inside the door to the Pearl suite

 

 

The view from the right-hand side of the Pearl suite’s main terrace

 

 

The large main veranda, with its pergola-sheltered table and chairs, would have been a perfect place to entertain a family or group

 

 

Astypalea’s lush Livadi valley provides a backdrop to this view of the pergola on the main private terrace for the Pearl suite

 

 

I had plenty of workspace to write in my travel journal

 

 

A small herb and flower garden on the Pearl Suite’s veranda

 

 

The Pearl suite terrace view of other rooms at the Fildisi

 

 

Relaxing in one of the lounge chairs on the Pearl suite’s lower terrace

 

 

Admiring the view toward Chora from the top of the steps joining the two private verandas for the Pearl suite

 

 

 

Winds carried sand from the Sahara

Although the daytime weather was sunny and hot, we couldn’t take a dip in the swimming pool to cool off after sunbathing or hiking and sightseeing because it was closed for cleaning throughout our 3-day stay. It was breezy almost the entire time we were on Astypalea, and Elias told us that the winds were carrying grains of fine sand swept up from the Sahara. The wind dumped some of the sand in the swimming pool, and an automatic cleaning machine operated non-stop to filter the grit from the slightly cloudy water.

We returned to the hotel after sightseeing one afternoon to find Elias hosing away a light dusting of sand that the winds had blown all over the hotel stairs and terraces during the time we were away. He apologized for having to close the swimming pool, but we completely understood that it was going to take several days to filter sand from the water. The wind and weather was beyond his control!

 

This side view of the Fildisi hotel property shows the impressive size of the Pearl suite’s veranda with the pergola, and the smaller sunbathing terrace directly in front of it. The suite and terraces extend the full width of the hotel.

 

 

Our terrace view of the swimming pool and outdoor lounge deck

 

 

View toward Chora from the Fildisi’s swimming pool deck

 

 

Although Chora is 1.5 km from the hotel, and uphill most of the way, we didn’t mind walking there and back

 

 

St Basil’s beach is only a 5-minute walk down the hill from the hotel

 

 

The Fildisi hotel’s breakfast room and bar was right below our suite

 

 

Location offers incredible peace and quiet

What struck us most about the Fildisi was the incredible peace and quiet of its location. Since it was still early in the season there were only a few other tourists on Astypalea, and barely any in the Livadi area near our hotel. There appeared to be only two other couples staying at the Fildisi but we saw them only once. Another hotel close by, the Arhitektoniki Studios & Apartments, didn’t appear to be open yet — we never saw anyone coming or going from it.

Each day, we spent a couple of hours relaxing or sunbathing on our verandas before and after sightseeing. Basically all we could hear was the wind and birdsong, along with sounds of domestic animals kept in pens at nearby houses. There were cackles from roosters and chickens, bleats from goats, and occasional barking from a guard dog chained outside a storage shred we would walk past on our way to and from Livadi.

On one afternoon, a backhoe began excavation work on a property next door, just a few dozen meters from our terrace, but the sound wasn’t disturbing — probably because the wind carried most of the noise in the opposite direction. There was brief traffic noise only occasionally, whenever a car, truck or scooter passed along the paved road on the hill below the Fildisi. But for the most part, all we would hear were the soothing sounds of nature or the light lull of Greek music emanating from the breakfast room / bar area below our terrace.

 

While sitting on our hotel room terrace, we could occasionally hear chickens and roosters at nearby houses. This pair of chickens watches as we walk past their coop next to the road between the Fildisi hotel and Livadi beach.

 

 

Sometimes we could also hear the barking of this Doberman Pinscher guard dog, which was chained near a storage shed that we would pass while walking down the road from the Fildisi Hotel to Livadi beach.

 

 

The dog barked only when someone passed by on the road. He gave us a scare when he bared his fangs and suddenly lunged toward us in “attack mode” when we stopped a few dozen meters away to take his photo. Luckily for us, he was securely tethered with a strong chain. He was the only grouch on the island … everyone else on Astypalea gave us a warm welcome.

 

 

Here’s a few words from the angry Astypalean guard dog

 

 

Construction machines working on the property next door to the Fildisi hotel. The excavators didn’t make much noise so they didn’t disturb us while we were relaxing on our terrace. The only inconvenience was the day they bulldozed a pile of rubble onto the access road to the Fildisi. We had to climb over the mound to get to Livadi, but the road was cleared by the time we came back to the hotel.

