We stayed in Naxos Town at Hotel Grotta and were incredibly impressed. The rooms were really nice and the staff was all family and made us feel like we were family too. They had all sorts of ammentities including loaner laptops and free wi-fi. Our rooms were on the outside of the hotel and were practically on the ocean with an amazing view of the sun setting on the Arch. We can't recommend this one highly enough.
We had lunch at the Bleeding Heart - do NOT eat here, it was awful and made me sick.
For dinner though we went to the Labrynth located in the heart of the grid of Old Towne, you may have to ask for directions. It's worth the hassel though, the atmosphere is great and the food even better.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Reviews of Santorini
Thira
First, you should know that the ferry will take you to the port of Athinios, not the port of Thira where the donkey's are. There is a bus that will take you from Athinios to Thira for less than 2 Euros.
We stayed right on the Caldera in Thira at Hotel Keti. Most of the hotels on the Caldera don't have addresses listed on their websites, don't let this throw you off. The Caldera is so steap without actual roads they can't have standard addresses. We loved Keti, the staff was very helpful and kind, the view was absolutely amazing. The hotel sits on the very edge of the Caldera so it's quiet but also very close to the action. The walk down to the hotel is steap, but typical so be prepared to carry your bags. If you stay at Hotel Keti, but sure to tell them that Christopher Utley sent you!
While on Santorini we went to Stani, they have a dish called the "Vine Grower" which has lamb wrapped up with cheese and other yummy ingredients which we highly recommend. They also offer a fine tasting Retsina. The online maps of Santorini don't make it easy to give directions, but you can email them and they can tell you how to find them. Not far from Stani is a place called Nicolas which was recommended by all of the locals. It was so authentic that they didn't even have a written menu, they had to tell us what they had for the evening.
Kamari
The bus will take you straight to Kamari which has a black stone beach and lots of cute restaurants. While looking at the ocean, there is a cliff off to the right, if you climb this there is a great view.
Oia
This is the town on the Northern tip of the island. It's cute, quaint and very typically Greek. We didn't stay there but after visiting we decided it wouldn't be a bad place to stay. They have a lot of the blue domed churches that we always see in the post cards. They also have a reputation for the best sunset in the world, though we didn't agree. We had dinner at Thomas's Grill, it's right down the alley from the bus station, if you can't find them, just ask a local. The staff at Thomas's took really good care of us on Chris's birthday, they went out and got him a cake and sang and everything!
First, you should know that the ferry will take you to the port of Athinios, not the port of Thira where the donkey's are. There is a bus that will take you from Athinios to Thira for less than 2 Euros.
We stayed right on the Caldera in Thira at Hotel Keti. Most of the hotels on the Caldera don't have addresses listed on their websites, don't let this throw you off. The Caldera is so steap without actual roads they can't have standard addresses. We loved Keti, the staff was very helpful and kind, the view was absolutely amazing. The hotel sits on the very edge of the Caldera so it's quiet but also very close to the action. The walk down to the hotel is steap, but typical so be prepared to carry your bags. If you stay at Hotel Keti, but sure to tell them that Christopher Utley sent you!
While on Santorini we went to Stani, they have a dish called the "Vine Grower" which has lamb wrapped up with cheese and other yummy ingredients which we highly recommend. They also offer a fine tasting Retsina. The online maps of Santorini don't make it easy to give directions, but you can email them and they can tell you how to find them. Not far from Stani is a place called Nicolas which was recommended by all of the locals. It was so authentic that they didn't even have a written menu, they had to tell us what they had for the evening.
Kamari
The bus will take you straight to Kamari which has a black stone beach and lots of cute restaurants. While looking at the ocean, there is a cliff off to the right, if you climb this there is a great view.
Oia
This is the town on the Northern tip of the island. It's cute, quaint and very typically Greek. We didn't stay there but after visiting we decided it wouldn't be a bad place to stay. They have a lot of the blue domed churches that we always see in the post cards. They also have a reputation for the best sunset in the world, though we didn't agree. We had dinner at Thomas's Grill, it's right down the alley from the bus station, if you can't find them, just ask a local. The staff at Thomas's took really good care of us on Chris's birthday, they went out and got him a cake and sang and everything!
Reviews of Athens
The hub of the tourist area is "The Plaka" shown here. It is definately the most touristy but it is also safe with lots of shopping and restaurants. The restaurant owners in The Plaka are more like used car dealers, they will stand at the door to their establishment and try to woo you into eating there. We found it worked best if you turned it into a game, don't let them intimidate you and check out the menus and choose based on price, not on the staff.
We stayed at two hotels in The Plaka and both were satisfactory, keep in mind that we weren't looking for luxury rather a good deal since we weren't in our rooms for long. Hotel Phaedra was alright, comfie and a good location. We also stayed in Hotel Adams which was a block or so away from Hotel Phaedra, cheaper and had an amazing view of the Acropolis. Adams doesn't really have a website but you can email them for availability/reservations.
While staying in Athens we chose to rent a car so that we could drive around the main land a bit, go to Delphi etc. We found Swift Car Rentals online. It was written so cute and sounded like such a great idea that we gave them a shot. Do NOT be TRICKED! They don't actually take you out of Athens, they just have an office that is right off a main highway which is only three blocks from the Plaka. They gave us a car that had an empty gas tank and told us when we returned it to either park by our hotel or their offices. We spent over two hours looking for parking in these areas with no luck. We wound up parking it illegally. Do NOT be tricked! They also operate as Avanti Rentals.
