Yeah, we walked past 1800 which was getting a lick of paint at the time and was not open for business. The restaurant up the road on the corner (can't remember the name") had a really clever combination of foods on the menu.

Selinalei, keep up the good reporting! I'm enjoying this so much........ I want to definitely visit Greece someday (ever since seeing "Shirley Valentine")....... and I'm going to save this report of yours!

Thanks from me as well, selinalei. Crete is on my someday list, and you are making Santorini sound like more than a tourist trap, so it is beginning to tempt me.

Bonnie, you make me smile. When I'm remembering my youth, I watch "The MoonSpinners"; when I am peaceful in my skin, I watch "Shirley Valentine". Any other suggestsions? J.

jmw44, when I think "SUMMER" I think of Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue in the one, set on the water, with the beautiful song "Theme from a Summer Place".......... Was that the name of the movie, too? Dorothy Malone was her mother and it was so shocking for the time!;-)

Oh Bonnie (apologies to selina), we're digressing here, but what about Al Di La from Rome Adventure? But back to Greece, can you think of others? I watched Never On Sunday just two nights ago, but it's not dreamy enough for this sentimental, romantic old biddy. J.

JMW44-

Try renting "Summer Lovers" if you want to see Oia and other areas of Santorini in a 'nostalgic romp'.

Thank you! and thanks again, Selina, for giving us the opportunity to anticipate a visit as marvelous as yours. J.

Regarding the National Archaeological Museum, I recently e-mailed them through their web page link (http://www.culture.gr/2/21/214/21405m/e21405m1.html) and received a following response on May 18, 2004 from Dr. Nikolaos Kaltsas, the Director, who wrote that the Museum's opening "is scheduled for June 16th, 2004."

This is very fun to read. I have stayed at Astra Apartments myself and absolutely loved it.

I also just have to say that we ate at 1800 and although I didn't know that it was "famous" (never heard of it unitl hotel owner George recommended it, and not since!) the food was just amazing, and I also really loved the atmosphere. It was one of my most memorable dining experiences. I should also add that when my husband I travel, we don't usually eat at "pricier" places, but it was our honeymoon :)

Can't wait to hear the rest of your report!

I can't remember for sure, but doesn't the "1800" also have a rooftop dining area with a view out to the caldera?

Day 3

We woke up early this morning.

We took our time organizing a few things and when we wanted to get ready for the day, there was a sudden failure of electricity and water. So, we spent our time sitting in our balcony and enjoying the tranquility until the staff brought us our breakfast. Only then did we realize that it was not a problem of Astra but a problem of the whole island. He told us that this happened about once a month but usually lasted only a short time. He assured us that we would have electricity and water in half an hour. And it was true.

Because of the failure, everything was a bit delayed. We were supposed to pick up a rental car at 9:30, as arranged the day before by Astra (110 Euros for 3 days) but the rental car guy could only show up at 10:00. But that was not a problem for us and the guy is very nice and friendly.

Our first stop was Akrotiri. We thought we would spend some time there but it turned out that we did not. We did not exactly like it because we could not figure out most of the excavations, a lot of which were covered by some kinds of tarp. No entrance fee was required, though.

We then headed to the Red Beach and the Perissa Beach, which is really a very long one. We also stopped at the traditional village of Megalohori. We passed by the village square/center and then we came across the famous Vedema Hotel. The Hotel looks great from the outside and we are sure that it is also good inside and offers good services. It is just difficult to imagine giving up the caldera view with that price, at least it is difficult for us and for the first time to Santorini. On the way out of the village, we took a difficult way, without realizing it, but saw some cave churches which look interesting.

We drove back to Fira, hoping to get some lunch. Just by coincidence, we met the rental car guy. He told us that he just finished lunch and was going for a swim. What a good life! He recommended us to go to a restaurant called Sphinx. We got there and were the only customers in the restaurant, perhaps because it was already a bit late for lunch. The restaurant is very nice, decorated in pink, with a good view of the caldera. The food was also very good and very well-presented. So was the service. We were very happy with our lunch, although we found it a bit expensive.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Fira, just wandering around, having a coffee here and there and looking at shops. We went to have dinner in the famous Nicolas. We were lucky enough to get the last table available, although we saw people coming and going very quickly, meaning it would not take long to wait for a table. Very good atmosphere and good food.


