Family of 5 just back from Italy and Greece
Sep 10th, 2006, 03:23 PM
#22
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Last thoughts on Milan. Everything our family did in Milan...I would do it over just like that. Maybe with the exception of the mosquitoes.
Milan was wonderful and magical. The weather was great and the shopping was phenomenal. Lorenza Scorti is a gem and a great tour guide. I would book with her more days. You can tell she knows the history and surrounding areas about Milan.
The last morning in Milan we climbed the Duomo. I mean took an elevator to the top. Our train left at 2:30 so we wanted to see the top of the Duomo. You can walk through a bunch of pinnacles and marble statuary. A gilded Madonna towers over the tallest spire.
We then said goodbye to Milan and boarded the train to Rapallo. Rapallo would be our first rest where we were not going to tour. Lil B was happy about that. When we got on the train we realized that our time to leave was at 12:30 not 2:30. We were worried it would be crowded and we would not get our cabin in the first class section. But, it didn't matter because it was worth going to the top of the Duomo.
On the train, again, the train conductor did not take our tickets and we sat wherever we wanted in the first class. Second time on a train and we didn't have overcrowding or no ticket conductor.
We arrived into Rapallo around 5 pm. I think it was a 2 and half hour trip. As we got closer to Rapallo we started to get ready to jump off. They did not allow much time to get off the train. When we passed Snta.Margherita we were ready. The train stopped but the conductor did not announce the stop. We just stood there and my DH said I'll check by jumping off to look. Good idea he did that.We didn't even know we were in Rapallo.The train doors were closing while we were getting our luggage off. In fact ,the doors kept closing on us trying to snap us in half. 17 yr old and DH were throwing the luggage off the train.Lil B was crying because she thought Son and DH would be left behind.Wow we made it!
Lucky us ,there was a taxi just traveling through and he gave us a lift to the Excelsior. The hotel is Rapallo's most historic and charming hotel.It overlooks the Portofino Coast and is surrounded by the sea on three sides. I had first wanted to go to Cenobio Dei Doge(I think) but it was hard to get the accommodations of two rooms with a view. The Excelsior was beautiful. But we arrived later than expected and we were not given the rooms that were promised us. My DH was irate. That New York temper of his was starting to boil and I thought he was going to burst. The hotel had put us in the BASEMENT. I couldn't believe it. I tried talking to the manager and all the staff but all of the "top" people were gone by the time we had gotten there. I e-mailed my travel agent for the(Greece) portion and she in an e-mail late at night told me she had contacted the hotel and that the next day they would move us.
For our Greece portion I went through a travel agent. A very competent and charming travel agent with Classic Vacations. She only helped me with the Greece portion but was willing to stick her neck out to help us with The Excelsior. Her name is Bonty Escallon. She is fabulous her e-mail is [email protected]
This woman is in charge of the office in Athens and all of Greece. She has lived in Athens for the last 30 years. She speaks 5 languages.
The next morning the Hotel apologized to us. They comped the rooms we were in the night before,(basement) We dealt with a beautiful woman who was the guest relations manager.Her name is Camilla Olivari. Her email is [email protected] My DH and I were very impressed with her.
Our rooms were beautiful. If you look at the pictures for Rapallo you will see the views we had. What a beautiful city. The hotel and the grounds were beautiful. The facilities are the best along the coast, including a beach club. The beach club made our stay there fabulous.(Maybe not the lifeguards..more on that later)
The next day, we decided to just lay low and relax by the pool and lounge at the beach club. It was really cool the way they had the lounge chairs set up on rocks. We had great views. As I was getting our stuff unpacked everyone went down to the beach club. Two hours later there is a knock on the door and Lil B, my DH and Son are standing there dripping wet. Lil B was stung by the terrible medusa(Jellyfish).The stings were terrible. Her legs were raised with welts. She was shivering and in pain. The lifeguards had neglected to tell anyone that there was an epidemic of jellyfish up and down the Ligurian Coast. I could have killed them. They had a special ammonia to put on the stings. The welts had covered half of her legs. Within 5 minutes "The beautiful Camilla" was at our door with instructions to get into the taxi to go to the local DR. How did she find out so quickly? She was amazing.
