Tag: Ios (page 5 of 6)

A warm welcome from the goats at Hermes Hotel on Ios

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a goat on Ios

This goat was in a herd that gave us a warm welcome to the Hermes Hotel

 

Warm welcome: Checking into a hotel usually isn’t a memorable experience. Sometimes you get a friendly greeting from a cheery person at the reception desk, and sometimes you just get a grunt from someone who couldn’t care less about making a good first impression to a stranger from another country. And sometimes you really luck out, and get to see an entire herd of goats hurry up a hillside to welcome you to their island.

That’s exactly what happened minutes after we checked into the Hermes Hotel on Ios back in May.

After filling out the registration form at reception, we took a walk to check out the facilities, and headed down to the spacious swimming pool terrace on the hillside hotel’s lower level. When we leaned over the terrace railing to take photos of the nearby valley, we caught the attention of a herd of goats grazing in the field below us. They interrupted their meal and rushed up the hillside to say hello.

It was an unforgettable warm welcome to an island that quickly became one of our favourite destinations in Greece. Thanks, kids!

 

goats on Ios Greece

The goats start rushing up the hillside toward us

 

goats on Ios Greece

The whole herd stopped grazing so they could come up to see us

 

a goat on Ios

One of the goats watches us from the hillside below the pool terrace

 

a goat on Ios

Another goat arrives to welcome us to Ios

 

a goat on Ios

The goats watched us intently for several minutes …

 

goats on Ios

… then got bored and forgot all about us!X

 

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

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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.

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Greece holiday pic of the day

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windmill on Ios

A windmill on a hilltop near Chora on Ios

 

Hit the beach! Videos of Mylopotas on Ios

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Greece holiday pic of the day

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Mylopotas beach on Ios

A sailboat anchors at sunset off Mylopotas beach on Ios

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Mylopotas, the marvellous big golden sand beach on Ios

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Mylopotas beach on Ios island

 The soft golden sand and wonderful turquoise water at Mylopotas beach

 

Golden arc: What a great beach! For years, I heard and read that Mylopotas regularly ranks as one of the top beaches in all the Greek Islands. In May I found out why, when I finally got to see it for myself.  My first glimpse of Mylopotas was from our hotel — the Hermes Ios — high up one of the mountains that ring Mylopotas bay, beach and valley. The beach’s broad golden arc of sand and the bay’s appealing clear turquoise water looked impressive enough from a distance. Up close, they looked amazing.

 

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Serene & secluded Kolitsani beach on Ios

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Kolitsani beach on Ios island

Overlooking Kolitsani beach and bay from a nearby mountainside

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Scene of tranquillity: Beach lovers would probably consider the accommodations where we stayed on Ios in May — the Hermes Hotel at Agios Ioannis — to be ideally situated. To the left of the hotel, and visible from its breakfast room and bar, is the island’s most famous beach: Mylopotas, a gorgeous curved strand of golden sand. About a 20-minute hike down the mountain valley to the right is Kolitsani, a  secluded small beach accessible only on foot or by sea.

Kolitsani beach spans the foot of a long, narrow bay with shallow turquoise water. There is a large white private villa and some 12-meter cliffs on one side of the bay, and a steep hillside covered with wildflowers, herbs and low scrub bushes on the other. The beach itself is divided into two separate sections by a rock outcropping and giant boulder that jut into the sea. One side has soft brown sand, while the other is covered in large stones and rocks.

 

Kolitsani beach trail on Ios

Sign at the top of the trail that winds down the mountain to Kolitsani beach

 

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Favourite tavernas: Drakos at Mylopotas for relaxed dining with beach, bay & sunset views

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Drakos Taverna at Mylopotas beach on Ios

Drakos Taverna at Mylopotas beach on Ios during sunset on May 23 2011

 

Seaside drinks & dining: We found our favourite taverna on Ios thanks to advice from a fellow Canadian traveller, Cathy, who visits the island regularly. Last March, I asked if she could recommend any reasonably-priced seaside restaurants that offered scenic views as well as tasty traditional Greek cuisine. At the top of Cathy’s list was Drakos Taverna at the far end of Mylopotas beach. “It’s a really good authentic restaurant,” she said.

We were at Mylopotas on May 20 when I started feeling peckish for a light midafternoon snack. I recalled that Cathy had suggested Drakos taverna, so that’s where we headed. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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