Category: Cyclades islands (Page 53 of 66)

Greece holiday 2011: Checking in at the family-run Hermes Hotel at Agios Ioannis on Ios

October 21, 2011 / / 0 Comments
Share

Hermes Ios Hotel

Hermes Hotel is conveniently located at Agios Ioannis on Ios, short walking distance from Chora and  gorgeous Mylopotas beach and bay

 

Comfortable and convenient: In my post on August 17 2011, I described arriving at Ios for the first time, and getting a brief glimpse of the island’s port area, Yialos. Here, I’ll pick up where I left off.

It was late afternoon and clouds were slowly starting to dissipate as a major thunderstorm system moved across the Aegean. It had been unseasonably chilly and windy when our ferry left Mykonos several hours earlier, and the highspeed catamaran was thrashed with driving rain almost the entire trip to Ios. Things looked bleak, especially when we stopped en route at Paros. Rain was pelting against the ferry windows so hard we could barely see the port village of Paroikia, but we did see incessant lightning strikes and hear thunder booming ferociously. Fortunately, by the time the Flying Cat 4 entered the harbour at at Yialos port on Ios, the storm system was clearing and the weather held better promise for our five-day stay on the island.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Goats and sheep on the road and other perils of driving in the Greek Islands

October 18, 2011 / / 2 Comments
Share

a sheep on Amorgos

A sheep stands on a bend on the main Amorgos highway near Chora. We also passed many goats on the roads while driving around the island …

xx

goats on a road in Amorgos

… including these three, who were in a herd of several dozen goats ambling along a stretch of highway between Egali and Chora on Amorgos

 

Highway hazards: One of the features we love best about the Greek Islands is the beautiful beach, sea, mountain and village scenery, and our favourite way to see it is on foot. Some islands, including Amorgos, Folegandros, Paros and Sifnos, boast excellent walking and hiking routes, with networks of well-established footpaths and donkey trails criss-crossing scenic mountain and valley terrain. Santorini has some fantastic footpaths, too, including the famous clifftop trail between Fira and Oia that presents spectacular caldera views every step of the way. And on some islands, including Kos, Milos, Naxos, Patmos and Samos, mountain bike rentals have offered a fun fresh-air option for getting around and seeing the sights.

When it’s not practical or feasible to hike or bike to the places we want to see, we usually rely on local buses — a cheap and easy way to get around islands like Mykonos and Santorini. But since we typically travel in low season, bus service can be infrequent or unreliable, particularly on some of the smaller islands that aren’t as popular with tourists. So we have occasionally rented cars to tour around islands and see places we couldn’t reach by bus.

[adToAppearHere]

 

We don’t enjoy driving while on vacation, though, because we like to check out the scenery and take photos — something that’s difficult for a passenger to do (and impossible for the driver) when you’re speeding down an island road or highway. So you could count on just one hand the number of times we have rented cars in Greece (only once on each of Amorgos, Crete, Mykonos and Naxos).

But when we have used rental vehicles to get around, we have quickly discovered some typical road hazards and dangers that first-time drivers in Greece should be aware of before getting behind the wheel and heading off on a road trip.

 

PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 2 FOR TEXT AND MORE PHOTOS

Favourite tavernas: Fond memories of traditional Greek cuisine at Aktaion taverna on Santorini

October 13, 2011 / / 0 Comments
Share

Aktaion Taverna Santorini

Aktaion taverna in Firostefani village on Santorini

 

Local specialties: We haven’t been to Santorini in several years, but we still talk about how much we have enjoyed Aktaion taverna in Firostefani.

We discovered this little restaurant gem back in 2004 when we stayed at the Santorini Palace Hotel during our first trip to the island.  Aktaion is situated just a short walk from the Santorini Palace, right beside the scenic clifftop footpath that links the village of Firostefani with the island’s bustling main town of Fira.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