Greece
Trip Report: What can you say about a trip to Greece?
Santorini
Or is it Thera or Thira?
Or is it Thera or Thira?
Day 11
We breakfasted, packed and taxi’d to the ferry. We could have walked but the sidewalks in Heraklion were a wreck and the area just wasn’t conducive to walking with traffic whirling by (and a monster suitcase in tow). €7 well spent. I had booked VIP so we would be at the top of the ferry with a view. It was a Highspeed 5 with Hellenic Seaways btw. Oddly, we were seated with a couple from West Palm Beach, Florida despite the near-empty cabin. At least this gave us people to talk with during the 2 hour calm run to Santorini. The general area downstairs was quite crowded. And yes, you CAN see out of the windows easily in VIP but the salt residue made photos pointless. At the ferry terminal on Santorini, our driver was waiting with a sign for us – actually 2 drivers since I had booked one directly and the hotel had mistaken my inquiry for a booking. Whoops. Our driver bantered on about Santorini for the whole ½ hour to Imerovigli. That short drive convinced me to cancel our car rental in two days hence. I quickly decided that I didn’t need the aggravation and my wife didn’t need the stress. It was a good move!
We breakfasted, packed and taxi’d to the ferry. We could have walked but the sidewalks in Heraklion were a wreck and the area just wasn’t conducive to walking with traffic whirling by (and a monster suitcase in tow). €7 well spent. I had booked VIP so we would be at the top of the ferry with a view. It was a Highspeed 5 with Hellenic Seaways btw. Oddly, we were seated with a couple from West Palm Beach, Florida despite the near-empty cabin. At least this gave us people to talk with during the 2 hour calm run to Santorini. The general area downstairs was quite crowded. And yes, you CAN see out of the windows easily in VIP but the salt residue made photos pointless. At the ferry terminal on Santorini, our driver was waiting with a sign for us – actually 2 drivers since I had booked one directly and the hotel had mistaken my inquiry for a booking. Whoops. Our driver bantered on about Santorini for the whole ½ hour to Imerovigli. That short drive convinced me to cancel our car rental in two days hence. I quickly decided that I didn’t need the aggravation and my wife didn’t need the stress. It was a good move!
There is no question that the caldera view from almost anywhere in Santorini is stunning. It is rivaled only by the Amalfi coast amongst the notches on our travel belts. Every time I saw it again over the 4 nights that we stayed – coming out of our room onto our veranda or rounding a bend on the Fira-Imerovigli walk – it took my breath away anew. Absolutely incredible. Use whatever adjectives you like and they will still not be satisfactory.
After a lot of research, I had chosen sleepy Imerovigli as our base. People seem to ignore it – or walk right through it – in favor of Fira or Oia. That’s just fine but let’s face it. Fira is a zoo anytime a cruise ship is in port – which was every day that we were there. Oia is quaint (which always means a major tourist zone to me) and a zoo at every sunset. Reputedly of course, because we never made it there. Imerovigli with its dearth of tourist shops – and just enough very good restaurants – suited us perfectly.
We chose the White Suite at the Artemis Villas and we were glad that we did.
After a lot of research, I had chosen sleepy Imerovigli as our base. People seem to ignore it – or walk right through it – in favor of Fira or Oia. That’s just fine but let’s face it. Fira is a zoo anytime a cruise ship is in port – which was every day that we were there. Oia is quaint (which always means a major tourist zone to me) and a zoo at every sunset. Reputedly of course, because we never made it there. Imerovigli with its dearth of tourist shops – and just enough very good restaurants – suited us perfectly.
We chose the White Suite at the Artemis Villas and we were glad that we did.
- Review Artemis Villas "Perfection" We have stayed in a lot of hotels on our travels in North America & around the world. From high-end resorts, old Grande Dame hotels & luxury boutiques to endless business venues of the chain variety. I can say without hesitation that the Artemis Villas has bested them all!
- The location is superb – overlooking the incredible caldera of Santorini with the Skaros Rock front & center. Our room – the White Suite – was big & immediately very, very comfortable & it offered a quiet sleep with lots of room to spread out the way we like.
