Category: Greek Islands

Chill out! Truly cool Greek Island pools

The gorgeous swimming pool at the Honeymoon Petra Villas in Imerovigli is positioned on the Santorini caldera cliffside hundreds of feet above the Aegean Sea …

… with spectacular views of Nea Kameni, the volcano island

Deep freeze: There are two great ways to beat the extreme summer heat in the Greek Islands: go for a swim in the sea, or take a plunge in a really cool hotel pool. But depending on the time of season you travel, there’s a good chance the pool could be cooler, if not downright frigid. There’s also a chance the water in both the sea and the pools could be too cold for swimming altogether. At least, that’s been our experience.

We typically travel to Greece in May, and have always encountered hot weather — including brief but brutal heat waves on Naxos and Santorini that sent afternoon temperatures soaring to nearly 40 Celsius. But regardless of how hot the air temperature got, the Aegean Sea has always been too cold for us to swim. In fact, there have been times I couldn’t even wade in the water during visits to Mykonos, Naxos, Paros and Santorini because it felt like my feet started to freeze only seconds after stepping in. Even just dipping my toes in the water at Super Paradise beach on Mykonos one May was too painful because the water was so bitterly cold.

Surprisingly, our hotel swimming pools haven’t been much warmer. And sometimes they’ve actually been colder! I could count on one hand the number of times we were able to spend more than five minutes in a pool, and on just one finger the number where we lasted longer than 10 minutes.

Even when we travelled to the islands during the second half of September one year, we got to swim only twice — once in the sea (which was blissfully warm) and once in a pool (which was shockingly cold) — even though Greece had experienced blistering heat waves throughout the summer.

Are we disappointed that we haven’t been able to do more swimming in Greece? Maybe just a bit. We’ve had good times at plenty of island beaches, and we’ve enjoyed spectacular views from most of our hotel swimming pool terraces. Cooling off with an ice cold bottle of Mythos instead of a swim hasn’t been so bad!

I’ll tell you more about our pool and sea swimming experiences in upcoming “Chill Out!” posts. For today, however, here are pics of some of the cool swimming pools we’ve seen during our visits to Santorini.

The cliffside swimming pool and whirlpool at Dana Villas in Firostefani

Another view of the Dana Villas swimming pool and terrace

The cliffside swimming pool at Pegasus Suites hotel in Imerovigli …

… has a terrace that juts over the island’s rugged volcanic cliffs

Swimmers can watch ferry and cruise ships come and go from this sea view swimming pool atop the caldera in Firostefani

Another clifftop hotel swimming pool in Firostefani

Yet another Firostefani pool terrace with views of cruise ships

A closer look at the Firostefani pool pictured above

A small caldera-view swimming pool on the cliffside in Fira

An air mattress floats in a cliffside swimming pool in Imerovigli …

… while lounge chairs on the adjacent terrace overlook Skaros Rock

The caldera-view swimming pool at the Kafieris Apartments in Firostefani

Another view of the pool at the Kafieris Apartments

The Kafieris Apartments swimming pool at night

I’ve always loved the look of this pool and terrace at what appears to be a private villa on the cliffside in Firostefani …

… from above, the pool’s shape reminds me of an apple …

… there’s comfy cushions for lounging in the sun beside the pool …

… as well as lounge chairs and a shady nook nearby

The big palm tree next to the pool draws some attention away from the villa’s unique Cycladic architecture

Here’s another view of the palm tree and the pool …

… which has an infinity edge offering great views of the sea far below

The uniquely shaped and situated pool at the Honeymoon Petra Villas in Imerovigli offers some of the most stunning views in all of Santorini

The swimming pool and terrace offer incredible views in several directions

The pool is built into the cliffside hundreds of feet above the sea …

… and has a shallow wading pool on the hotel level below

A side view of the Honeymoon Petra Villas pool …

… and some of the apartments built of volcanic rock from the island

One final view of the Honeymoon Petra Villas swimming pool, this time from the clifftop footpath that leads to Oia in one direction, and to Fira in the other

July 28, 2011
Greece holiday pic of the day

The long curved sandy beach at the Amorgos port town of Egali

July 27, 2011
Greece holiday pic of the day

Agios Georgios island appears in silhouette in this sunset view from Mykonos

July 26, 2011
Greece holiday pic of the day

A passenger has the entire upper deck to herself as the Express Skopelitis ferry leaves Amorgos in its wake as it sails toward Naxos

July 25, 2011
Meet Petros, the famous pelican mascot of Mykonos

A pelican on Agia Anna beach next to the harbour at Mykonos Town

Famous feathers: Mention Mykonos, and most people instantly think of windmills, sandy beaches and white cube-shaped houses with blue shutters and doors. Yet one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island is a bird — a 53-year-old pelican named Petros. Actually, there’s not just one pelican on Mykonos — there’s a pod of three. And even though they all seem to be called Petros, they aren’t in their 50s.Yet.

