In and Around Parivolas

Sea View Apartments

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Hotel

Sea View Apartments Photo - Santorini, Greece

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We chose these apartments as they made up a small complex and were just outside the busier part of the town. Sea View is a family run concern and true to it’s word there is a sea view fro0m some of the apartments. We had selected an inner facing apartment as from experience we have found apartments over looking the pool can be noisier later in the evening.We had been a little surprised on arrival that the apartments were just off the main road with a row of small bars and taverna in front but fortunately the noise from these never disturbed our slumbers. Indeed the disturbance came form an unexpected source. Above us we had a snorer! I reckon that as soon as his head hit t...Read More

We chose these apartments as they made up a small complex and were just outside the busier part of the town. Sea View is a family run concern and true to it’s word there is a sea view fro0m some of the apartments.

We had selected an inner facing apartment as from experience we have found apartments over looking the pool can be noisier later in the evening.

We had been a little surprised on arrival that the apartments were just off the main road with a row of small bars and taverna in front but fortunately the noise from these never disturbed our slumbers. Indeed the disturbance came form an unexpected source. Above us we had a snorer! I reckon that as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out for the count and he (I’m assuming at this point) would be tuning up for his opening act within seconds. In fairness he had perfectly balanced snores but my word he had the volume. In the morning the dawn chorus –cockerels, wailing dogs and braying donkeys – joined him but by that time we were usually awake rather than woken. Most nights this gentle ‘serenade’ did not stop me sleeping but on our penultimate night he really gave it some welly and I thought I must have been at the epicentre of another earthquake. Getting back to sleep was difficult and I resorted to the headphones and some gentle music courtesy of my I-pod.

Overall the apartment was fine; it was basic as most Greek apartments are, but it was clean and of a good size; one large room with a small kitchenette area comprising of a sink, two electric rings and a fridge. We had a private balcony that caught the sun in the morning) great for enjoying our breakfast) and a small dining table and chairs.

There were ample power points in the room, a must for this technical age when everything is run off re-chargeable batteries.

The downside of Sea View was that in the early evening until about 10pm the local bars played loud thumping music. I am not sure of the genre but ‘garage’ rings a bell! After a few nights we did manage to block the bass from our consciousness and it almost became part of the environment – although what great relief when the music stopped. All the staff were exceptionally friendly although the antics of the guy responsible for the pool bar were sometimes a little over the top as he tried, often successfully, to win the attention of the younger and unattached females at the side of the pool.

Life around the pool was extremely relaxed, especially in the morning before the bar started up with its ever-repeating music CD. I reckon I must have heard ‘La Bamba’ 4 or 5 times during an afternoon, but thanks to my I-pod I was able to "tune out" from the bar music and enjoy my own.

There were only 22 sun beds for the complex but as guests could use the loungers on the beach free of charge there was never any pressure on the sun beds at the pool edge. Indeed most days it was remarkably quiet around the pool and as early risers we were usually down at the pool before anyone else

There was daily room service (just as well given the Greek requirement of not flushing toilet paper down the loo) and towels and sheets were changed every third day.

We hired a room safe (10 Euro a week) and I am unsure if this was really necessary although it did give us some peace of mind for all those valuables that you do not want to be dragging around with you all day. Air conditioning was available at additional cost but we found with the doors to the balcony open and the shutters closed it was pleasant enough at night without air conditioning (this would not be the case July/August when the temperatures really rocket) which meant we did not have to contend with the noise of the air conditioning and the snoring!
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 27, 2008

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Charlina Tavern

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Restaurant

Charlina Tavern Photo - Santorini, Greece

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Having eaten in the Perissa branch of the Charlina Taverna and walked past this one on several occasions we decided to eat our final lunch on Santorini at Charlina’s.It was only a five-minute walk from the apartment and we only had just over the hour before our transfer coach collected us for the airport. The same waiters were in attendance this lunchtime that serve each night, but they are far more informally dressed and despite their long hours seemed very bright and cheerful.This restaurant has two distinct sections; the main dining area with its ranch style patio leading from the beach to the clean tiled floor and the room with its wooden ceiling supported by numerous weathere...Read More

Having eaten in the Perissa branch of the Charlina Taverna and walked past this one on several occasions we decided to eat our final lunch on Santorini at Charlina’s.

It was only a five-minute walk from the apartment and we only had just over the hour before our transfer coach collected us for the airport. The same waiters were in attendance this lunchtime that serve each night, but they are far more informally dressed and despite their long hours seemed very bright and cheerful.

This restaurant has two distinct sections; the main dining area with its ranch style patio leading from the beach to the clean tiled floor and the room with its wooden ceiling supported by numerous weathered posts. To one side a more formal area where diners can sit and relax with a drink after (or indeed before) their meal.

Charlina’s has a good selection of beers but we favoured the draught Mythos served in ‘frozen’ tankards. We decided that we wanted a reasonably significant meal without over doing it so chose a Greek salad to share followed by the restaurant’s lunchtime special of Pork Gyros. This is not a meal I am used to but earlier in the week a restaurant had likened the Gyros to a kebab. Not having tried a kebab I decided to give it a whirl.

Well the Greek salad arrived; it was huge and with a mighty chunk of feta resting on top of a bowl full of tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green peppers, capers and olives. There would have been enough for the two of us for lunch with this alone. And despite its size this Greek salad was the cheapest we had had on the island. What great value for money!

There was plenty of soft bread to help mop up the dressing and we were enjoying a leisurely pace for this final meal on the island. We were certainly not rushing through our salad but before we had finished it the Gyros arrived. It wasn’t a problem as we turned our attention to the hot food making use of the starter as our side salad. What a versatile starter!