So within 5 minutes we were in the town of Rapallo visiting the local DR. who was also the main pharmacist to see. Oh, Oh another pharmacist. Anyway he gave her some stuff (cortisone cream or something like that) and we put it on, every 1 to 2 hours. Our day was shot that day. The next day was shot because that was the day we were taking the train to the Cinque Terre to visit Kate at [email protected]
We were to rent a zodiak for the day and visit the little towns up and down the coast. We would not be able to do that after what happened to Lil B.
That night for dinner when everyone was calmer, including Lil B, we went to dinner in Portofino. What a charming little seaside town.We took a cab from the hotel, it was such a beautiful drive along the coast. We went to a restaurant called O Magazine. The food was delicious but very expensive. We strolled around the docks and took pictures and after dinner we ate gelato.
The place to stay in Portofino is The Splendido Hotel. That is a magnificent hotel.A spectacular property with winding roads up to the hotel.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/Rapallo
The next few days in Rapallo were spent just eating and relaxing and walking. We sat out on the rocks but we did not go back into the ocean because of the medusa's. Other people who did go in got stung. My DH put his chair right next to the ladder and told every person that went in to be careful. He figured if the lifeguards were not going to tell anyone he would tell everyone. Most of the people he talked to were Russian's. We didn't bump into one American at this hotel. French,Italians,Germans and Russians.
Our last night in Rapallo ..is coming
Milan was wonderful and magical. The weather was great and the shopping was phenomenal. Lorenza Scorti is a gem and a great tour guide. I would book with her more days. You can tell she knows the history and surrounding areas about Milan.
The last morning in Milan we climbed the Duomo. I mean took an elevator to the top. Our train left at 2:30 so we wanted to see the top of the Duomo. You can walk through a bunch of pinnacles and marble statuary. A gilded Madonna towers over the tallest spire.
We then said goodbye to Milan and boarded the train to Rapallo. Rapallo would be our first rest where we were not going to tour. Lil B was happy about that. When we got on the train we realized that our time to leave was at 12:30 not 2:30. We were worried it would be crowded and we would not get our cabin in the first class section. But, it didn't matter because it was worth going to the top of the Duomo.
On the train, again, the train conductor did not take our tickets and we sat wherever we wanted in the first class. Second time on a train and we didn't have overcrowding or no ticket conductor.
We arrived into Rapallo around 5 pm. I think it was a 2 and half hour trip. As we got closer to Rapallo we started to get ready to jump off. They did not allow much time to get off the train. When we passed Snta.Margherita we were ready. The train stopped but the conductor did not announce the stop. We just stood there and my DH said I'll check by jumping off to look. Good idea he did that.We didn't even know we were in Rapallo.The train doors were closing while we were getting our luggage off. In fact ,the doors kept closing on us trying to snap us in half. 17 yr old and DH were throwing the luggage off the train.Lil B was crying because she thought Son and DH would be left behind.Wow we made it!
Lucky us ,there was a taxi just traveling through and he gave us a lift to the Excelsior. The hotel is Rapallo's most historic and charming hotel.It overlooks the Portofino Coast and is surrounded by the sea on three sides. I had first wanted to go to Cenobio Dei Doge(I think) but it was hard to get the accommodations of two rooms with a view. The Excelsior was beautiful. But we arrived later than expected and we were not given the rooms that were promised us. My DH was irate. That New York temper of his was starting to boil and I thought he was going to burst. The hotel had put us in the BASEMENT. I couldn't believe it. I tried talking to the manager and all the staff but all of the "top" people were gone by the time we had gotten there. I e-mailed my travel agent for the(Greece) portion and she in an e-mail late at night told me she had contacted the hotel and that the next day they would move us.
For our Greece portion I went through a travel agent. A very competent and charming travel agent with Classic Vacations. She only helped me with the Greece portion but was willing to stick her neck out to help us with The Excelsior. Her name is Bonty Escallon. She is fabulous her e-mail is [email protected]
This woman is in charge of the office in Athens and all of Greece. She has lived in Athens for the last 30 years. She speaks 5 languages.
The next morning the Hotel apologized to us. They comped the rooms we were in the night before,(basement) We dealt with a beautiful woman who was the guest relations manager.Her name is Camilla Olivari. Her email is [email protected] My DH and I were very impressed with her.