Day 4

This morning, we drove to another traditional village: Pyrgos. It is an interesting village with a lot of small connecting cobblestone streets leading up to the top of the village, which offers a good view of the island. For sure, it is no secret that it is interesting as there were a lot of tourists there.

We also went back to the village of Megalohori because we wanted to take some pictures of those cave churches we saw yesterday. We were actually surprised at how many churches there are in such a small village. We stopped at the village center and had a lunch at a restaurant there. The lunch was nice and the people very friendly. And, today, we managed to get out of the village the ?correct? way.

Today, we spent most of our time, driving around the island. We went to the very tip of the island, near the lighthouse to have a different view of Santorini. But almost wherever we went, we just could not deny that the island is stunningly beautiful.

In late afternoon, we went to the other tip, Oia, and waited to see the famous sunset. While we were at the famous sunset spot in Oia, there was a TV team taking some kind of soap opera and it was funny to see them, although they somehow spoiled the romance of the sunset. But no matter what was going on, the sunset was very beautiful, with the background of the small white houses and the windmill. It was just spectacular! We had dinner at 1800, expecting a romantic time after the sunset (which was also meant to be romantic). Instead of romance, we had another funny encounter ? we were dining indoors quietly and calmly until a cat decidedly to walk in! Some customers started feeding it and it brought two more friends in. The three cats kept on coming in and out of our 25-square meter dining room. It was not what we had expected but it is something we will remember!

bonnieboard and jmw44, thanks. I am sure you will enjoy Greece as much as we did.

We were not trying to make Santorini more important than other places. When we started the report, we wanted to make it short (some kinds of note) but in the end, we found that we're missing out a lot of funny stuff (at least for us). So, when it came to the part of Santorini, we elaborated a bit.

We loved the diversity of Crete as well as the uniqueness of Santorini. They are just amazing. Although we were having some difficult time in Samaria Gorge, we still enjoy remembering it as something that we have accomplished and something that we will always remember.

brotherleelove, I am not sure if there is a roof top area in 1800 but we did not see it. We have to say that the food and the service were good when we were there (except for the cats).

We just had dinner at 1800 last Friday. The cats were the highlight of our dinner. The weather was just right, so the doors and windows were open to let in the soft sea breeze (and allowed for easy entrance). The maitre'D would shoo them out (the cats), and 2 minutes later they would sneak back in. She said that they were strays and the restaurant usually fed them a meal at closing time. I am afraid to say that we were one of the diners feeding the cats. We found that they like brie but not proscuitto. Finnicky cats...

You should see those cats by the end of September, all fat and sassy from so many the handouts!

This makes me feel somwhat better re: stray animals in Greece - see my other post "Help - stray animals". So thanks you for your unwitting reassurance about the cats.

Maybe now I can relax a bit and look forward to my trip...

I'm not going for a couple more months but will try to post a report upon return. As a newbie, though, I'm not sure mine will be up to the standard of the many excellent trip reports on this very helpful site.

Day 5

It was our last full day in Santorini. It was also our anniversary for which this holiday to Greece was planned. This morning, we were greeted by rain! Not too bad. At least we could see Santorini with rain once during our stay.

After breakfast, we set out to Ancient Thira. But my husband turned back the car without saying a word once he saw the zigzag road leading up to the hill! He was afraid it would be like Akrotiri. I did not insist. After all, we were there to enjoy ourselves and we could easily enjoy ourselves in different ways. We stopped at Kamari Beach. But we were not very impressed. Actually we could not imagine ourselves staying on a beach with rocks but it must be popular in summer; otherwise, there would not be so many restaurants and shops around.

We went to Fira again. Took the cable car (3.5 Euros per way) to the port. No one was queuing for the tickets. Good. In a few minutes, we were there. We spent some time there. Bought a t-shirt and two CDs with the music of the tavernas. Our original plan was to take a donkey up but we realized that it would take us an hour or so to get there under the sun. In the end, we went up with the cable car. When we got back to the station up in Oia, we saw more than 100 people queuing to buy tickets to go to the port! We were happy that we went a bit earlier because we would not have the patience to wait with 100 people. We went around Fira and saw a lot of tourists today. We guessed they were from the cruise ships that we saw in the morning. And we could easily imagine how life would be in a few weeks when all the streets, restaurants and shops are full of tourists. We also dropped by a shop where we bought a few hand-painted magnets with Santorini images last time when we were in Fira. When we were there last time, the one in the shop was a lovely lady who told us that her family is running the shop and that she was born in Santorini which she called ?my Santorini?. She is really proud of the place. This time, it was her brother in the shop who was equally friendly and gave us good prices.

