Date of Holiday

6th - 20th July 2005

The Island

Samos is part of the North Eastern Aegian Islands group. It is located south of Lesvos and north of the Dodecones Islands of Kos and Rhodes. The island is the closest to Turkey of all the inhabited Greek islands, being less than a mile seperated by the Mikalis Strait. It is the most beautiful island we have visited in the 15 or so years we have been travelling to Greece, (apart from the short breaks to holiday in France and Turkey.) It is a very green island despite a fire in 2000 which decimated a third of the island. A lot of the trees may have been burned down but the undergrowth has come through and it looks beautiful.

Arriving in Samos after a lovely flight and an interesting landing, where the plane seemed to turn at 90 degrees as it saw the runway, then the pilot thought he had better put his foot a bit harder on the brake as the sea was approaching. No photos of the airport for obvious reasons, (there are signs all over the island where photography is not allowed, and in all cases we respected these, once again for obvious reasons.) We landed at 1.30pm so the drive on the coach was really enjoyable. Travelling through the hustle and bustle of Pythagorio, then out into the countryside to see what a lovely island Samos is. The next views were stunning as you come over the top of the mountain to see Samos Town laid out in front of you, with the houses of the old town of Vathy seeming to tumble down into the sea.

After a few drop offs and a coach driver showing off his skills of how a 50 seater coach can get through gaps only designed to take a donkey, it was on to our destination in Kokkari. One thing you notice on the north of the island is an almost constant breeze, which means the weather is very hot but not seering, so very comfortable. We hired a 4x4 Suzuki Jimny and found this perfect for Samos. With a normal car you can see a lot of the island, but with a 4x4 the island opens up to you. There are so many gravel and earth tracks it fels that only have the roads are tarmacced. You are able to travel further inland and also travel on mountain coast roads and trails for views you would otherwise never see.

The Resort

Kokkari:

As you arrive in Kokkari it seems a very tranquil village with only one road through. The road takes a left hand turn and then you are out of it. When on foot you go off the main road you pass through narrow streets and the harbour opens up in fromt of you, skirted by restaurants. Walking to the right you are able to cross a walkway to a lovely pebble and course sand bay. On the left outside of the harbour you have the pebble and course sand beach which runs along the side of the village. From there you can walk along the road to the windsurfing school. Further up the road leads to Lemonakia and Tsamadou Beaches.

Kokkari is so serene by day but comes alive as evening arrives. There are numerous restaurants and comfortable bars with music playing but not overpowering as some other resorts have. There is a very good mix of nationalities with a lot of greek people and not too many brits. There is still the village feel to Kokkari even though there are many tourists, and you get the feeling that you are amongst such friendly hosts.

The Accomodation

Kalidon Palace Hotel:

The hotel is located on the hillside just outside Kokkari overlooking Lemonakia Beach and the bay of Kokkari. The pool is at the front of the hotel which offers beautiful views over the bay and is never crowded.. The view was stunning the first time you saw it, but what was so amazing is that it held you even after seeing it for 2 weeks. It sits in it's own grounds and is very bright and airy. It is made up of two blocks, joined by the reception area and a third block seperated by a courtyard and gardens. The hotel is not suitable for people with limited mobility as there are steps everywhere, but not in the sense that they wear you out. There is a free minibus that runs from the hotel to the nearby beaches of Lemonakia & Tsamadou (the latter being part naturist) and Kokarri itself with its lovely beaches. The driver of the minibus is Greek but you would not belive it as the bus runs on the hour from 9 to 4 precisely. In the two weeks we were there we never saw it leave late once!

On arrival at the hotel a man rushed down the steps to meet us, picked up our bags and sprinted up the steps to the reception. We later found out this was the Manager. This is a hotel where the Manager leads by example as all the staff were exactly the same, always helpful and friendly. All the staff are very efficient and very very friendly, I know everybody says this about staff in so many hotels, (that's why they return to Greece year after year,) but the staff here are way above anything we have ever experienced before, even in Greece.

The hotel has 34 rooms. Whilst not the biggest rooms we've stayed in, they were very comfortable. Our room was the standard room with a balcony giving a side view of the sea and the hill that ran down to Lemonakia Beach. The room contained a minibar, safety deposit box and ample wardrobe space. There was a shower with a pull cord fitted for emergencies. The beds were very comfortable and they were changed daily by the maids, (the most comfortable beds we have ever had outside our own home.) Air conditioning was included and was centrally controlled, avalable from 3pm until 5pm and 7pm to 7am. Unlike other hotels we have stayed at where when you leave the room you have take the card that supplies electricity to your room, these rooms have a card permenantly inserted so when you left the room you could leave the air conditioning on and return to a cool room. Never once was the room hot. There is a lockable screen, so you can leave the windows open with the screen shut and the breeze blows through. There are black out curtains, so you are never woken early with the sun (but seeing as it's so dark, when you open the curtains what a shock!). There was no extra charge for the A/C or the safety deposit box, although the minibar was chargable. The one thing thing that made this room so good is that the matress and pillows were the most comfortable

We stayed on a half board basis and unlike other hotels we have visited, the dining times are set for the customers. Not having to rush to breakfast in the mornings was a dream. The dining area is at the front of the hotel offering stunning views of Kokkari and the bays. Breakfast was from 7 to 10.30 and the evening meal was from 7 to 9.30. Breakfast was self service of cereals, fruits, yoghurt, also bacon sausages and eggs available. Teas and coffee were waiter/waitress service and always with a lovely greeting and a smile. The evening meal consisted of 5 courses, the first being a self service of the salad bar and then waiter/waitress service for the other four. There is no formal dress code so no need to wear long trousers! Below the hotel is the windsurfing school and while enjoying breakfast you can watch all the newbies falling off. As you go for the evening meal you can see those newbies surfing all around the bay at great speeds, what a transformation!

There is a good mix of Nationalities staying at the hotel, British, Dutch, German, Scandinavian and also Israelis and Australians, and it never felt like any Nationality was overbearing and it gave a nice welcoming, friendly feel to the hotel. There is no evening entertainment, encouraging guests to converse whilst enjoying the quiet music and company in the warmth of the Samos evening.

I think you can see from this review that we really liked the hotel, that was the same feeling from all the people we spoke to and nobody could find any fault. We would have no hesitation in returning or recommending the Kalidon Palace to anybody.