Our rooms were beautiful. If you look at the pictures for Rapallo you will see the views we had. What a beautiful city. The hotel and the grounds were beautiful. The facilities are the best along the coast, including a beach club. The beach club made our stay there fabulous.(Maybe not the lifeguards..more on that later)
The next day, we decided to just lay low and relax by the pool and lounge at the beach club. It was really cool the way they had the lounge chairs set up on rocks. We had great views. As I was getting our stuff unpacked everyone went down to the beach club. Two hours later there is a knock on the door and Lil B, my DH and Son are standing there dripping wet. Lil B was stung by the terrible medusa(Jellyfish).The stings were terrible. Her legs were raised with welts. She was shivering and in pain. The lifeguards had neglected to tell anyone that there was an epidemic of jellyfish up and down the Ligurian Coast. I could have killed them. They had a special ammonia to put on the stings. The welts had covered half of her legs. Within 5 minutes "The beautiful Camilla" was at our door with instructions to get into the taxi to go to the local DR. How did she find out so quickly? She was amazing.
So within 5 minutes we were in the town of Rapallo visiting the local DR. who was also the main pharmacist to see. Oh, Oh another pharmacist. Anyway he gave her some stuff (cortisone cream or something like that) and we put it on, every 1 to 2 hours. Our day was shot that day. The next day was shot because that was the day we were taking the train to the Cinque Terre to visit Kate at [email protected]
We were to rent a zodiak for the day and visit the little towns up and down the coast. We would not be able to do that after what happened to Lil B.
That night for dinner when everyone was calmer, including Lil B, we went to dinner in Portofino. What a charming little seaside town.We took a cab from the hotel, it was such a beautiful drive along the coast. We went to a restaurant called O Magazine. The food was delicious but very expensive. We strolled around the docks and took pictures and after dinner we ate gelato.
The place to stay in Portofino is The Splendido Hotel. That is a magnificent hotel.A spectacular property with winding roads up to the hotel.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/Rapallo
The next few days in Rapallo were spent just eating and relaxing and walking. We sat out on the rocks but we did not go back into the ocean because of the medusa's. Other people who did go in got stung. My DH put his chair right next to the ladder and told every person that went in to be careful. He figured if the lifeguards were not going to tell anyone he would tell everyone. Most of the people he talked to were Russian's. We didn't bump into one American at this hotel. French,Italians,Germans and Russians.
Our last night in Rapallo ..is coming
Sep 11th, 2006, 12:28 PM
#23
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Our last night in Rapallo was wonderful because it was the best restaurant we found on the entire trip! Also it was the cheapest.
It was also a night I will never forget because it was the day that the terrorists were caught in Heathrow. As I am writing this trip report I realize it is September 11 and it brings back many memories. On the US post TXTRAVELPRO said "we had no idea how innocent we were, and nothing has ever been the same since"
We were in Rapallo feeling a little nervous because we were traveling from Milan to Athens the next day. I was really nervous because our College boy was traveling from LAX to Heathrow with a 5 hour layover and then to change terminals and fly on Olympic from Heathrow to Athens. He needed those 5 hours(layover) to make the connection to Athens. I felt totally helpless as a parent. He felt totally helpless as a traveler.
Anyway we had a great dinner at Bella Napoli in Rapallo.It is a Pizzeria ,it is very close to the Excelsior. Phone number is 0185-56683. The trofie al pesto is divine.The bucatinni is also to die for. The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife. The husband takes your order and walks around making everyone feel good. The wife collects the money.He has a garden where he makes his own pesto. He said it is the best pesto in all of the Ligurian Coast. I tried to get the pesto for the "trofie al pesto" and he said he would but he would have to leave the pesto out of the recipe or he would have to kill me. We had a great experience for our last night in Rapallo.
Next up :Meeting up with College Boy(21 years old)
It was also a night I will never forget because it was the day that the terrorists were caught in Heathrow. As I am writing this trip report I realize it is September 11 and it brings back many memories. On the US post TXTRAVELPRO said "we had no idea how innocent we were, and nothing has ever been the same since"
We were in Rapallo feeling a little nervous because we were traveling from Milan to Athens the next day. I was really nervous because our College boy was traveling from LAX to Heathrow with a 5 hour layover and then to change terminals and fly on Olympic from Heathrow to Athens. He needed those 5 hours(layover) to make the connection to Athens. I felt totally helpless as a parent. He felt totally helpless as a traveler.