- And last but not least was the service. This is where owners Angela & Chris & their entire staff raised the bar to the ceiling. A welcome drink. Free coffee whenever you wanted it. Free cold water to offset the blazing heat. And this was all served anywhere & anytime. Indoors, outdoors, by the pool – whatever you needed promptly arrived – always with a friendly smile. The maids not only tended the room, they actually tided our strewn belongings – folding & hanging up our debris & they always left bed animals & flower petals & a surprise candy. I know that this all sounds like many other hotels but here it was done without fuss & often without asking. They even walked us out to local restaurants & to the driver they arranged for site-seeing & for our airport transfer. And the staff only accepted tips when we insisted.
- I should also note that we partook of their small tasty lunch menu a couple of times – once by the pool & another time on our veranda – and it arrived without the scary service charge that this usually entails elsewhere.
- So if you are looking for a hotel that offers over-the-top service & a stunning view away from the mass tourism of Fira & Oia, look no further. it was not cheap – in fact, it was the most we have ever paid for a hotel room. And it was still worth it!
For the rest of the day, we just wandered around starring with our mouths open, cameras in hand. We had coffee in the afternoon and free drinks at cocktail hour before dinner etc. I had emailed Angela several days in advance to make reservations at the highly-rated Anogi Restaurant. This was wise because there were several couples waiting for tables when we arrived.
- Review Anogi Restaurant "A victim of its own success?" We went - with a reservation - at 8 pm. The restaurant was busy with people waiting. The service was friendly with at least 3 people serving us randomly but not efficiently. We saw other diners wait for ordering etc as well. The food was no better than standard taverna fare but more expensive than same. My sea bream was bony & not fun to eat & my wife's lamb was average at best. Wine choices were good & not expensive although we opted for a liter of house red. I truly can't give them a great review because they didn't deserve it based on our experience.
And we missed the sunset! We were at the restaurant when it went down just after 8pm. Oh well, we would get another chance . . . We closed the evening on our patio. It was very quiet in Imerovigli without any discos or loud parties although we were treated to a small fireworks display by one of the lower hotels.
Incredible!
Incredible!
Day 12
I was up crazy early (not willingly though) to watch the moon glisten over the caldera and the cruise ships sneak into port at dawn. As the sunlight came over the rim, it lit up the outer islands and finally the tip of Skaros rock which was in front of us tempting me during our whole visit. But the 300 steps down plus 200 steps up just to get to it was enough to dissuade me from such folly. One morning I saw a bride in her long dress make the trek with her photographer. And another time it was a guy doing jumping jacks on the very top in the heat of the afternoon. Oh, to be young and foolish again . . .
Breakfast arrived with a smile on our veranda promptly at 9am as pre-arranged. It was an incredible pleasure to sip our coffee starring out at the expanse of the caldera. Panoramic photos can give you a sense of the space but when it is yawning in front of you . . . The White Suite (and its adjoining Artemis Suite) were positioned a level down from the hotel’s office intertwined with another hotel. That seems to describe much of Imerovigli’s cliff face – with invisible borders between properties. We were in the hollow of a cove in the rim just to the right (west) of the center of Skaros and the church. 300+ m above sea level. And not quite ½ way down the habited part of the hill. Actually, 83 steps down from the street level of Imerovigli at this – its highest point. The closest bus stop - as we found out later in the day - was less than a 10 minute walk – much of it up or down of course. In our immediate vicinity at street level, there were several small groceries with staples and liquor, a number of visible restaurants and some less visible ones as well. No crowds, no hustle.
While it was hard to tear ourselves away from the view, we decided to walk to Fira. We went down two levels to the path and set out. The walk was fabulous with an ever-changing view of the crater as we skirted around the Imerovigli headland and by Firostefani. Then the path dove inland for a bit to pop out once again on the outskirts of Fira. It was about a 30 minute pleasant stroll with lots of stops for pictures. The alleys of Fira are lined with stores, bars, restaurants and hotels and the volume of foot traffic went up exponentially as we neared the cable car exit from the cruise terminal. As well, the main Fira road was a constant drone of vehicles and not a pleasant place to be or even walk beside as we discovered - especially near the busy road split in the middle of town.
