Why I'll always Return to the Greek Isles.
By Kesh a Bruc e
By Kesh a Bruc e
After flipping through five different vacation
catalogues over a period of 3 months, my husband
and I finally decided that we would head back to
Greece for our honeymoon. Although we had initially
thought about Thailand and Malaysia, we settled for
something admittedly less challenging and much
closer to home. Also our first trip to Greece was so
spectacular that we couldn’t wait to go back for
more.
We spent the first week of June on the Greek Isle of
Kos. Kos is a beautiful Island dotted with historical
remains and steeped in Greek mythology.
catalogues over a period of 3 months, my husband
and I finally decided that we would head back to
Greece for our honeymoon. Although we had initially
thought about Thailand and Malaysia, we settled for
something admittedly less challenging and much
closer to home. Also our first trip to Greece was so
spectacular that we couldn’t wait to go back for
more.
We spent the first week of June on the Greek Isle of
Kos. Kos is a beautiful Island dotted with historical
remains and steeped in Greek mythology.
The island is also said to be the home to Hippocrates and there is a medical sanctuary dedicated to the
Asklipos (God of medicine) just outside of Kos Town. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese
archipelago. It rests between the islands of Nisyros and Kalymnos, close to the coasts of Asia Minor. If
you take a peek at a map you’ll easily see that it’s right across the water from Turkey.
Asklipos (God of medicine) just outside of Kos Town. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese
archipelago. It rests between the islands of Nisyros and Kalymnos, close to the coasts of Asia Minor. If
you take a peek at a map you’ll easily see that it’s right across the water from Turkey.
The hotel prices range from the very cheap to the mildly expensive. You’d be hard pressed to find any hotel
on the island that charges more than $100 at peak season. We were lucky enough to find a great price on
a resort package because we booked well in advance. Our hotel, The Porto Bello Royal, is a luxury five
star resort & convention center built in 2003. The resort consists of 300 suites each with a sea view and a
private/semi private pool. It was just “fancy” enough to make us feel pampered, but not over the top.
Although I generally find resort vacations fairly boring, the Porto Bello had an insane amount of activities
and day trips available on and off the island.
on the island that charges more than $100 at peak season. We were lucky enough to find a great price on
a resort package because we booked well in advance. Our hotel, The Porto Bello Royal, is a luxury five
star resort & convention center built in 2003. The resort consists of 300 suites each with a sea view and a
private/semi private pool. It was just “fancy” enough to make us feel pampered, but not over the top.
Although I generally find resort vacations fairly boring, the Porto Bello had an insane amount of activities
and day trips available on and off the island.
Kardamena
The closest town to our hotel was Kardamena. It’
s basically a resort town that has been over-run by
the British. Everyone speaks English. In fact most
of the shop keepers and tourists are British. You
can even pay in pounds, Euros, or USD. The
entire city is packed with hotels and bars, and
MANY nightclubs. If you want a nice quiet place
to relax, steer clear of any hotel in Kardamena. It
doesn’t get quiet until around 4AM.
On the other hand if you're looking for dirt cheap
hotel rooms or studios to rent, affordable food, and
lots of night time activities, this is probably a great
spot.
During the day it's great for shopping for little items
and people watching. Cocktails of course are
served all day long and as you can imagine,
VERY affordable.
The closest town to our hotel was Kardamena. It’
s basically a resort town that has been over-run by
the British. Everyone speaks English. In fact most
of the shop keepers and tourists are British. You
can even pay in pounds, Euros, or USD. The
entire city is packed with hotels and bars, and
MANY nightclubs. If you want a nice quiet place
to relax, steer clear of any hotel in Kardamena. It
doesn’t get quiet until around 4AM.
On the other hand if you're looking for dirt cheap
hotel rooms or studios to rent, affordable food, and
lots of night time activities, this is probably a great
spot.
During the day it's great for shopping for little items
and people watching. Cocktails of course are
served all day long and as you can imagine,
VERY affordable.
As far as ‘Must See” locations, no trip to a Greek Isle would
be complete without a driving trip through the mountains.
Car rentals run from $30-$45 a day for a compact car
(which is perfect for the narrow mountain roads). The
views from up top are outstanding. Also the shops and
restaurants in the mountain villages are a nice change of
pace from the touristy areas. I stumbled upon an art
gallery in the town of Zia, located on the slopes of Mount
Dikaion. I was able to buy an original sculpture from an
artist who has a studio in Crete, and a handmade sterling
silver ring made by a local artisan all for under 100Euros.
Later we drove to Pyli and had lunch at a local tavern and
sampled the village’s specialty cinnamon drink.
be complete without a driving trip through the mountains.