Anyway we had a great dinner at Bella Napoli in Rapallo.It is a Pizzeria ,it is very close to the Excelsior. Phone number is 0185-56683. The trofie al pesto is divine.The bucatinni is also to die for. The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife. The husband takes your order and walks around making everyone feel good. The wife collects the money.He has a garden where he makes his own pesto. He said it is the best pesto in all of the Ligurian Coast. I tried to get the pesto for the "trofie al pesto" and he said he would but he would have to leave the pesto out of the recipe or he would have to kill me. We had a great experience for our last night in Rapallo.
Next up :Meeting up with College Boy(21 years old)
Sep 11th, 2006, 01:09 PM
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We left Rapallo to go to Milan in the morning. I had the chance to take a later train trip but with the HEATHROW incident I was happy we had taken the earlier time. I knew all of Europe would be on alert in all of the airports. We were to fly on Olympic , Milan Malpensa airport to Athens. EasyJet had just cancelled about 200 flights. I had almost booked EasyJet so I was very happy that I had not.
We got a taxi from the train station because Lil B had forgotten something at the BAGLIONI(Hotel in Milan). We then asked the taxi driver to take us to the train station(goes to Malpensa). He told my husband he would charge us the same fare(train to malpensa) if we would stay with him, it must have been a slow day!
Because of what happened at Heathrow he said everyone is checking in three hours before.
When we got to Malpensa everything seemed very normal. I was worried about my College son. I knew he was on AirNewZealand. I found out later he was not allowed to take ANYTHING to carryon the plane. He took his passport and money but no ipod and they would not let him take on his book he was reading. He had told me later that he had a layover of 5 hours and he needed all that time to make his connection. As soon as he would go through one line for security he would have to get into another. He said there was no lounging around the gates either. He said you couldn't even go into a restaurant. Everything was closed. He just hung out waiting in lines, with no ipod to pass the time and no book to read. He said it was very hectic in Heathrow that day. He said he looked at every man and woman to see if they looked suspicious. There were police everywhere.Rifles and guns. All in all he went through 4 security check points, and it took 5 hours to do it.
We got a taxi from the train station because Lil B had forgotten something at the BAGLIONI(Hotel in Milan). We then asked the taxi driver to take us to the train station(goes to Malpensa). He told my husband he would charge us the same fare(train to malpensa) if we would stay with him, it must have been a slow day!
Because of what happened at Heathrow he said everyone is checking in three hours before.
When we got to Malpensa everything seemed very normal. I was worried about my College son. I knew he was on AirNewZealand. I found out later he was not allowed to take ANYTHING to carryon the plane. He took his passport and money but no ipod and they would not let him take on his book he was reading. He had told me later that he had a layover of 5 hours and he needed all that time to make his connection. As soon as he would go through one line for security he would have to get into another. He said there was no lounging around the gates either. He said you couldn't even go into a restaurant. Everything was closed. He just hung out waiting in lines, with no ipod to pass the time and no book to read. He said it was very hectic in Heathrow that day. He said he looked at every man and woman to see if they looked suspicious. There were police everywhere.Rifles and guns. All in all he went through 4 security check points, and it took 5 hours to do it.
Sep 12th, 2006, 03:10 PM
#26
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A couple of pics from Lake Como
http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/LakeComo
Mykonos,Santorini and Athens coming.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/LakeComo
Mykonos,Santorini and Athens coming.
Sep 12th, 2006, 04:08 PM
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Oh anamarie, your poor daughter! And than the worry about your college son flying to Greece. But you and your family obviously know how to travel and enjoyed yourselves inspite of the glitches including the short train stop. I love your photos!!
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:50 AM
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Good luck to you, your mom and your whole family. The stress can impact so many different areas of one's life. I hope the surgery goes well - but I also hope that you take good care of YOURSELF as you help take care of your mom.
Sep 14th, 2006, 08:39 PM
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Thanks so much for your kind words. She is o.k. so far. No complications. My mother is the ultimate traveler.She had me on a plane at the age of 9 to visit relatives in Cartagena,Colombia.She said she wanted to have this surgery, even though it was risky so that she could travel with my Dad again.
She has a great attitude!
And yes Starrsville, I am taking care of myself.I am making sure my SINGLE brother is taking his turn of shifts!!
She has a great attitude!
And yes Starrsville, I am taking care of myself.I am making sure my SINGLE brother is taking his turn of shifts!!