I was up crazy early (not willingly though) to watch the moon glisten over the caldera and the cruise ships sneak into port at dawn. As the sunlight came over the rim, it lit up the outer islands and finally the tip of Skaros rock which was in front of us tempting me during our whole visit. But the 300 steps down plus 200 steps up just to get to it was enough to dissuade me from such folly. One morning I saw a bride in her long dress make the trek with her photographer. And another time it was a guy doing jumping jacks on the very top in the heat of the afternoon. Oh, to be young and foolish again . . .
Breakfast arrived with a smile on our veranda promptly at 9am as pre-arranged. It was an incredible pleasure to sip our coffee starring out at the expanse of the caldera. Panoramic photos can give you a sense of the space but when it is yawning in front of you . . . The White Suite (and its adjoining Artemis Suite) were positioned a level down from the hotel’s office intertwined with another hotel. That seems to describe much of Imerovigli’s cliff face – with invisible borders between properties. We were in the hollow of a cove in the rim just to the right (west) of the center of Skaros and the church. 300+ m above sea level. And not quite ½ way down the habited part of the hill. Actually, 83 steps down from the street level of Imerovigli at this – its highest point. The closest bus stop - as we found out later in the day - was less than a 10 minute walk – much of it up or down of course. In our immediate vicinity at street level, there were several small groceries with staples and liquor, a number of visible restaurants and some less visible ones as well. No crowds, no hustle.
While it was hard to tear ourselves away from the view, we decided to walk to Fira. We went down two levels to the path and set out. The walk was fabulous with an ever-changing view of the crater as we skirted around the Imerovigli headland and by Firostefani. Then the path dove inland for a bit to pop out once again on the outskirts of Fira. It was about a 30 minute pleasant stroll with lots of stops for pictures. The alleys of Fira are lined with stores, bars, restaurants and hotels and the volume of foot traffic went up exponentially as we neared the cable car exit from the cruise terminal. As well, the main Fira road was a constant drone of vehicles and not a pleasant place to be or even walk beside as we discovered - especially near the busy road split in the middle of town.
I had two goals in Fira: See the Museum of Prehistoric Thira and have a gyro at Lucky’s. After a gelato and some light browsing we aimed towards the museum which was surprisingly hard to find. Our driver had pointed it out on the way in the day before, so we knew it was a fair size. But every vendor we asked gave us a different answer. This is because there are two different museums: the Museum of Prehistoric Thira and the Archaeological Museum and they seem to confuse everybody. The former is for Akrotiri and the latter is from the Greek and later periods. There is also a further private display of copies of the Akrotiri frescoes – many of which aren't even on the island anymore. The Prehistoric museum is at the east end of the main drag on the caldera side and the bus depot is on the slope side (north) - down the street opposite it. I got the strong impression that the museum is seriously short of funds. We bought tickets, even though there was no one taking them. The washrooms were out of order and the plantings around the building are all brown and dead. They did have a few interesting pieces and some of the frescoes – although many of the best ones we had already seen in Athens. The lighting sucked for photography but it was nice and also very cool in the building so we got a break from the heat for a while.
Museum of Prehistoric Thira
And then it was on to #2 on my list: Lucky’s. Which is actually just one door down from the small parking area beside the museum. And yes, Lucky’s gyros are the finest that I've had. Ridiculously cheap, it was the culinary bargain of our trip. Lucky mans the cash with a constant banter to entertain his customers and the food is fresh and very good.
- Review Lucky's "Yes, they are . . ." Yes, they are the best. We have a big Greek community in Toronto, so I am no stranger to gyros. But these surpass anything I have had anywhere. Noisy, hot & packed this restaurant should be on everybody's must do list. And they are cheap as well! Lucky mans the counter, taking orders & talking the talk & a cook slings out the food. Yum. We tried the standard gyro as well as the kabob gyro.
