A relaxing afternoon

Lunch at the beach bar  was delicious … there were all sorts of salads, six or seven different types of olives, ranging of big, glossy green ones, over medium-sized purple ones, to tiny, strong flavoured black ones. Larges bowls of sliced cucumber, juicy tomatoes, crunchy red and with onion slices, the traditional Greek salad with creamy feta cheese, a large bowl of tzatziki (greek yogurt with cucumber and garlic) … warm pasta dishes, fresh meat and fish which were grilled to perfection by the chef while you stood waiting. I think they fashionably call it ‘show cooking’ … And then of course there were the desserts … This what I had ...

Dessert: a strawberry flavoured tiramisu,

a vanilla panacotta and Greek yogurt with honey.

I only had a selection of salads, my first – but NOT last - generous helping of the yummy tzatziki and dessert, as I would be having dinner later that evening with my SIL.

After lunch my new friends and I parted for the day. They were going up to their room to have a nap – we all had gotten up at 3 a.m. and fatigue was setting in. At first I thought of doing the same thing, but then I thought it better to set out and discover what else the hotel had to offer. Moreover, at 3 p.m. I had an appointment with the representative of the travel agency who had met me at the airport that morning. He was going to enlighten me on what to see and do during my short stay. While waiting for him, I wandered around the pool area, the two hotel’s private beaches, the small marina and the souvenir shop.

Deck overlooking the beach and the sea.

Right on time my 3 o’clock appointment was waiting for me in the lobby. He showed me a map of the island, explaining the possibilities. However, as I had booked an individual taxi tour for the next day, there wasn’t much more he could tell me. So we spent a pleasant half an hour talking about his job, and his working and living conditions on the island. It was his first summer and job as a ‘host’ and you could tell that, although well informed and very efficient, he was still trying to get organized. At 3.30 p.m. – on the dot – a couple who had been on the same plane, walked over to where we were sitting and introduced themselves as his next appointment.

We said goodbye and he told me he would be back every day at the same time in case I needed him. He also gave me his mobile phone number. In case of an emergency I was to call him 7/7 – 24h/24. I was impressed by the level of service … luckily I didn’t need his assistance during my stay.

A excellent Mojito with lots of fresh mint.

Having the ‘official’ part over, I decided to treat myself to a nice cocktail in the comfortable chairs just outside the hotel bar, overlooking the pool.