Sep 14th, 2006, 08:49 PM
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I am so sorry anamaria to hear about your mother. My prayers your mother will recover from her surgery quickly and that she will be able to travel again. My best wishes to all of you, and like Starrsville I am glad you are taking care of yourself also.
Oct 4th, 2006, 10:52 AM
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I'm back! My mom is great and walking around.Thanks for the prayers. Now I can finish my trip report.
That evening we left for Athens we had some down time in the Malpensa airport. They have a wine bar in the airport that is fantastic. Dh and I started sampling red wines and ended up buying about 8 bottles for our trip to Greece. We bought 4 bottles of Chianti and 4 bottles of a wine called"Salciaccia" a cabernet sauvignon blend. Very good wine. I might have spelled it wrong so I'm sorry.
Milan to Athens on Olympic was not a bad flight. It was the first trip on Olympic and it was 100 percent better than Easy Jet.
Our flight was delayed so we got into Athens around midnight. Our son(college boy) was to get into Athens around 10. I told him to either wait for us in the lobby or try to check-in. The Athens Sofitel airport hotel was really nice. Rooms were clean and cold. When we checked in the receptionist said our party(son) had already checked in. Yeah, my son made it! I was so worried about his traveling because of what happened at Heathrow and the terrorists the day before. When we got to our rooms he was asleep. He told us that it was the longest day he ever traveled with all of the restrictions that were imposed on him and when he finally got to the room he just collapsed on the bed. He hadn't even turned on the air conditioner. It was 90 degrees in the room. He was exhausted, but our 17 yr old at 1 am was starving. I swear that kid eats a ton. He made my husband go down to the restaurant in the hotel and he ordered a huge meal. I told him it was more important to sleep because we had to leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m. He said it was more important to go to bed on a full stomach....to be 17 again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next morning we left for Mykonos. We flew on Olympic. It was a propeller plane. Very short flight and uncomfortable, but it's better than spending hours on the ferry. Later in the trip we would have to take the ferry from MYK to Santorini.
We arrived in Myk around 10am that am. Our ride was waiting for us. I was very nervous about staying at the hotel that Bonty picked(travel agent). It is called the Myconian Ambassador hotel. There is a chain on the island. Trip Advisor gave it so so reviews. I told her about my reservations and she pushed this property.I think there are 4 properties on the island. Through the manager I find out that a Father with 4 sons owns these properties He sent his 4 boys to the hotel and service schools in Switzerland. Each son owns and manages a hotel, or each son has a part ownership in the hotel.
Our hotel is located at Platos Yialos Beach. It is walking distance from the beach. This hotel is about 4 km from Mykonos town.The hotel has a Thalasso spa which was nice and made even nicer when they invited the entire family for a treatment and a free massage.
I can't say enough nice things about this hotel. I think it was made even nicer because of the staff. All my worries were put aside. The manager named Evangelis or in Greek"Baggelis" was the ultimate service oriented manager I have ever met. HE made our stay so wonderful and he didn't do that with just us, I saw him being just as wonderful and helpful with other guests. At the END of the trip I find out that he is one of the sons. He never let on that he owned the hotel. I couldn't believe it. He even invited us to eat dinner at there restaurant free of charge one night. I will go on Trip Advisor and write up a good report, it's the least I can do after spending three wonderful days at the Myconian. I have pictures from Greece but I have not weeded through all of them, so I am sorry if there are too many pics.I never wanted to leave our hotel.We had such great views and each room had a jacuzzi on the deck. Of course our college son was ready to tour the island. That first day in Mykonos we hung out at the pool and ventured down to the beach. It was very hot in MYK. Our entire family was finally together. I knew either in MYK or Santorini I would definitely take our Christmas picture since it is usually hard to get everyone together. For the next three days we toured and explored the island in a tiny rental. We hardly fit into the car. We went to a beach called Kalo Livadi located in a farming valley. It is a quiet long, beautiful beach. I think there is also bus service to the beach. Bring your towels or chairs since there is nothing to rent there. Another beach we explored was a beach called Ayios Sostis. It is on the way to Panormos.Its 1 km down the road from Panomoros. There isn't any parking at this beach, so you have to leave your vehicle along the main road a walk about 200m down through the village. There are no umbrellas, no chairs nothing to rent...but it offers a break from the crowds you find on the Paradise beaches. Also a very beautiful beach. There are some pictures of these beaches in my Greece photos.