After some light shopping we trudged (yes, it was in the high 20s and sunny by early afternoon) to the bus depot to catch #23 to Imerovigli. Thankfully, this is just two stops – about 10 minutes – from busy Fira. Then it was up to the hotel pool – at the highest level – for a swim and some Kindle time and to gawk at the view. The staff brings alternating snacks/drinks/ice cream every hour throughout the afternoon to guests by the pool which was a really nice treat as we lazed around.
I had arranged with Angela to eat at her family’s restaurant somewhere in Imerovigli. Angela’s husband Chris gave us a lift over with Angela’s mother – the family matriarch – riding shotgun. Now SHE is the real boss. She owns the Artemis Villas – which her daughter Angela runs, Anastasis Apartments – which another daughter manages and the To Steki tou Nikou restaurant which her son Artemis and his wife operate and where we were headed for dinner. The restaurant is situated on the Fira-Oia road with a great view of the backside of Santorini. Artemis’ wife is the genial host and chef and she cooks family style as opposed to gourmet. All of the standards plus local recipes but cooked as Mama would cook them. Very good food and very nice people. They insisted that we come back another night – but later - so we could dance as they have entertainment on some nights. At our request, Artemis gave us a lift home just in time to watch the sunset from our balcony. We sat out on our veranda sampling the remnants of our duty-free liquor and enjoying the sights and sounds as darkness fell.
I had arranged with Angela to eat at her family’s restaurant somewhere in Imerovigli. Angela’s husband Chris gave us a lift over with Angela’s mother – the family matriarch – riding shotgun. Now SHE is the real boss. She owns the Artemis Villas – which her daughter Angela runs, Anastasis Apartments – which another daughter manages and the To Steki tou Nikou restaurant which her son Artemis and his wife operate and where we were headed for dinner. The restaurant is situated on the Fira-Oia road with a great view of the backside of Santorini. Artemis’ wife is the genial host and chef and she cooks family style as opposed to gourmet. All of the standards plus local recipes but cooked as Mama would cook them. Very good food and very nice people. They insisted that we come back another night – but later - so we could dance as they have entertainment on some nights. At our request, Artemis gave us a lift home just in time to watch the sunset from our balcony. We sat out on our veranda sampling the remnants of our duty-free liquor and enjoying the sights and sounds as darkness fell.
- Review To Steki tou Nikou "Like dining with the family" This restaurant is owned by the family that runs the Artemis Villas in Imerovigli. Angels & her Aussie husband run the Artemis & Vicki & her husband Artemis run the restaurant. It is located out of the way on the road to Oia with great views of the non-caldera side of the island. Vicki does the cooking & it is very affordable Greek family style. An extensive menu from gyros to misc casseroles. We dined early because we wanted to get back to the hotel for sunset @ 8:37. Chris gave us a lift there & Artemis gave us a ride back. A nice meal with very nice people. It felt as if we visited their home for dinner . . .
- We had baked feta and stuffed tomatoes for apps and pork souvlaki and mussels risotto for mains.
Day 13
This was expedition day. Before we killed the car rental (Smart Cabrio for €50), I checked with Angela about a private driver. €25 per hour. Fair enough, so I canceled the car - which resulted in a few positive points towards marital bliss - and booked the driver for 3pm to time ourselves for a late Akrotiri visit to miss the tour groups. We also toyed with the idea of Ancient Thera on the mountain but the thought of more climbing was not appealing as the stairs around the hotel were already becoming seriously daunting. 83 to street level in case you forgot. And not to forget the anvil of the sun with temps in the heat of the afternoon in the high 20s again. We lounged by the pool until the allotted time – even having a tasty lunch of toasts and fresh salad poolside.