While driving around we stopped in the small sea side village of Itea which is about 30 minutes from Delphi. We enjoyed amazing sweets at Sweet Passion and some delicious salads at Restaurant Maxiotpaki which is right on the water south of the main drag. If you ask at Sweet Passion they will be able to direct you there.
We stayed at two hotels in The Plaka and both were satisfactory, keep in mind that we weren't looking for luxury rather a good deal since we weren't in our rooms for long. Hotel Phaedra was alright, comfie and a good location. We also stayed in Hotel Adams which was a block or so away from Hotel Phaedra, cheaper and had an amazing view of the Acropolis. Adams doesn't really have a website but you can email them for availability/reservations.
While staying in Athens we chose to rent a car so that we could drive around the main land a bit, go to Delphi etc. We found Swift Car Rentals online. It was written so cute and sounded like such a great idea that we gave them a shot. Do NOT be TRICKED! They don't actually take you out of Athens, they just have an office that is right off a main highway which is only three blocks from the Plaka. They gave us a car that had an empty gas tank and told us when we returned it to either park by our hotel or their offices. We spent over two hours looking for parking in these areas with no luck. We wound up parking it illegally. Do NOT be tricked! They also operate as Avanti Rentals.
While driving around we stopped in the small sea side village of Itea which is about 30 minutes from Delphi. We enjoyed amazing sweets at Sweet Passion and some delicious salads at Restaurant Maxiotpaki which is right on the water south of the main drag. If you ask at Sweet Passion they will be able to direct you there.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Santorini Travel Tips
- Many places in Santorini do not have addresses because they are all piled on little walk ways on the side of a cliff. Don't let the lack of address on a website throw you off.
- The buses are awesome ant they do have a website but they run on Greek time....so they're not usually prompt.
- They take the money once you are seated on the bus. Correct change is best.
Greek Travel Tips
- People drive on the shoulders - usually the slower folks will slide over to let others pass.
- There is much less personal space, people will stand very close.
- The locals are very aggresive and will cut in line if they can see you are tourists, to survive you will have to "play their game" and be aggresive in return.
- Many Greeks like to think they speak good English, but their English may not be accurate, try to get more than one interpretation.
- In the more touristy areas the restaurants will act like used car sales men in the States and try to woo you into their establishment. Take time to look at the menu and see if there are any locals. Be choosey. (One guy offered us free wine, free dessert and 10% off!)
- If you plan to visit any of the Greek Islands, be sure that your bags can be carried easily. Preferrably carry on sized. There are lots of uneven, crooked steps and it's impossible to roll your bag along.
- Buying bottled water in a local food market will save you a ton of money. We bought six packs and then refilled as we could.
- You will likely find that you drink a lot of water. It is nice to bring along the new mix ins that are in the market - Kool-Aide, Crystal Light etc. to spice the free water up a bit. This is also an cheap and easy way for a non-coffee drinker to get caffine.
- If you take lemon in your tea, bring some powdered lemon packets along.
- Sugar is all that is available so if you can't live without the pink or yellow packets bring your own.
- In most places "filtered coffee" is the equivelant of American brewed coffee. "nescafe" is the equivelant of instant coffee.
- Bread is rarely free - it's usually about 1 euro per person. They won't tell you this, don't be afraid to turn it down when they bring it.
- You pay a lot more to sit down and eat vs. "take away"
- When a table is ordering, be sure to talk one at a time. If several people echo that you want an order of hummus that you mean to share, the server will likely bring an order for everyone that spoke up.
- Coffee to go is very rare.
- Paying in cash at hotels/hostels may get you a discount - but you have to ask.
- Pharmacies in Greece are old fashioned and the people who work there can usually assist with some medical advice.
- Most medical supplies are ONLY available in pharmacies, unlike in the States where you can find bandaids in the supermarket.
- Greek medical careis free but hospitals are sketchy.
- Greek perscriptions are reusable and the medicine is cheaper than most insurance deductables.
- If you're on a budget and flexible, you don't need to book hotels in advance, you can just walk in.
- Many places "include" breakfast but it's usually lame and you can decline it and receive a discount.
- Explore supermarkets for picnic foods and fresh fruits and veggies. Especially if your hotel has a good place to sit and eat.
- Always ask what ammeneties are available. Many places offer things that aren't advertised. Like if you ask, they have a hair drier even though it isn't in the room. Also explore the hotel for things.
- Being polite to locals and trying even a little of their language will get you REALLY far. I frequently would ask if someone some English "milate anglik?" and the would say no "ochi" so I would proceed in broken Greek to ask a question. 9 out of 10 times they would switch to quite excellent English...you just have to make the effort.
- Make friends with locals, they often have great tips on restaurants etc.
- Most hotels will hold your bags for ou.
- A lot of places don't have washclothes or shower curtains
- Unlike the States the hotels don't typically provide shampoo, conditioner etc....
- A pillow case is a VERY useful thing to pack, can be used on extra pillow, to sit on etc.
- Things to find/buy early on or bring with you if you can: multiple sizes of ziplocks, wine opener, sharp knife, bandaids, sewing kit, alcohol swabs, rubber band, safety pin, lip balm with SPF
- We LOVE tripadvisor.com
- Rick Steves has GREAT tips for Greece as well as a packing list
- We copied the pages from guide books that pertained to places we were visitng rather than take the whole guide book, this was great because we could take only the applicable pages with us each day.
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