The boys loved walking up and down the beaches catching glimpses of the beautiful European women that were topless.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/GreeceMYKAndSan
That evening we left for Athens we had some down time in the Malpensa airport. They have a wine bar in the airport that is fantastic. Dh and I started sampling red wines and ended up buying about 8 bottles for our trip to Greece. We bought 4 bottles of Chianti and 4 bottles of a wine called"Salciaccia" a cabernet sauvignon blend. Very good wine. I might have spelled it wrong so I'm sorry.
Milan to Athens on Olympic was not a bad flight. It was the first trip on Olympic and it was 100 percent better than Easy Jet.
Our flight was delayed so we got into Athens around midnight. Our son(college boy) was to get into Athens around 10. I told him to either wait for us in the lobby or try to check-in. The Athens Sofitel airport hotel was really nice. Rooms were clean and cold. When we checked in the receptionist said our party(son) had already checked in. Yeah, my son made it! I was so worried about his traveling because of what happened at Heathrow and the terrorists the day before. When we got to our rooms he was asleep. He told us that it was the longest day he ever traveled with all of the restrictions that were imposed on him and when he finally got to the room he just collapsed on the bed. He hadn't even turned on the air conditioner. It was 90 degrees in the room. He was exhausted, but our 17 yr old at 1 am was starving. I swear that kid eats a ton. He made my husband go down to the restaurant in the hotel and he ordered a huge meal. I told him it was more important to sleep because we had to leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m. He said it was more important to go to bed on a full stomach....to be 17 again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next morning we left for Mykonos. We flew on Olympic. It was a propeller plane. Very short flight and uncomfortable, but it's better than spending hours on the ferry. Later in the trip we would have to take the ferry from MYK to Santorini.
We arrived in Myk around 10am that am. Our ride was waiting for us. I was very nervous about staying at the hotel that Bonty picked(travel agent). It is called the Myconian Ambassador hotel. There is a chain on the island. Trip Advisor gave it so so reviews. I told her about my reservations and she pushed this property.I think there are 4 properties on the island. Through the manager I find out that a Father with 4 sons owns these properties He sent his 4 boys to the hotel and service schools in Switzerland. Each son owns and manages a hotel, or each son has a part ownership in the hotel.
Our hotel is located at Platos Yialos Beach. It is walking distance from the beach. This hotel is about 4 km from Mykonos town.The hotel has a Thalasso spa which was nice and made even nicer when they invited the entire family for a treatment and a free massage.
I can't say enough nice things about this hotel. I think it was made even nicer because of the staff. All my worries were put aside. The manager named Evangelis or in Greek"Baggelis" was the ultimate service oriented manager I have ever met. HE made our stay so wonderful and he didn't do that with just us, I saw him being just as wonderful and helpful with other guests. At the END of the trip I find out that he is one of the sons. He never let on that he owned the hotel. I couldn't believe it. He even invited us to eat dinner at there restaurant free of charge one night. I will go on Trip Advisor and write up a good report, it's the least I can do after spending three wonderful days at the Myconian. I have pictures from Greece but I have not weeded through all of them, so I am sorry if there are too many pics.I never wanted to leave our hotel.We had such great views and each room had a jacuzzi on the deck. Of course our college son was ready to tour the island. That first day in Mykonos we hung out at the pool and ventured down to the beach. It was very hot in MYK. Our entire family was finally together. I knew either in MYK or Santorini I would definitely take our Christmas picture since it is usually hard to get everyone together. For the next three days we toured and explored the island in a tiny rental. We hardly fit into the car. We went to a beach called Kalo Livadi located in a farming valley. It is a quiet long, beautiful beach. I think there is also bus service to the beach. Bring your towels or chairs since there is nothing to rent there. Another beach we explored was a beach called Ayios Sostis. It is on the way to Panormos.Its 1 km down the road from Panomoros. There isn't any parking at this beach, so you have to leave your vehicle along the main road a walk about 200m down through the village. There are no umbrellas, no chairs nothing to rent...but it offers a break from the crowds you find on the Paradise beaches. Also a very beautiful beach. There are some pictures of these beaches in my Greece photos.