Then it was off with our driver, a 20s something young man who spoke reasonable English. He worked with his father as a carpenter in the winter and was a private driver in the season. Just as we were starting my wife said: “So I hope that you’re a slow driver”. And he did. Drive slowly. Very slowly. Even my nervous wife thought that he was driving extraordinarily slowly. But he was a nice kid and he knew the island. We drove to Akrotiri. It was very hot by now and as we drew nearer to the site, we could see stragglers on the road hungering for a ride in a car with AC. Maybe sometimes the bus isn’t the best option . . . Our timing was good and there were only about 30 people in the site when we arrived. A single tour group with a typical loud guide and a few couples like us. As for the site itself . . . other than a few highlights, it is a difficult to visualize it as a living place. Like Pompeii, there are walls and doorways and windows on multi-storied buildings but it lacks the openness – both in the excavations themselves and overhead - that really helps to bring an ancient city to life. You tour much of the enclosure on a raised walkway that encircles the outside. You can finally go down to street level behind the West House and walk through the triangular square beside the two-storied West and the front of the Delta Complex – albeit you are still on a slightly raised walking area to protect the ruins. Yeah, you need a good map and some research ahead of time to get the most out of this complex ruin or you might want to consider hiring a local guide - they cluster by the ticket area. Time will tell what goodies they will discover in the future as they unbury more of the town.
This was expedition day. Before we killed the car rental (Smart Cabrio for €50), I checked with Angela about a private driver. €25 per hour. Fair enough, so I canceled the car - which resulted in a few positive points towards marital bliss - and booked the driver for 3pm to time ourselves for a late Akrotiri visit to miss the tour groups. We also toyed with the idea of Ancient Thera on the mountain but the thought of more climbing was not appealing as the stairs around the hotel were already becoming seriously daunting. 83 to street level in case you forgot. And not to forget the anvil of the sun with temps in the heat of the afternoon in the high 20s again. We lounged by the pool until the allotted time – even having a tasty lunch of toasts and fresh salad poolside.
Then it was off with our driver, a 20s something young man who spoke reasonable English. He worked with his father as a carpenter in the winter and was a private driver in the season. Just as we were starting my wife said: “So I hope that you’re a slow driver”. And he did. Drive slowly. Very slowly. Even my nervous wife thought that he was driving extraordinarily slowly. But he was a nice kid and he knew the island. We drove to Akrotiri. It was very hot by now and as we drew nearer to the site, we could see stragglers on the road hungering for a ride in a car with AC. Maybe sometimes the bus isn’t the best option . . . Our timing was good and there were only about 30 people in the site when we arrived. A single tour group with a typical loud guide and a few couples like us. As for the site itself . . . other than a few highlights, it is a difficult to visualize it as a living place. Like Pompeii, there are walls and doorways and windows on multi-storied buildings but it lacks the openness – both in the excavations themselves and overhead - that really helps to bring an ancient city to life. You tour much of the enclosure on a raised walkway that encircles the outside. You can finally go down to street level behind the West House and walk through the triangular square beside the two-storied West and the front of the Delta Complex – albeit you are still on a slightly raised walking area to protect the ruins. Yeah, you need a good map and some research ahead of time to get the most out of this complex ruin or you might want to consider hiring a local guide - they cluster by the ticket area. Time will tell what goodies they will discover in the future as they unbury more of the town.
The ruins of Akrotiri ca. 1627 BC
After that, we drove to the monastery on the mountain, stopping at several places for pictures. As usual my wife was freaked by the narrow winding road – sans guardrails – that climbed the mountain. I reassured her that going up was the safest part. Then it was slow drive through some of the villages and lesser roads in Santorini. A nice enjoyable outing without the stress of driving on the narrow, twisty roads. Since renting quads is a popular option . . . when I was in the UK last week, a colleague was dealing with an accident in Mykonos involving his 20 year old daughter. A quad she was driving at 3am in the morning of the day she was to come home. And there aren’t any x-ray machines in Mykonos in case you were wondering . . . so be careful when you drive in foreign places! Just broken bones btw.
For dinner, I had asked Angela to book the Kapari Wine Bar which was reputed to be a very small place hidden amongst the hotels of Imerovigli. Well, surprise, surprise, it was right beside our suite – just on the other side of our stairs – and if I stood up and looked to the left, I was staring right at their ‘downstairs’ diners. So I guess staggering home drunk wouldn’t be an issue tonight!
With Angela’s help, we got an outside sunset view table. This was one of those nights when everything clicked. The service, the food, the wine, the view and the couple at the next table who we befriended. They were on their honeymoon from NYC and they admitted that we were the first people that they had really talked with for 10 days. The sunset was spectacular, Jupiter rose on cue in the southwest and it was even the night of the full moon. Perfect.
