Houses on the hillside above Sapsila beach and bay on Patmos
Category: Greek Islands
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Top 6 memories of my Mykonos holiday in 2012 #1: A fabulous fourth stay at Hotel Tagoo
A rainbow arcs above the Hotel Tagoo swimming pool and bar on May 18 2012
Holiday home away from home: In my five previous “Mykonos memories” posts, I have recounted how the scenery, weather, beaches, restaurants and the charming labyrinthine streets of Mykonos Town were highlights of my 2012 visit to the island in May. However, I know this would not have been my best-ever trip to Mykonos if I had not stayed at Hotel Tagoo.
This was not just the fourth consecutive time I stayed there but also my longest visit so far — 8 days. And it was an amazing experience.
I was travelling by myself (my partner couldn’t come along because of work commitments), and before going I had some worries that I might get bored or lonely being on my own. But there was no chance of boredom or loneliness at Hotel Tagoo, thanks to the exceptional friendliness of the hotel management and staff as well as many of the guests staying there — interesting, fun and personable people from England, Ireland, Canada, the USA, Australia, Sweden, France, Spain, Brazil, Singapore and several other countries in southeast Asia.
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Memorable meals: Our matsata & meatball lunch at Irene’s cozy grocery-café on Folegandros
The unassuming exterior of Irene’s kafepantopoleio (café and grocery store) on the road that winds through Ano Meria village on charming Folegandros island
The small inside space doubles as a convenience store and restaurant
Famous food: You probably wouldn’t expect a convenience store to dish up some of the most delicious home-made pasta you’ve ever tasted, but then you probably haven’t been to Irene’s kafepantopoleio on Folegrandros, either.
I had never heard of Irene’s grocery-café until I read Greece’s Best-Kept Secret (Until Now), the cover story on Folegandros in the December 2004 edition of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Writer Adam Sachs described celebrating his second wedding anniversary at Irene’s with a dinner meal of matsata — a local pasta traditionally served with rooster. “Irene made the matsata in our presence,” he wrote, “and as hoped for, it was a rich, gooey pleasure. It was cut into ribbons, and the texture was somewhere between a noodle and a dumpling. The rooster broth was poured over the matsata, the legs and breasts served on another plate.” The filling meal was followed by a dessert of “homemade goat’s-milk rice pudding with flecks of orange zest.”
I clipped the article and filed it away, not expecting that we would wind up visiting Folegandros three years later.
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Taking a gander at some of the popular natural attractions at the harbourfront in Naoussa
Geese swim in the water below the stone bridge near the Naoussa harbourfront
Giggles and gaggles: The circular Venetian-era stone fort, the picturesque fishing harbours and the colourful sailboat and motorboat marinas are among the top attractions that draw tourists to the waterfront at Naoussa, the second-largest town on Paros. But there are a few natural wildlife attractions that get their fair share of attention down by the seaside, too.
If you head over to the stone bridge and the little tree-shaded parkette near the excursion boat quay, you could wind up having a close encounter with some gaggles of gregarious geese that like to hang out in the general vicinity.
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