The boys loved walking up and down the beaches catching glimpses of the beautiful European women that were topless.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/GreeceMYKAndSan
Oct 4th, 2006, 11:59 AM
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Three days in MYK was enough. There were so many tourists there. It probably was one of the best examples of Cycladic architecture and is a maze of streets and alleys. I just remember one thing about MYK in August. It was sooooooo hot. I was always sweating. After coming from Italy, it felt like a different heat. Your energy just withers by the end of the day. The Myconian Ambassador made our stay in MYK the best. I would go back to that hotel. My DH liked the property of the other Myconian better.(Bigger) I liked the smaller intimate feeling at the Ambassador. Plus there is no way they could duplicate the staff we had. The day we were to leave though was a nightmare made by the ferry company we had booked with. It was not the hotel's fault or our travel agent Bonty. She had double checked the day before. Also Evangelis the manager also checked the day before. We were booked with a company called Matt Travel. Do not BOOK with this company. They had 5 tickets disappear at 10 pm the night before we were to leave. We were to leave on the" Fast Cat" that goes directly to Santorini. It left at 2 pm. Somebody probably gave MATT more money or something to kick us off. I was furious and our agent was even more furious. She quickly had to get us transportation which was MYK,Paros<Naxos then Santorini. It took about 4 hours instead of 2.Anyway Bonty with Classic will not do anymore booking with MATT. At least that is what she told me.MYK was wonderful except for the part of the ferry. I took alot of pictures of the Ferries. They were amazing. It was like a little cruise ship. They were all comfortable. One of those pictures I look like I'm seasick, well I was. It was a little rough that day and I sometimes get seasick. The boys just listened to music and ate. My DH went to the top and got some "rays". and Lil B just went back and forth from the boys to my husband. Everyone pretty much left me alone.One last story about how great Evangelis was. When we found out about the fact we had no tickets, Evangelis and Bonty were trying to get ahold of 5 tickets by the next day. Well somehow they did it, and when we left that morning we still hadn't got the tickets. Evangelis told us to go on ahead and to get into the line of the ferry and he would get us the tickets. We did everything he said...we were waiting in that huge ferry line for about 20 minutes with alot of other people when we see this man(Evangelis) in a tie on a little vespa drive his bike through the line right up to us in the line. Everyone was looking at us and he just hands us our tickets. Then he asks if we want a cappucino or some breakfast...Can you believe that? This guy was incredible. Everyone in line could not believe that he had just done that. Our family started calling him"Jack Bauer" you know from the tv show"24"., because he could do everything. Our family will miss Evangelis's happy personality.He always had a smile on his face.
Oct 4th, 2006, 01:54 PM
#37
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My presence on Fodor's having been scarce for quite a while now, I've come across this thread only today. Anamaria - your assumption about La Botte not wanting to serve your child is totally wrong, sorry. You've simply been much too late. Yes, they're open till 11 p.m. - but only for drinking wine, not for eating! Even myself, as their regular and well-known guest, have been sent away as early as 9.15 - La Botte is accepting clients for dinner till 9 p.m., and in high season, and when the place is packed, till 9.30; never later. Of course you see people eating also later - inevitably, if you arrive at 9 p.m., and you're ordering three courses, you'll still be eating at 10. But no new guest will be accepted... it IS simply true that Venice is closing early... sorry for you! But try to get to La Botte next time when you're in Venice - you can't imagine what you've missed!
Oct 4th, 2006, 03:23 PM
#38
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Franco, I was salivating in anticipation for La Botte. My family could not understand the fuss since I am the only Fodorite in the family. So of course I didn't make a big deal but deep down inside I know I missed a great time.
Earlier next time!!
Earlier next time!!
Oct 7th, 2006, 01:55 PM
#39
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I am at the end of my trip report. It's amazing how many months of planning I did for this trip and when I actually took the trip it just went like that....so fast, the three weeks were a blur.
I think for me the best part of this trip was Santorini. Wow the sunsets of Santorini. You can see them in my pictures and yes I took alot of pictures. It is in a place like Santorini that I wished I had a better camera. I have a sony cybershot which is a good camera but not good enough to take great sunset pictures or moonlit pictures.
