Approaching the Stavros beach and bay area on Patmos
Category: Greek Islands beaches
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Music fest at Crete’s Matala beach this weekend
This photo of Matala Beach on the southern coast of Crete appears on the Matala Beach Festival website. The 3rd annual music event is underway this weekend.
Hippy haven: A southern Crete beach made famous by the hippies during the 1960s and 70s will be rocking with music from that era — and the years since — all weekend long.
The 3rd annual Matala Beach Festival started yesterday and runs until Monday at legendary Matala Beach, with 40 concerts scheduled to take place on four stages over the course of the weekend.
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Amazing views from Hotel Katerina on Ios
This was the marvellous view of Mylopotas beach and bay that we enjoyed from our terrace at Hotel Katerina on Ios in May
180 degrees of scenery: We really lucked out with our hotel choice on Ios during our trip to Greece last month.
After spending five days on Mykonos in a hotel room that didn’t have any view at all (the room had no balcony or terrace, and its window only looked onto the private terrace for a nearby suite), we got to enjoy four days of spectacular scenery at Hotel Katerina on Ios.
We realized we were really in for a treat when we arrived at Hotel Katerina and caught a few glimpses of beautiful Mylopotas beach as we walked across the swimming pool terrace next to the reception area. And when the hotel manager, Maria, led us to our room (#7) on the second-highest level of the property — 56 steps above the pool deck — we were blown away. The private terrace for Room 7 offered an incredible 180 degrees of marvellous views of the Mylopotas and Agios Ioannis areas of Ios, as well as nearby Sikinos island and even Santorini in the distance.
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Pics of the day: Paradise Beach on Mykonos
Here are two different views of Paradise Beach on Mykonos. At top is a view looking straight across the beach from a point on the rocky hillside below the Cavo Paradiso entertainment complex. Below is a shot of footprints in the sand and the view looking out to sea from what is arguably the top party beach on the island. Click on the photos to view them in full-size format.
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2012 Greek holiday report: Final day on Paros
A view of fishing boats docked near the Venetian fortress at Naoussa harbour just as sunshine begins breaking through thick morning stormclouds
[This is the third and final instalment of my report on my May 2012 visit to Paros. The first part included photos from my arrival day on the island, while the second segment featured extensive photos and information about a day I spent exploring the town of Naoussa, where I was staying.]
Thursday May 24 2012
Sudden storms: Much to my chagrin, the weird weather pattern I had experienced on Mykonos — no more than two consecutive days of sunshine — continued on Paros. After two beautiful bright clear days, clouds had rolled in and completely filled the sky.
I should not have been surprised to see the grey sky and dull light when I opened the curtains in my room. After all, stormclouds had moved in during the previous evening, and it looked like Paros was going to get a downpour at some point. But the stone floor of my terrace was dry, suggesting there had not been any overnight rain (I doubt I would have heard rain in any event; I had been so tired from all my walking on Wednesday that I slept like a log, and probably would have snored through a hurricane).
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2012 Greek holiday report: Exploring Naoussa
This old windmill in Naoussa might be a cute studio residence, but I didn’t notice any sign indicating if it’s available as rental accommodations
[This is the second instalment of a multi-part report on my May 2012 visit to Naoussa village on Paros island. The first part of my report described my arrival at Paros and the first evening I spent in the town of Naoussa following an 8-day visit to Mykonos.]
Wednesday May 23 2012
First full day: My room at Hotel Manos was so dark and quiet, I got a good night’s sleep and woke feeling refreshed and eager to get to know Naoussa better.
I got a bit of a surprise when I went into the bathroom to shave — no hot water came out of the sink faucet, even after I let it run a considerable time. No chance for a smooth shave today! Fortunately, there was plenty of hot water — very hot water, in fact — in the shower. Then, before I went downstairs for breakfast, I booted up my laptop so I could check my email. Although the receptionist had assured me that there was wi-fi access throughout the hotel, I could not obtain a signal in my room. I did get a weak connection from the terrace, and managed to briefly get online, but the signal repeatedly cut out and eventually I had no luck getting back on. I took the laptop with me when I went to breakfast, hoping I would have better luck in the main hotel building.
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