Good Bye, George Kalodoukas

George Kalodoukas - photograph Kalodoukas Holidays

Today we say good bye to George Kalodoukas, one of the founding fathers of tourism on Symi.  For a generation of visitors to Symi, George's welcoming smile was synonymous with an authentic Greek island holiday, particularly as Kalodoukas was the Symi office of the award-winning Laskarina Holidays founded by Kate and Ian Murdoch.  Together in the 1970s and 80s they laid the foundations for Symi's reputation for authentic Greek island holidays, targeting a discerning repeat clientele who wanted to experience real island life in a totally traditional setting. Many of the island's present day visitors first discovered Symi this way and continue to come back, even if their accommodation needs are different today.

George Kalodoukas was ever the idealist and his dream was his organic farm at Marathounda, the small seaside village near Panormitis at the southern end of the island, where he hoped to spend his retirement with  his wife,  Anna.  Sadly this dream was cut short on Wednesday 6 December 2017 when his vehicle left the tarred road on the treacherous descent to Marathounda and Panormitis with tragic consequences. 

All of us at Symi Visitor Accommodation and Sunflower Laundry extend our deepest condolences to his widow, Anna, his sons, Louis and Petros, and extended family as well as his many friends around the world.