September 07, 2024 - Paros (Hotel Petres)
Another day spent virtually all at Hotel Petres. We again did not get down to breakfast until
10:00 ish, lingering until almost 11:30 am.
As promised, there was a new selection of dishes to add to the
standards, including a lemon cake, a tomato / feta cheese / egg concoction,
pastry ‘stars’ with cheese and cinnamon, and watermelon with seeds! Three glasses (for Norm) of personally squeezed orange
juice and two large cups of coffee rounded out breakfast.
Some time working on our travel blogs and emails followed by the obligatory afternoon nap after which it was some time in the pool. For some reason the pool area is quite busy in the morning, immediately after breakfast but then significantly less so during the afternoon. Gayle enjoyed a nice chat with a German lady who went back many (like 40 or so) years knowing Clea and Sotiris, having coached their daughter Maria figure skating.
Late afternoon we did decide to go out, not far but to a nearby sandy beach - Monastiri Beach. It was particularly easy to park adjacent to the beach with very easy access. The water was warm and clear, allowing us to see a number of fish swimming amongst our feet. Afterwards we drove through the nearby town of Naoussa, but with parking a challenge and wanting to chill out at Petres we didn’t stop.
Again we don’t understand why virtually no-one else has dinner here albeit there were a number of guests who did have lunch. We were again alone for dinner. Today’s dish of the day was perfect for Gayle – Yemista, or stuffed tomato with a few roasted potatoes. Norm was only going to have the tomato salad – a bowl of tomatoes and olives in olive oil and fresh oregano but when Eva offered a Paros sausage he couldn’t resist. Served with lemon and mustard it was delicious. We chatted with Eva, originally from Poland but having lived over half her life here on Paros about this and that. Hearing some music Eva mentioned there were two weddings on the island this Saturday, one in a hotel just below Hotel Petres. We wondered if the couple we met on the plane who were attending a wedding today might be there.
After dinner we sat out on our balcony reminding ourselves of how fortunate we are to be enjoying such another relaxing experience here in Greece and how happy we were with our decision to spend a number of days here at Hotel Petres.
about, along with 'my Greek goddess'.
Today we lived up to our reputation as 'sloths on vacation'. We slept in; enjoyed a delicious leisurely breakfast; returned to our room for a nap; then down for a swim (and afterwards another nap by the pool); work on the travel blog and emails (it seems every time I leave there are requests for crosswalk flags - two yesterday); and then dinner. Not a cloud in the sky and a temperature of 30 C. This is perfect after preparing for the trip and a night trying to sleep in a cramped airplane seat.
Breakfast here at Hotel Petres is one of the best we enjoy anywhere on our travels. Not only freshly squeezed but personally squeezed orange juice. The oranges are provided with the guest squeezing as much as they want. For those of us that love fresh orange juice that turned out to be three glasses. There are a number of fresh baked on the premises cakes and phyllo dishes - feta cheese; spinach etc.; tomatoes and cucumbers in olive oil and oregano; meats and cheese; yoghurt; boiled eggs; cereal; bread; home-made jams; cookies; and of course lots of coffee.
Dinner was again simple but very good. Tonight's dish of the day was Keftedes, i.e. meatballs served with Tzatziki. Gayle had the eggplant (melitzana) salad - grilled eggplant covered with tomatoes and feta cheese in oil. She could not have been happier. Apparently a number of guests have lunch here but we were the only ones for dinner (there was one other couple last night). It is hard for us to understand why more don't eat here. While it is true there is not any choice for a main dish - there is only the dish of the day - but there are perhaps a dozen salads and dips, each that we have had being delicious.
Back to our room for some time on our balcony just looking out over the field in front of our hotel out to the sea. This is heaven.
Right: Eggplant salad (the grilled eggplant is hidden beneath all the tomatoes)
Below: A portion of the dining / breakfast area.
Quite the couple of days but in spite of some anxious moments we arrived in Paros as planned to enjoy the sunshine and heat (30 C) and reunite with Clea, Sotiris and Eva at Hotel Petres.
But let's back up. We had a late morning flight from Halifax to Montreal - on time departing and arriving - a good start. Then it was supposed to be five + hours in the Montreal Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge with our friends Linda and Bill Collins (no relation) who are also spending the month of September in Greece. The good news is that it turned out to be nearly seven hours. The obvious bad news is that our flight to Athens was delayed - an hour and a half. We planned our onward flight to Paros three hours after scheduled arrival. But our plane touched the tarmac only one hour and seven minutes before our next flight, arriving at the terminal with only 53 minutes to spare. We were convinced we were not going to make it. Everything, and we mean everything had to go just perfect.
Fortunately we were seated near the front of the plan (Row 19) which had us off quite quickly. Next we needed Immigration to have short queues. Being late the other overseas flights had already landed - as a result the queue was virtually empty with us sailing through. Next to pick up our luggage. In spite of having priority baggage tags our last trip to France our luggage actually didn't arrive - still back in Montreal (it was delivered late the next day). We were nervous but hopeful. A number of other priority bags came out on the belt - getting less hopeful but voila we saw ours. It was now 12:22 pm. Next we had to get out of the arrivals area and up to the next level - departures and find the Aegean check-in counters. Fortunately I knew where they were from previous trips meaning some time saved. Still now 12:31 pm. I explained our situation to the first agent we saw who immediately directed us to the Business Class check in where an agent who took us right away. While checking in she said we would make it but still we should hurry. We crossed our fingers our luggage would also make it but if not there were other flights later in the afternoon that it should be delivered on. Then it was off to security where I explained to an agent our situation, and asked whether we could use the Fastlane. He checked our boarding pass and waved us through. 12:43 pm. It was a bit of a walk to our gate with us arriving at 12:51 pm. What a relief to see others still in the boarding line - in fact there were four passengers who arrived after us! We checked in and got on the bus that drove us to our plane. What a sigh of relief.
