Heliophos

And so to Greece and Santorini Island - if you see a picture postcard view of the Greek Islands its bound to be of this one. Mykonos also has the impossibly cute white washed villages and to be honest probably alot more going on in terms of nightlife and action, but its hard to beat the cliff top setting here. Besides the biggest thing on my agenda for this part of the trip was doing pretty much nothing, so this place suits me fine. The pic above is part of the communal area - I did some book reading there with a glass of wine the other day as the sun was setting.

I had set my heart on a cliff view and waking up to a dramatic vista either in Oia or Fira but was a bit gobsmacked at the prices, an extensive trip advisor search brought me to this place - Heliophos. And I love it! - Absolutely perfect, what felt like a compromise when booking as its 10-15 mins walk away from Oia itself, turned out to be just what I wanted. Its in Finikia a traditional quiet village with a couple of tavernas and a handful of tourists, and whilst not smack bang on that dramatic cliff edge there are still sea views all around from the beautiful terrace and no crowds at all. The owner Sophia has done a fantastic job of creating a peaceful welcoming environment, that while a fraction of the cost of similar establishments in the noisier towns, is packed full of tasteful antiques and personal touches.

If I was based in London I would definately be hopping on an easyjet flight any time I wanted a quiet getaway. So quiet in fact that the taxi driver had to park in the village car park and then wander up several paths asking people where the hotel was! Thank goodness he helped me out - in the end it was a relay of three people that got me down the right paths and down into my slice of Greek Tranquility for the week.

The Pic above is the communal breakfast table - everyone mucks in, they're mostly French guests here so good chance to practice! Sophia prefers it to English too so im giving it a bit of a bash.

These dark doors to the right are the entrance to the local taverna, where I had the best Grilled Liver everrrr - though im still unsure which beastie it originated from.


The following pics are all of my own private bit of Greece - bedroom, living area, table nook and patio - Is it any wonder i'm struggling to actually go outside here! - book and bed and blog are primary occupations.