We stayed at the Astra Apartments in the sleepy village of Imerovigli, about a mile north of Fira. This small hotel is on top of the highest point of the caldera of Santorini's ancient volcano. It's 1,000 feet above the sea. I think the hotel consists of apartments, suites, studios with the traditional domed ceiling. Our units both had kitchenettes and a balcony overlooking the sea. Some even had a private spa or infinity pool. Our apartment(my dh and me) was right there at the hotel's infinity pool. You can see the pictures of Lil B or 17 yr. old right on the edge.The breakfast was fabulous every morning and quite a tradition to have it right there on your balcony. The hotel does not have a restaurant but it does have room service for sandwiches and some small dinners or snacks. The info on the Astra is
ASTRA Apartments
p.o box 45, Imerovigli, 84700
Santorini,Greece
telephone is 22860-23641
fax is 22860 24765
www.astra-apartments.gr or it could be this one
http://www.astra.gr/
I would love to come back to this hotel with my husband and no kids. It's a very romantic spot.Not flashy at all.The problem I had when we got to this enchanting hotel was that I did not want to leave. Especially at sunset, when the view over the offshore islands are spectacular. People from all around(Fira and Ia) would line up along the crooked pathway that connects these two villages and take sunset pictures. It seemed like the Astra was in the prime location for these sunset views. We had a guest take a picture of our entire family at the edge of the pool next to the bar which will end up to be our Christmas picture. We had just missed the sunset because our 17 yr old was taking a shower.(I could have killed him).....but it was close enough.
That first night in Santorini we walked into Fira. It was quite a long walk but it felt good after being on the ferries all day. We went to sleep that night kind of late. The kids apartment was right next to the lobby which is an apartment and right off of the pool. Our air conditioning was great that night but the kids air conditioning wasn't as good.They had a two bedroom apartment with an upstairs loft, and a domed ceiling. It was a beautiful apartment but just not cool enough. Remarkably at this hotel everyone was Americans. The first hotel the entire trip where we found so many Americans. Maybe one French couple.
More about Santorini later.
I think for me the best part of this trip was Santorini. Wow the sunsets of Santorini. You can see them in my pictures and yes I took alot of pictures. It is in a place like Santorini that I wished I had a better camera. I have a sony cybershot which is a good camera but not good enough to take great sunset pictures or moonlit pictures.
We stayed at the Astra Apartments in the sleepy village of Imerovigli, about a mile north of Fira. This small hotel is on top of the highest point of the caldera of Santorini's ancient volcano. It's 1,000 feet above the sea. I think the hotel consists of apartments, suites, studios with the traditional domed ceiling. Our units both had kitchenettes and a balcony overlooking the sea. Some even had a private spa or infinity pool. Our apartment(my dh and me) was right there at the hotel's infinity pool. You can see the pictures of Lil B or 17 yr. old right on the edge.The breakfast was fabulous every morning and quite a tradition to have it right there on your balcony. The hotel does not have a restaurant but it does have room service for sandwiches and some small dinners or snacks. The info on the Astra is
ASTRA Apartments
p.o box 45, Imerovigli, 84700
Santorini,Greece
telephone is 22860-23641
fax is 22860 24765
www.astra-apartments.gr or it could be this one
http://www.astra.gr/
I would love to come back to this hotel with my husband and no kids. It's a very romantic spot.Not flashy at all.The problem I had when we got to this enchanting hotel was that I did not want to leave. Especially at sunset, when the view over the offshore islands are spectacular. People from all around(Fira and Ia) would line up along the crooked pathway that connects these two villages and take sunset pictures. It seemed like the Astra was in the prime location for these sunset views. We had a guest take a picture of our entire family at the edge of the pool next to the bar which will end up to be our Christmas picture. We had just missed the sunset because our 17 yr old was taking a shower.(I could have killed him).....but it was close enough.
That first night in Santorini we walked into Fira. It was quite a long walk but it felt good after being on the ferries all day. We went to sleep that night kind of late. The kids apartment was right next to the lobby which is an apartment and right off of the pool. Our air conditioning was great that night but the kids air conditioning wasn't as good.They had a two bedroom apartment with an upstairs loft, and a domed ceiling. It was a beautiful apartment but just not cool enough. Remarkably at this hotel everyone was Americans. The first hotel the entire trip where we found so many Americans. Maybe one French couple.
More about Santorini later.
Oct 7th, 2006, 02:24 PM
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http://picasaweb.google.com/lakerfan384/SantoriniGreece
I weeded through the pictures of Greece and picked out the pics of Santorini. Also for anyone interested the General Manager of the Astra is
George Karayiannis. On his business card it reads
[email protected]
I weeded through the pictures of Greece and picked out the pics of Santorini. Also for anyone interested the General Manager of the Astra is
George Karayiannis. On his business card it reads
[email protected]
