In Greece Now
 

Happy to answer any questions.

So far, have stayed in Antiparos and Naxos with day trips to Paros, Delos, and Mykenos. Arrived in Sifnos this afternoon.

It's been pretty quiet all over during the day with shops closed for siesta and some restaurants closed for lunch. Nighttime is a different story. Everything is open and lots of touristst are out eating and shopping.

ATMs work fine, beaches are beautiful, weather is hot, food is good and cheap, people are ultra friendly and there are no crowds.

Now I'm off to enjoy this beautiful hotel and Island.

I am so happy to hear you are having such a great time. Greece is one of my favorite countries. I just read Blue Skies and Black Olives by john Humphrys. It makes me want to return soon.

Enjoy, Yipper

Enjoy Sifnos !!
I love this island :)

Sounds great, have fun!

Jackie, thanks for the update - glad you are enjoying yourselves. I am sure that Greece appreciates your patronage during these trying times.

Will be in Sifnos end Sept. and not bothering to book a hotel yet, seems no hurry. We would be interested in any details like good hotels,inns,cafes,rented cars etc.....if you get time.

Clauses-- are there any must see places? We may find them on our own, but would not want to miss out. This has turned out to be my favorite island.

Tommo, we are at Nieredes Hotel in Plata Gialos. It is fabulous and our splurge of the trip. Took bus into Apollinia for dinner last night and had one of my best meals at Elia Kapari (mussels w pasta). Spent yesterday at Lazarou Beach -- was heaven. Little sand, just decks, lounge chairs, umbrellas, and a waitress from the restaurant. Will rent a car today to go exploring. Been told it is 35 euros which will be the highest price we have paid for car rental. I was told their busy time is Aug and Sept, but they are not sure what this year will bring. From what I've seen, people seem to hibernate during they day and come out at night. We arrived in center last night and shops were closed, so we went to eat first and we were only people in restaurant. By 8:00 shops were opening and the streets were more crowded, but still few people in restaurants. I'm thinking it's because Europeans are on a different time clock than this American. You will love it here, it is beautiful.

Jackie
Have a look at the following website which is the best about Sifnos, it's the official website of the municipality of Sifnos.

http://www.sifnos.gr/en

Hiking on the old paths early in the morning was what we enjoyed most !!

Sifnos is definitely my favorite island. Be sure to walk at least one of the paths that were used before roads were built. Go to visit some potters in Vathy at the Atonis Atsonios studio. They are very happy to have you drop in and will explain how Sifnos came to be called the Island of potters. Ask anywhere how to get to their studio. Here's an article about some potters in Sifnos: http://www.pen4hire.com/html/siphnos.pdf
And, eat at Liotrivi restaurant in Artemonas. The first time we were in Sifnos a friend read in a guide book that it was "the best restaurant in the Cyclades." We all laughed, but then we ate there.... (Siphnos was also known as the home of chefs in bygone days when chefs from there were hired to cook for the royal and the wealthy.)

Tommo--I've been meaning to get back to you with recommendations for Sifnos, but time has not been on my side. We loved Sifnos. It was my favorite island. It was also the most expensive of the three islands we were on.

We took a taxi from the port to hotel and then used the public bus the first day to go into Appolonia for dinner. Bus was good, except last bus back was at 8PM so we had to taxi it. We rented a car through Sifnos car rental for 3 of the 4 days. Sifnos is really hilly; even mountainous--best to have a car with a bigger engine. They delivered it to the hotel. When we returned it to the port, they wanted payment in cash, so beware. Seems like everyone's credit card machines weren't working :-)

We stayed at Platis Gialos Beach and am glad we did. I did not see any B&Bs to recommend, but I did love our hotel, the Nieredes and highly recommend it. If you get to that area, be sure to go to Lazarou Beach.

The best place we found for coffee and pastries was Gerontopoulis Patisserie in Appolonia. It is on the main street near the bus stop. If you like sweets, be sure to make it a stop.

We started a hike in early evening on an old path near Kastro. It was extremely pleasant, but we did not allow enough time and it started to get dark Be sure to wear good shoes; I had flip flops which was a poor shoe choice and another reason for turning around.

Our main mission in Sifnos was to shop for pottery. My favorite place was Sifnos Stoneware as it was the most artistic of all the shops. It is on main road headed north past Appolonia. I think we went into every pottery shop and were disappointed by the factory-look of most shops. We had seen some really nice pottery in Paros and were looking for something comparable.

I recall another thread of yours that said you also were going to Naxos. My favorite overall restaurant for ambiance, service, food and house white wine was Labyrinth in Old Town. We discovered it the last night, or I would have eaten there every night.

Have a great trip.

Thanks for thinking of us Jackie, and the helpful tips.
My notes say Rent Jeep from 1st Moto for Eu.25 - maybe too late?
Still a month till we arrive (sigh)
Have fun

Tommo--My friends insisted on driving up the roads with the highest peaks, many switchbacks and few guard rails. I begged them to drop me off at the bottom of the hills; but they wouldn't hear of it. Needless to say, I am a wimp and would not have felt safe in a jeep.