We got back to Astra for a rest before we headed to Selene for our last and special dinner in Santorini. We went there with some expectation, of course, because a lot of people have enjoyed the restaurant and highly recommended it. But we did not! At least not in the way we had expected it to be! When we were there, services were not good. Staff were new and inexperienced, mixing up orders of different tables. The food was OK but not outstanding. The view was obstructed (we are not sure if it would be better to be on the upper level but it was not open). Nevertheless, we took it the humorous way and had a lot of laughs throughout the dinner. We think that Sphinx is a much better restaurant with that price range. But it was fun and it is an experience to remember.


Day 6

Our last breakfast at our balcony in Santorini finally came, still with the fresh orange juice that we loved every morning. The whole morning, I just could not stop going to the balcony to look at the blue sea and blue sky with the white houses hanging on the cliff. We had enjoyed every minute of our stay on Santorini. Perhaps it was exactly because we had enjoyed ourselves so much that we should not have any regret leaving it. We were ready for Athens then.

greecube, you already came back? How long did you stay in Greece?

taggie, I read your post just a minute ago. During our stay in Greece, we came across a lot of cats but did not exactly see any poor ones.

Of course, I made a mistake: it was the cable car station in Fira (not Oia).

Salinalei, I, my wife, and our 19 year old daughter and 9 year old son just returned from our family vacation from Greece (although some of the Cretins we met would probably prefer that I say "from Greece and Crete"). We arrived in Crete the evening of Saturday, May 29th, ventured to Santorini on Wednesday, June 2nd, and returned Sunday, June 6th. If we ever get around to it, we will probably write a trip report as rich in detail as yours.

Our base in Crete was the Palazzo Vecchio in Rethymno, in the "old town" across the street from the Fortezza Venezia and about 4 blocks south of the harbor, shopping district and crowds. It was peaceful and quiet. The P.V. is a renovated Venetian palazzo. I would describe it as a B&B with about 10 apartments, small courtyard and swimming pool inlaid with Venetian glass tile. It also has a small bar. The rooms were well appointed and very clean, but my son was disappointed that the pool was undergoing repairs during our stay. Hotel service was excellent and the staff kind and generous. Highlights of Crete include the Palace of Knossos, the Archeological Museum in Heraklion, and driving through the interior south of Rethymno to the southern shore in Plakias, visiting the villages along the way. (My wife would add shopping to this list; it was difficult for her to pass up the exquisite gold and silver jewelry crafted by the Cretin artisans). We did not have time to visit Chania, though, or the east coast. If in Rethymno for dinner, I highly recommend Restaurant Avli. Its list of traditional Cretin food and wine is extensive, and everything we ordered was tasty indeed.

In Santorini, we stayed at Dana Villas in Firastephani. I did post a review of Dana Villas elsewhere on the board. In short, a well-run and splendid establishment. Lots of stairs to navigate, but well worth it for the caldera view. If in Firastephani for dinner I'd recommend Vanillas Restaurant. We also ate at Selenes in Fira, and 1800 and Oia Café in Oia. I'd put 1800 at the bottom of this list, perhaps because it did not live up to my high expectations. I really enjoyed Vanillas and Selenes. Highlights of Santorini would include hanging out in Fira and Oia, and the half-day boat trip to the volcano island and "hot springs" with the kids (although the sea water temperature was so cool, that it was more like swimming in the "tepid springs"). (Once again, at least two in my family would add shopping to the highlight list; my son would added swimming off the beach in Perissa). My wife being an archeology enthusiast, we took the bus one afternoon to ancient Akrotiri despite my warning that I heard that much was closed to the public. True to your previous report, it took only five minutes to tour the site, since much (in my opinion, 95% was inaccessible) was barricaded due to construction of a new roof barrier, and nearly every structure covered in tarp and/or scaffolding. My wife was in awe anyway. My guess is that in about 30 years, the place will look as spiffy as Pompeii. Anyhoo, waiting for the return bus was not so bad, since there was a nice outdoor taverna down the road next to the beach where one could sit and sip retsina while waiting for the bus...

I look forward to the rest of your report about Athens.

greecube, thanks for sharing. I will work on the parts of Athens.