Car rentals run from $30-$45 a day for a compact car
(which is perfect for the narrow mountain roads). The
views from up top are outstanding. Also the shops and
restaurants in the mountain villages are a nice change of
pace from the touristy areas. I stumbled upon an art
gallery in the town of Zia, located on the slopes of Mount
Dikaion. I was able to buy an original sculpture from an
artist who has a studio in Crete, and a handmade sterling
silver ring made by a local artisan all for under 100Euros.
Later we drove to Pyli and had lunch at a local tavern and
sampled the village’s specialty cinnamon drink.
And no driving trip through the mountains would be
complete without encountering a free roaming flock
of sheep. For those who live in rural areas I
suppose this is less than amazing, but to city folk like
us, driving along and being stopped by a herd of
sheep in the middle of the road is quite an exciting
event. On both of our trips to Greece, we have
been detained by goats, sheep, or livestock
crossing the roads. I consider it one of the charms
of being off the Greek mainland. I doubt we'd have
the chance to see this kinda stuff in Athens!
complete without encountering a free roaming flock
of sheep. For those who live in rural areas I
suppose this is less than amazing, but to city folk like
us, driving along and being stopped by a herd of
sheep in the middle of the road is quite an exciting
event. On both of our trips to Greece, we have
been detained by goats, sheep, or livestock
crossing the roads. I consider it one of the charms
of being off the Greek mainland. I doubt we'd have
the chance to see this kinda stuff in Athens!
Kos Town
The largest town on the Island of course is Kos town. Built
around a picturesque harbor, Kos Town is an intriguing mix of
ancient and modern. There you can find a wide selection of
shops selling pottery, textiles including rugs and 'goat bags'
made from goat’s wool.
You can also spend an afternoon soaking up the town's history
down the narrow streets of the Old Quarter or relaxing on one of
the two public beaches. People watching could also be
considered one of the cities greatest activities.
The largest town on the Island of course is Kos town. Built
around a picturesque harbor, Kos Town is an intriguing mix of
ancient and modern. There you can find a wide selection of
shops selling pottery, textiles including rugs and 'goat bags'
made from goat’s wool.
You can also spend an afternoon soaking up the town's history
down the narrow streets of the Old Quarter or relaxing on one of
the two public beaches. People watching could also be
considered one of the cities greatest activities.
There is also a wonderful choice of
restaurants scattered around Kos Town
with menus to suit all tastes. At night
there is a wide variety of nightlife
including disco bars, discos, cocktail bars,
karaoke pub style and live music. The
most popular area is 'Bar Street' which is
an area packed with all kinds of bars just
a short distance from the biggest disco on
the island.
restaurants scattered around Kos Town
with menus to suit all tastes. At night
there is a wide variety of nightlife
including disco bars, discos, cocktail bars,
karaoke pub style and live music. The
most popular area is 'Bar Street' which is
an area packed with all kinds of bars just
a short distance from the biggest disco on
the island.
Day Tripping
During our stay we were also able to take a day long trip to
Bodrum, Turkey. The trip cost 28 Euros a person and takes
about 30 minutes on one of the high-speed boats. There are
several agencies that offer the same trip, so definitely shop
around for the best price. Bodrum is a shopper’s paradise.
Many people call it the St. Tropez of Turkey.
The entire port side of the city is filled with tiny shops where you
can haggle for hours with shop keepers over prices for their
goods. If you’re looking for anything Gucci, Prada, Rolex, this
is the place to find it. Of course it will ALL be counterfeit, but
Bodrum boasts some of the best fakes on earth. In fact we
walked by one store that was named: “The Best Fake Watches
in Bodrum”.
During our stay we were also able to take a day long trip to
Bodrum, Turkey. The trip cost 28 Euros a person and takes
about 30 minutes on one of the high-speed boats. There are
several agencies that offer the same trip, so definitely shop
around for the best price. Bodrum is a shopper’s paradise.
Many people call it the St. Tropez of Turkey.
The entire port side of the city is filled with tiny shops where you
can haggle for hours with shop keepers over prices for their
goods. If you’re looking for anything Gucci, Prada, Rolex, this
is the place to find it. Of course it will ALL be counterfeit, but
Bodrum boasts some of the best fakes on earth. In fact we
walked by one store that was named: “The Best Fake Watches
in Bodrum”.
Besides shopping there are plenty of
other things to see in Bodrum. Because
of it close proximity to Greece; Bodrum’s
landscape is part of much Greek
mythology. In fact the Mythological story
of Hermaphroditos is said to have taken
place in the waters off of Halicarnassus
which is modern day Bodrum.