According to local legend, the original Petros apparently flew from mainland Greece to Mykonos during a fierce storm. He was found, half-dead, by a fisherman who nursed him back to health. Island residents named him Petros and took turns feeding him. Petros became such a hit with tourists that he was designated as the official mascot of Mykonos. But he met an untimely, scandalous demise around 1986 when he was either run over by a car (some locals blame a drunk taxi driver) or sexually assaulted (some blame a drunk tourist).

Another legend maintains that jet setter and regular Mykonos socialite Jackie Onassis gave the island a new pelican to replace its maimed mascot, while another says a German zoo donated a bird as well. Yet another story says a third pelican wound up on Mykonos when he was discovered on a beach, injured like the original Petros, and brought back to good health by the locals.

Whatever one or all of the stories is true, it’s a fact there’s at least three pelicans entertaining tourists on Mykonos these days. They can often be spotted as a group, in a pair, or sleeping or strolling around solo. Their favourite places to hang out are at Niko’s Taverna (where they pose for photos with diners and then collect fresh fish treats from the kitchen), Paraportiani Square, Little Venice, the windmills on the hillside above Little Venice, and along the Mykonos Town harbourfront.

The last two times we’ve been to Mykonos, we’ve encountered pelicans in cocktail bars at Little Venice and on the harbourfront. Which makes me wonder … haven’t they been warned that it’s dangerous for them to hang around people drinking booze?

Below are photos of some of the pelicans we’ve met during some of our visits to Mykonos.

Two pelicans swimming in the harbour at Mykonos Town

A pelican entertains tourists on Agia Anna beach at the harbour

A pelican catches a snooze in the square next to Niko’s Tavernan

The pelican appears to be sound asleep …

… but he’s fully aware of all the tourists and cameras close by

A pelican on Agia Anna beach

Watching the boats in Mykonos Town harbour

Taking a long slow stretch on the beach

A pelican pauses while walking down a street in Mykonos Town …

… en route to a jewellery store near the waterfront, where he checks himself out in a mirror before being shooed back outside by the shopkeeper

A pelican poses for pictures at the Mykonos Town harbour

A pelican poses for a picture with me on Agia Anna beach

A pelican at the Sunset Bar in Little Venice

Petros gives us a full frontal face view

A pelican in the courtyard at Skandinavian Bar

Waiting for someone to buy him a beer, perhaps?

Enjoying evening cocktail hour at Camares bar near the harbour

A close-up look at the pelican’s neck pouch, which apparently can expand to hold nearly three gallons of water or fish

Another close look at the pelican’s colourful beak

This pic reminds me of an old Hollywood entertainer wearing a fake hairpiece

A pair of pelicans waiting for fish at Niko’s Taverna

A pelican waits outside the kitchen door at Niko’s Taverna

Three pelicans line up for fish treats at Niko’s Taverna

A pelican stands proud on Agia Anna beach at the harbour

July 25, 2011
Greece holiday pic of the day

Two tall buildings on a steep hillside near Chora on Astipalea island

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July 24, 2011
Family-friendly Ornos beach on Mykonos

Sunbeds and umbrellas on the soft sandy beach at Ornos

Family fun: Mykonos is notorious for its steamy beach party scenes, particularly at Paradise, Super Paradise, Elia and Paraga where the adult fun can get wet, wild and loud at the beachside bars and dance clubs. But if you’re travelling to Mykonos with children, and don’t want them exposed to scantily-clad college co-eds dancing on bars, chugging Jell-O shots, or sunbathing in the nude, where can you go?

Mykonos has more than 20 big beaches, and Ornos is one of the best for families. It’s a resort area boasting a good variety of hotels, bars and restaurants just a 10-minute drive from Mykonos Town. Although there are some bars along the beach, Ornos doesn’t draw the “spring break”-type of party crowd that attracts hordes of college kids from around the world to Paradise and Super Paradise.

Below are some photos we took during a visit to Ornos one afternoon in May. We were shocked to find the area almost vacant despite the warm, sunny weather.

Looking to the right from the shade of a tree near the middle of Ornos beach

A row of lounge chairs and umbrellas on a stretch of soft sandy beach

Homes and hotels on the hill on the left side of Ornos Bay

Despite the warm, sunny weather, Ornos beach was practically empty

Overlooking Ornos beach from the road to nearby Agios Ioannis beach

A view of the beach from a hillside overlooking the bay

Shuttle boats take passengers from Ornos to other popular Mykonos beaches

Looking toward the section of beach next to Ithaki taverna

Ithaki taverna and rows of rental chairs and umbrellas in front of the restaurant

A pair of lounge chairs under an umbrella in the middle of the beach

July 24, 2011
Greece holiday pic of the day

A poster advertising one-day cruise excursions from Naxos on the Naxos Star

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July 23, 2011