 

 

 

 Distance from attractions could be a drawback

Although the Fildisi’s location is perfect for tranquility and escaping the peak season hustle and bustle, most visitors would probably consider its considerable distance from Chora and many of the island’s beaches and attractions to be a serious drawback — unless they were renting vehicles to get around.

Elias looked incredulous when we told him we weren’t going to rent a car since we planned to do all our sightseeing on foot. Although the nearest restaurants are only a 15-minute walk from the hotel at Livadi beach, Chora village is 1.5 kilometers away — and uphill most of the distance.  (The ferry port is 10 km and the Astypalea airport is 12 km from the hotel).

Elias claimed the village was much too far to walk, but we assured him we wouldn’t have any problem making the trek. Nevertheless, he insisted that we take his phone number and call him if we felt too tired to walk back from Chora — he would pick us up in his jeep if he wasn’t busy. It turned out that the walk to Chora took us only 50 minutes, and wasn’t as gruelling an uphill climb as we had expected it to be. The downhill walk to the hotel was, of course, considerably easier and a bit faster.

We enjoyed the scenery during our hikes to and from Chora and didn’t regret not renting a car. Although it would have been nice to drive around to see more of the island, it would not have been worthwhile venturing to beaches because the sea was too cold for swimming. And while a handful of shops and restaurants were open in both Chora and Livadi, businesses elsewhere on the island had not yet opened for the summer. So we would have had to return to either Chora or Livadi in any event to find a place to eat lunch or dinner. For our short stay on Astypalea, walking had been the best way to get around.

 

 

This photo, shot from a lookout point in Chora, shows the location of the Fildisi Boutique Hotel on the hillside near Livadi beach

 

 

Walking down the road from Chora to Livadi beach and the Fildisi hotel (top left)

 

 

I shot this telephoto image of the Fildisi hotel while we were walking down the road from Chora to Livadi

 

 

We shot this photo of the Fildisi hotel (circled) and the Livadi beach area from a lookout point on the road to Chora.

 

 

This photo was shot from a hill above Livadi Bay. It shows the lonely-looking mountainside location of the Fildisi Boutique Hotel (upper right) and the Arhitektoniki Suites & Apartments complex (center).

 

 

 

Taking goats home on the plane

I strongly suspect that we will always think of goats whenever we see or hear the words  “Astypalea” or “Fildisi hotel.” That’s because we could smell goats even if we couldn’t see them from our terrace, or while walking near the hotel or to and from Livadi. And we could smell them for a long, long time afterwards. Right to this very day, in fact.

Don’t get me wrong: It wasn’t an offensive odour by any means. In fact, we didn’t even notice the goat smell the first day we were on Astypalea. But when I was getting dressed on our second morning on the island, I noticed a distinctive goat smell in my shirt. And when we were sunbathing on the veranda that afternoon, I could smell goat in the air. I found it amusing and curious, but it didn’t bother me.

We forgot all about the goat smell after we left Astypalea and moved on to Amorgos and the other islands, but got a totally unexpected reminder of it during our flight from Athens to Toronto two weeks later. Shortly after our plane took off from Athens International Airport, I retrieved my travel journal from my bag in the overhead bin so I could write some notes. When I began leafing through the book, we were both surprised by the strong smell of goat that wafted from the pages. It was unmistakeable — my journal had soaked up the smells of Astypalea!

Although the smell has dissipated over the past five years, I can still detect a hint of goat whenever I open my journal. But I love it — the scent instantly takes me back to Astypalea and reminds me of the goats and kids we would see while walking from the Fildisi hotel to Livadi beach.

Truth be told, I hope the smell never disappears. I doubt we’ll get back to Astypalea anytime soon, so the lingering odour will help us remember the brief but good time we spent at Fildisi Boutique Hotel.

We won’t forget the hotel views, either.

 

One of the many goats we encountered in the Livadi area of Astypalea

 

 

A goat grins as we pass him on a walk through the Livadi area

 

 

Here’s a short videoclip showing several baby goats we would see every day when we walked from the hotel to Livadi beach

 

 

Hundreds more photos on Flickr

There are hundreds of additional photos of both the Fildisi hotel and Astypalea island on the MyGreeceTravelBlog Flickr page. To access the Flickr albums, click on the links provided in the captions for the pictures below:

 

Approaching the Fildisi from the hotel access road. Click here to view more than 100 photos in my Fildisi Boutique Hotel on Astypalea album on Flickr.

 

 

A view of the historic Kastro (castle) towering above Chora village on Astypalea. Click here to view more than 200 photos in my Astypalea album on Flickr.

 

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