In fact every place you walk you will find
yourself standing on history and
mythology. Our tour guide explained to
us “We can’t even dig a foundation for a
new house without finding an ancient
temple.”
other things to see in Bodrum. Because
of it close proximity to Greece; Bodrum’s
landscape is part of much Greek
mythology. In fact the Mythological story
of Hermaphroditos is said to have taken
place in the waters off of Halicarnassus
which is modern day Bodrum.
In fact every place you walk you will find
yourself standing on history and
mythology. Our tour guide explained to
us “We can’t even dig a foundation for a
new house without finding an ancient
temple.”
While shopping in one of Bodrum’s markets I was approached by a young Turkish man who was working in
the shop. He very casually asked if I was American. I was caught off guard, but immediately responded that
I was from New York. “I knew it!” he said with a smile. He then went on to explain that he had spent a year
in school in Los Angeles and had traveled all over the West coast of the U.S. He made a point of telling me
that in L.A. he “only hung with the sistahs”, and that in 4 months he was moving permanently to live with his
girlfriend in Atlanta. My husband stayed and made small talk with him for a few minutes before wishing him
good luck and making our way out of the shop. As we were leaving, he looked directly at my husband, who
is a tall, white, Frenchmen, and said “Once you go Black you never go back!”
the shop. He very casually asked if I was American. I was caught off guard, but immediately responded that
I was from New York. “I knew it!” he said with a smile. He then went on to explain that he had spent a year
in school in Los Angeles and had traveled all over the West coast of the U.S. He made a point of telling me
that in L.A. he “only hung with the sistahs”, and that in 4 months he was moving permanently to live with his
girlfriend in Atlanta. My husband stayed and made small talk with him for a few minutes before wishing him
good luck and making our way out of the shop. As we were leaving, he looked directly at my husband, who
is a tall, white, Frenchmen, and said “Once you go Black you never go back!”
Over –all I would recommend a trip to the Greek
Isles to any of my friends or family. In fact we can’
t stop talking about how much fun we had. Also
we saw many other Black travelers (mostly British)
through out our stay. All the shop keepers and
restaurant owners were more than nice and very
helpful. And the quality of the hotel service was
outstanding.
My favorite story from our trip took place on our
third night on the Island. We reserved a table at
the resort’s French restaurant. We were greeted
and seated at a table for two at the front of the
restaurant. After being seated the restaurant’s
Maitre d’ came to or table and asked me where I
was from. I responded my saying that I was
American, from New York. He immediately
replied “New York! Lots of Greeks in New York!”
I answered “Yes in Brooklyn & Queens there are
many very nice Greek neighborhoods.” He got
very excited and said “Yes, Brooklyn! Greek
Mafia. You come with me!” And he motioned for
us to follow him.
Isles to any of my friends or family. In fact we can’
t stop talking about how much fun we had. Also
we saw many other Black travelers (mostly British)
through out our stay. All the shop keepers and
restaurant owners were more than nice and very
helpful. And the quality of the hotel service was
outstanding.
My favorite story from our trip took place on our
third night on the Island. We reserved a table at
the resort’s French restaurant. We were greeted
and seated at a table for two at the front of the
restaurant. After being seated the restaurant’s
Maitre d’ came to or table and asked me where I
was from. I responded my saying that I was
American, from New York. He immediately
replied “New York! Lots of Greeks in New York!”
I answered “Yes in Brooklyn & Queens there are
many very nice Greek neighborhoods.” He got
very excited and said “Yes, Brooklyn! Greek
Mafia. You come with me!” And he motioned for
us to follow him.
He then re-seated us at a huge table for 5 on the terrace overlooking the Aegean Sea, and offered us a
bottle of red wine that wasn’t on the restaurant’s “regular” wine list.
And that is why we keep going back to Greece.
bottle of red wine that wasn’t on the restaurant’s “regular” wine list.
And that is why we keep going back to Greece.
Even though neither of speaks
more than a few Greek words, we
love the warmth of the people and
the amazing landscapes. The
beaches and the small mountain
villages are always such a treat.
You never have to travel far to
have a complete change of
scenery.
Although the island is fairly small
there are plenty of outdoor
activities such as parasailing,
snorkeling, sea cruises to nearby
islands to keep you busy if you get
bored of swimming and relaxing.
You can also take half day tours of
many archeological sights on the
neighboring islands.
more than a few Greek words, we
love the warmth of the people and
the amazing landscapes. The
beaches and the small mountain
villages are always such a treat.
You never have to travel far to
have a complete change of
scenery.
Although the island is fairly small
there are plenty of outdoor
activities such as parasailing,
snorkeling, sea cruises to nearby
islands to keep you busy if you get
bored of swimming and relaxing.
You can also take half day tours of
many archeological sights on the
neighboring islands.
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