The 25 minute flight to the island of Paros landed on time. And to top it off our luggage arrived as well. Tons of anxiety and in the end needlessly considering other options should we not make the connection. There were four later flights but the website indicated no seats available for any of them. There is another small Greek airline - SkyExpress - that might have been a possibility, or a flight to nearby Naxos with a dinner time ferry, or stay in Piraeus and take an early (6:45 am) ferry the next morning. All were not very attractive options. And fortunately none of them were needed.
The car we rented was waiting for us at the airport. In fact we drove Stavros back into the port town to their office before continuing on towards Noussa and Hotel Petres, our lodging for the first three nights. We have stayed at Petres twice before - back in 2015, the first time we visited Paros and then again in 2022. The owners Clea and Sotiris are wonderful, as is Eva, the server. It is so nice to return to a place and people who remember us well from previous visits. Petres is a cute 16 unit hotel in the countryside, with a beautiful large pool and a scenic view of the surrounding country and the sea. While the hotel does not have a full restaurant they do serve many traditional Greek appetizers and a 'dish of the day', although tonight they had two. Perfect for us.
After reuniting and a lengthy chat with Clea over welcoming drinks and cookies it was back to our room for a much needed nap. Three hours later (7:00 pm ish) we awoke and went down to dinner. We started (well in Greece you generally don't start - everything comes at once) with a Greek brusketta of dried wheat bread (a Cretan rusk) smothered with tomatoes, capers and feta cheese dressed with olive oil and oregano - delicious. Norm then had chicken in lemon sauce with rice while Gayle the baked broad beans in tomato sauce.
Only 9:00 pm and in-spite of the afternoon nap it was time for bed.
So so wonderful to be back in Greece and here at Hotel Petres.
A villa adjacent to olive groves near the Paros airport.
Welcoming cookies and retsina.
We left Halifax on schedule at 11:30 am for a short flight to Montreal where we had nearly six hours in the lounge (where we are at the moment). Montreal's international lounge is quite impressive, certainly far better than its equivalent in Toronto.
However we began to receive notices of a delay in our flight - first for half an hour and now 1 hour 35 minutes. We'll see. Regardless, even with the current delay, this may very well result in issues with our connection in Athens to our flight to Paros. At the moment it appears we will have less than an hour to make the connection which is highly unlikely given we have to clear immigration, collect our luggage, go through security and reach our gate. The good news is that there are four later flights to Paros. The really bad news is they all appear to be full.
Tomorrow may be a challenging day!
But when we do get to Paros the weather appears to be perfect.
After being in the Ionian islands last year we are returning to our old stomping grounds, the Cyclades. A number (five) of islands we have been to before and a few (three) new ones.
After arriving in Greece we will then fly from Athens to the island of Paros where we will stay at Hotel Petres, a great small boutique hotel where we have stayed twice before, perfect for relaxing and overcoming the jet lag.
After three nights in Paros we will ferry to Amorgos, perhaps my favourite Greek island for five nights, again staying at Pano Gitonia, a very traditional lodging full of colour and spectacular views over the sea. Here we will meet up with friends who will also be in Greece during the same time as us.
Next is the small island of Donoussa, a new island for us. Five nights is no doubt longer than we would normally stay on such a small island but there are a couple of festivals on the island while we are there - one the day we arrive and then a smaller one our last night. We will be staying at O Kipos a small hotel only minutes from the beach.
From Donoussa it is on to Gayle's favourite Greek island (and my second), being Koufonisia. Another small island of only 26 sq. kms there are no car rental (although there has been a taxi our last couple of visits). This is an island for walking. This will be our 5th visit / stay at Pambelos Lodge set on a hill with stunning views of the sea and the uninhabited island of Keros.
From Koufonisia we sail west via Naxos and Ios to Sikinos, another island we have not yet visited. Also relatively small we found Zetine Suites - a small - only four units each with their own plunge pool B&B.
Then we return to two islands we visited in 2010 - Folegandros and Sifnos. It appears both have embraced tourism with some development over the past decade plus. We are outside of the Chora (main village on the island of Folegandros at a small five room lodging Provalma with views across the cliffs to the sea.
Then we will return to Niriedes Hotel on an island we really liked - with a nearby very authentic restaurant right on the beach looking out to a Monastery where we enjoyed a couple of great meals years ago. The island has a number of long sandy beaches that we very much look forward to.
Our final island of the Greece portion of the trip is Santorini, an island Gayle visited in her youth (before we met) but I have never been. No doubt the most popular island in Greece with its stunning sunsets its downside is the crowds. It is apparently overrun with tourists. But needing a place from which to fly back to Athens we decided to stay only two nights at Onyx. Hopefully now in October at least some of the crowds will have left.
However before returning home we are once again going to Istanbul for a few nights, staying at Dersaadet Hotel near the centre of the city and everything it has to offer. We are particularly looking forward to a few great Turkish meals.