Category: Greek Islands

  • Amazing views from Hotel Katerina on Ios

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    The terrace for Katerina Hotel's Room 7 boasts this marvellous view of Mylopotas beach 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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  • Delos ferry prices & times unchanged for 2013

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    Delos ferry ticket booth

    The Delos island ferry ticket booth at the Mykonos Old Port

     

    [Editor’s Update: For information about extended opening hours and extra Delos ferry service in 2014, please see my April 2 2014 report Visiting Delos will be easier this summer with Sunday openings, longer hours and extra ferries.]

     

     

    No change: Some good news for people travelling in the Cyclades on tight budgets this summer —  prices for visiting Delos island from Mykonos have not increased this year. It still costs €17 for a return ferry ticket (same as in 2012), while admission to the grounds remains €5 (a price that hasn’t changed in years).

    According to Greek mythology, Delos is the sacred island on which the Greek gods Apollo and Artemis were born. Administered by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Delos is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the top Greek island tour destinations for archaeology and history buffs. Day trips to Delos rank among the top “things to do” for visitors to Mykonos, which is the closest nearby island, and are popular excursions from Naxos and Paros as well.

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  • Pic of the day: A painted pathway on Ios

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    a path of cement steps winds down the hillside above Tzamaria beach on Ios

    Cement steps outlined in white paint wind down the side of a hill above Tzamaria beach on Ios

     

  • Greece getting good press as international media promote travel to Athens & the Greek Islands

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    Agriolivadi Bay on Patmos

    Agriolivadi Bay on Patmos, part of the Dodecanese island group. Patmos is one of five  islands that the Globe & Mail says travellers “need to see.”

     

     

    Good time to visit: During the past five years of economic turmoil, Greece has been subjected to extensive bad publicity in the world press, with a steady barrage of negative news stories focussing on strikes and riots and the massive social upheaval caused by high unemployment and painful austerity programs. It’s refreshing to see the tide changing, with major international media outlets now regularly publishing feature articles that recommend travelling to Greece instead of avoiding it.

    One article in particular — Luring tourists back to Greece by Liz Alderman of The New York Times — has been republished in major newspapers in countries around the world. In that piece, published on May 23, Alderman notes that “travelers are returning in greater numbers this year, lured by discounts of up to 20 percent on hotels in major cities and on Greece’s stunning islands, as well as assurances — at least for now — that Greece won’t be ditching the euro and returning to the drachma after all.”

    Writers at other high-profile newspapers have been filing their own reports explaining why the time is right to visit Greece, and recommending where travellers should go.

    Here’s a roundup of several interesting travel reports I’ve discovered just in the past week alone:

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  • Pic of the day: Big waves at Plaka beach

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    Big waves break on Plaka beach as strong winds blast Naxos island

    Big waves break on Plaka beach as high winds batter Naxos on May 24 2013. Unusually strong winds blasted many Greek island areas this month.

     

  • Mykonos expecting strong tourist season

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    Mykonos pelican

    A pelican entertains tourists in the Kastro area of Mykonos Town

     

    Bookings up: The 2013 travel season appears to have gotten off to a good start for Mykonos, one of the top tourist destinations in the Greek Islands.

    While I was on Mykonos from May 13 to 18 during my annual Greek holiday, I spoke to dozens of hotel managers, restaurant staff, shop proprietors and other people involved in businesses that depend upon tourism. Virtually everyone told me there was more tourist traffic on the island this month compared to the same time last year, and all signs (so far, at least) suggest the rest of the travel season will be much busier than it was in 2012.

    Regular readers will recall that, in my series of reports about my 8-day visit to Mykonos in May 2012, I frequently mentioned how unusually quiet the island had been, even on days when cruise ships called into port. Mykonos Town was practically empty of tourists most times I walked around, and lacked the typically vibrant energy, hustle and bustle that I had encountered on seven previous trips to the island.

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  • A sensational Mykonos sunset

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    A fishing boat motors past Mykonos during a spectacular sunset on May 15 2013

    A fishing boat motors past Mykonos during the dramatic sunset on May 15 2013. I shot this photo from a road above the Kouros Hotel in the Tagoo district of Mykonos. Click on the image to view a full-size picture.

     

  • What we can’t wait to eat in Greece next week …

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    Greek salad

    A delicious Greek salad we enjoyed at Maria’s House restaurant in Kos Town

     

     

    Feta fans: We will be arriving in Greece for our 2013 spring vacation in just a few days, reaching our first island destination around lunch time. And I can tell you right now what we’ll be ordering for lunch: Greek salad.

    I make Greek salads often, but they never taste even just a fraction as good as the ones we eat in Greece. The ingredients simply can’t compare. The cucumbers sold at my neighbourhood grocery stores generally have no flavour, the green peppers are usually bitter, the tomatoes tend to be bland and mushy, the olives are sour and rubbery, and the over-salted feta typically has a spongy texture.

    It’s a whole different story in Greece, where the vegetables are packed full of flavour and the olives and feta are divine. Just the thought of ordering a Greek salad in Greece practically makes my mouth water.

    Can’t wait for our first lunch!

     

    Maria's House restaurant at Averof 80 in Kos Town

    Maria’s House at 80 Averof Street in Kos Town. Maria’s was our best — and favourite — dining experience on Kos during our Dodecanese island hopping holiday in May 2010.