For dinner, I had asked Angela to book the Kapari Wine Bar which was reputed to be a very small place hidden amongst the hotels of Imerovigli. Well, surprise, surprise, it was right beside our suite – just on the other side of our stairs – and if I stood up and looked to the left, I was staring right at their ‘downstairs’ diners. So I guess staggering home drunk wouldn’t be an issue tonight!
With Angela’s help, we got an outside sunset view table. This was one of those nights when everything clicked. The service, the food, the wine, the view and the couple at the next table who we befriended. They were on their honeymoon from NYC and they admitted that we were the first people that they had really talked with for 10 days. The sunset was spectacular, Jupiter rose on cue in the southwest and it was even the night of the full moon. Perfect.
- Review Kapari Wine Restaurant "Fine Dining Alert!" Yes, it is possible to dine - as opposed to just eat - in Imerovigli. This small restaurant was actually right beside our suite at Artemis Villas. The staff were excellent - especially our server Alexandra. A tiny bit of confusion over our reservation time was smoothed over & they seated us outdoors in the upper level for maximum sunset view. A good wine list - small but well thought out. The dishes - including some surprise courses - were tasty & inventive & a very nice change from the standard Greek fare that we had been eating during all of our stays outside Athens. Tasty steak & extraordinary lamb chops with a wonderful arugula salad to start. You can't go wrong with this restaurant choice. The only mild caveat: it is more expensive than many other choices, but it is also worth it!
- And a special call out to Chris & Kerri - exuberant honeymooners from NYC - who were at the table beside us & helped make the evening even better.
Day 14
The next day was an even lazier day than the last. Yes, we walked to Fira again and bused back again. I would like to say that it was just for the views, but we had 2 missions again: Lucky’s for another gyro for me and to hit a specific shop where we had seen some interesting art for us. Yes, just like in Chania, amongst the wall to wall ticky-tacky there were always a few gems. Anyways, both tasks were accomplished efficiently.
Then it was back to our hotel’s pool for more relaxation. One conclusion that dawned on me as I was sitting there: Santorini is one of the best places in the world to be bored.
Dinner tonight was an outside table at La Maison – another highly rated restaurant.
The next day was an even lazier day than the last. Yes, we walked to Fira again and bused back again. I would like to say that it was just for the views, but we had 2 missions again: Lucky’s for another gyro for me and to hit a specific shop where we had seen some interesting art for us. Yes, just like in Chania, amongst the wall to wall ticky-tacky there were always a few gems. Anyways, both tasks were accomplished efficiently.
Then it was back to our hotel’s pool for more relaxation. One conclusion that dawned on me as I was sitting there: Santorini is one of the best places in the world to be bored.
Dinner tonight was an outside table at La Maison – another highly rated restaurant.
- Review La Maison "Well, they got it half right" Our last night in Santorini. We set our sights on La Maison due to the glowing reviews on TA & elsewhere. Well, it was not a crash & burn, but it certainly doesn't deserve its lofty ratings. The food was mostly good. The nice welcome surprise dish was a promising start & the octopus appetizer was excellent. The main dishes were mixed. The beef filet was just a tad overdone but the truffle (oil obviously) sauce had the consistency of Elmer's white glue on the slate plate. And the moussaka was just another moussaka. The service was promising but plummeted after the arrival of the mains. Hello? Please don't ignore us . . . I shouldn't have an empty plate in front of me for 1/2 an hour . . . and the poor couple next to us stared at their app plates for an even longer length of time. Fail. The wait staff acted surprised when we finally had to ask for removal & our bill. They rushed a sweet wine closer to us but it was too late. Fail. So overall, La Maison got it only about half right . . . which ain't enough. And just FYI, the sun sets behind the hill of Imerovigli & not on the water. €100 bill with a €40 wine choice.
After a pleasant walk back with wonderful night views of Fira on the way, we kicked back with drinks on our veranda enjoying our last night in Santorini.