Planning Your 2018 Holidays

Yialos earlier this week.

Looking across to the Kastro and Lemonitissa church 

Symi gold.

Symi has all sorts of interesting shops, including an organic Greek food store and a tinsmith who personally crafts many of the items that he sells.

Fork in the road.  The left hand steps lead to the old kataraktis foot path up to Chorio that runs up the back of the kastro hill that you can see in the previous photograph.  This comes out in the oldest part of Chorio.

A conifer sprouting out of top of a wall at the back of Yialos.

What's that on the wall of St John's church?

A fragment of an old marble sculpture, possibly a stele  incorporated into the structure of St John's church at the back of Yialos.

Another ancient fragment on St John's bell tower.

Free range Fred struts his stuff in Chorio.

It almost rained this morning.

September is one of the loveliest months on Symi.  Not too hot.  Not too crowded.  The children are back in school and the beaches are peaceful.  The season feels as though it is drawing to a close and the ambience is relaxed and laid back.  It is not quite over though.  Next weekend marks the beginning of October and the walkers start to arrive.  Walkers, painters, photographers - they come to enjoy Symi's golden autumn light and the beginning of the island's second 'spring'. April and May, the proper spring, are glorious in their own way, with abundant wild flowers, mild temperatures and the joys of Greek Easter but October has a huge advantage - the sea is warm!  

If you are thinking about a visit to Symi next year but are afraid of Mediterranean heatwaves, consider the end of September and the first 2 weeks of October.  While the excursion boats and water taxis start to wind down in the middle of October, many other amenities such as tavernas, cafes, tourist shops and bars stay open until the Panormitis Festival on 8 November.  Now is also the time to take a look at the ferry schedules as this year's schedules for September and October are still visible on line and provide a useful guide for synchronising flights with ferries.  You can also follow our travel blog.  Andy is already putting up useful flight information for next year as it becomes available.

We are starting to take bookings now for 2018 so why not drop us a line on symi-vis@otenet.gr?  Just let us know how many people you are, the ages of any children and any special requirements you might have and we will profile your booking to suit you.  You can always be sure of old-fashioned personal attention when you book through Symi Visitor Accommodation.

Have a great weekend.

Regards,

Adriana

Read more...

A Rural Retreat with Fabulous Views.

A desirable holiday let for those seeking seclusion. No need for air conditioning as the house is well ventilated.  You can gather the honey for your Greek breakfast from the hive under the fig tree in the foreground.  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

Green door, what's that secret you're keeping?  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

Versatile courtyard space and some fine examples of authentic traditional stone work .  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

Oregano for your Greek salad ready to pick and you can bake your daily loaf in the old fourno under the tree.  Photograph by Susan Grzebisz.

And a fabulous uninterrupted view of Pedi Bay.  Please note, this property does not include arrival and departure transfers!   Villa Jasmine and the Pedi Katoi are on the opposite shore and are considerably more accessible.  Photo by Barry Hankey.

A misty sunrise above Pedi today.  It has remained quite cool today with patchy cloud and a feeling of 'will it rain or won't it?' about the day.

Pedi bay in the early morning mist.  The settlement in the upper photographs is on the top of the ridge of hills to the right.

Meanwhile in a slightly more accessible neighbourhood, my artichokes have decided that the Second Spring has arrived and are starting to shoot. We will, however, have to wait until March to enjoy fresh globe artichokes from the garden.

The little oak tree by the side of the road in Lieni has grown quite a lot this summer.  The grass is starting to grow along the verges once more.

There was a big wedding on the island on Saturday and this house belongs to one of the bridal party, hence the decorations.    The laundry is a more practical touch - very few people have tumble driers on Symi and washing lines on balconies are the order of the day.

The bridal car, decorated with lilies.

The season is drawing to a close and life won't be so comfortable for Symi's cat population.  Please drop off any change you might have in the nearest Symi Animal Welfare collection box to help our furry friends through the winter.

Monday morning dawned hazy with lots of low cloud wrapped around the Vigla and Kokkimides.  There is talk of possible thunder showers this afternoon.  We've heard growls of distant thunder every afternoon for the past few days but so far it hasn't turned into anything significant.  It is about 24 degrees centigrade today and quite chilly in the shade.  Current temperatures are ideal for walking and Barry Hankey who has written some walking guides which you will find on our Walking Page took Wendy, Sue and Mike exploring yesterday, to visit a very old rural settlement on a hilltop overlooking the head of Pedi Bay.

Some of us may be walking rather more than we intended as unfortunately the Symi bus has broken down and as it can only be repaired on Rhodes we do not know when it will be back in commission. Fortunately Symi has several taxis and it is common practice in Greece to share a taxi so there is an alternative to tackling the 400 or so steps of the Kali Strata.

Have a good week.

Regards,

Adriana

Read more...

The First Rains!

Reflections.  Our first puddles in months!

When the torrent comes down the mountain road it brings with it a summer's accumulation of fallen leaves, pine cones and other debris.

Time to fit the plastic drop cloths that enable cafes and tavernas to function in all weathers.

Bright early morning sunshine and amazing visibility.

The rising sun catching the Kastro.

A bright splash of bougainvillea where Chorio meets the top of the Pedi Valley.

The Mavrovouni area of Yialos in blinding sunshine before the autumn sun reaches the harbour itself.

The island of Nimos with the sun just reaching the small white monastery and chapel.

Local fishing boats rafted up in Yialos.

Well, the drought has broken. The first rains reached us around midnight on Friday night but the serious stuff settled in on Saturday afternoon, culminating in a torrential rainstorm on Saturday night.  All told, we measured 27 mm in our rain water gauge over the weekend and gained a few centimetres in our cisterns.  The rain was followed by very strong winds on Sunday and there was some disruption to the ferries.  Everything is back to normal now.

The long range forecast is showing fine weather for the week ahead so early October arrivals will still be able to enjoy some sunshine. Temperatures are now in the mid twenties during the day, dropping to around 18 degrees in the evening and it is much cooler in the shade.  If you are coming to Symi now you will certainly want an extra layer in the evenings, particularly when dining al fresco.

The island is still quite busy, mainly with Scandinavian, German and British tourists, many of them kitted out for serious walking.  With excellent visibility and reasonable temperatures it is wonderful time to explore the interior of Symi with its tumbled terraces, ancient chapels, unspoiled woods and infinite vistas of distant islands and azure seas.

We are now open to start taking bookings for 2015 so if you need any help with choosing your perfect holiday home with us, please email us.

Have a good week.

Regards,
Adriana

Read more...