There was a plateful of a tasty spicy pork with a decent helping of chips, a piece of pita and a goodly portion of Tzaziki and a little salad thrown in for good measure. You could not complain at the value for money and I was left wondering if the healthily large portions were also available at night. Certainly people at the apartments who’d eaten here “sang its praises” for both high quality food with good sized portions.

The owner is an extremely pleasant guy that we had spoken to on a previous evening. When I had explained we had eaten at the Perissa restaurant he was interested to know what we had thought of it and what the service was like; his wife is responsible for that restaurant and I reckon that there was some friendly rivalry between the two of them.

The two Charlina restaurants are a fair distance apart (around 2 kilometres) and they both offer decent food within a real friendly environment. Although they’re both owned my the same guy there’s a real different feel to both of them and even if staying in Perissa it’s probably worth the stroll one night to try out the one in Parivolas.
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 27, 2008

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Limnes

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Restaurant

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We had decided to have a pre-dinner wander and headed away from the town centre. After fifteen minutes we had sussed that although there were numerous bars (with luxurious settings and plush settees in modern settings) there were very few restaurants that were open for business. We re-traced our steps and had decided that a popular restaurant (or so it had seemed on previous nights) was Limnes. It’s right on the edge of Perissa and near enough into Parivolas so I guess it doesn’t catch the large crowds that the ones nearer to the white cliff and the centre of Perissa.By the time we arrived we expected it to be real busy but were surprised when we got there that there were only two other di...Read More

We had decided to have a pre-dinner wander and headed away from the town centre. After fifteen minutes we had sussed that although there were numerous bars (with luxurious settings and plush settees in modern settings) there were very few restaurants that were open for business. We re-traced our steps and had decided that a popular restaurant (or so it had seemed on previous nights) was Limnes. It’s right on the edge of Perissa and near enough into Parivolas so I guess it doesn’t catch the large crowds that the ones nearer to the white cliff and the centre of Perissa.

By the time we arrived we expected it to be real busy but were surprised when we got there that there were only two other diners eating. We decided we had walked far enough and despite the absence of diners decided to give this restaurant ‘a go’. Not surprisingly we were given a right royal welcome and invited to choose our table. We opted for one closets to the sea front and immediately ordered a couple of large draught Mythos. I was disappointed when the ice-cold tankard arrived and one of them (mine) had almost half a tankard of head. Not being slow at coming forward I pointed this out to the waiter who after a slight hesitation took it back to the pump to fill the tankard up. I was much happier when he returned with a full and properly filled tankard of lager. It is worth keeping on eye on this, as it appears common practice to pour a frothy pint.

Tonight was a ‘starter’ night in addition to the cover (bread and butter) and we chose cheese saganaki (a rubbery deep fried cheese) and a Greek salad. We were sharing these and when the starters arrived the cheese was ceremoniously cut in half; I picked out all the olives (my wife thankfully has never acquired the taste of them) and she then dressed the salad with olive oil and vinegar.

There was plenty of delicious feta cheese alongside cucumber, chunky cut tomato, onions and green pepper all in the dressing, which was begging to be soaked into the bread we still had left. There was plenty of the salad and we kept a few tomatoes back as an accompaniment for the main course.

Our choice of main dishes had been selected form the traditional Greek section and we had tried neither before. They sounded fairly uninspiring – chicken roll and pork roll – but, as they were described by the waiter, we thought that they sounded interesting enough to give them a go. In effect they were stuffed meat dishes with sliced sauté potato and a side portion of rice.

The main course took some time to arrive and we took this as an indication that it was being freshly prepared for us. Indeed when it arrived it had all the indicators that this was indeed the case. Loads of meat surrounding a stuffing of carrot and onion on an ample serving of potato; the rice was peppered with beans, onions and peppers. Without prompting the waiter also offered replenishment of the bread, which we accepted. He obviously approved of this decision as he beamed at us when he returned with another basket of bread.

The meal was real tasty and the bread came in real handy as we both mopped up the remains of the meal. Indeed when the waiter returned he seemed delighted that we’d used the bread appropriately and mopped both our plates clean. “You enjoyed the meal? ” he said, knowing full well that our clean plates were a sure sign of our approval of the food.

As a reward to our efforts we were given a complimentary glass of ouzo to soften the blow of the bill. However, at less than £12 a head we were well pleased with the meal, the service and the ambience of Limnes. I’d well recommend this to you.
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on June 27, 2008

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The Best

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Restaurant

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This taverna is on the outskirts of Perissa (Perivolos to be exact) on the coastal road and I would not have eaten here but for the fact that we were struggling with our mobility following our walk around Fira and the volcano. To be exact the backs of our legs were really quite ‘tight’ and walking any distance was extremely uncomfortable (isn’t it great to be 100% fit!!).There were two elements that had put me off this taverna; first the fact that it had the audacity to call itself ‘the Best!!’ and secondly that the place was seemingly styled on a ranch out of the OK Coral.We had passed this taverna every night on our walks out to look for food and we had never been hassled to eat...Read More

This taverna is on the outskirts of Perissa (Perivolos to be exact) on the coastal road and I would not have eaten here but for the fact that we were struggling with our mobility following our walk around Fira and the volcano. To be exact the backs of our legs were really quite ‘tight’ and walking any distance was extremely uncomfortable (isn’t it great to be 100% fit!!).

There were two elements that had put me off this taverna; first the fact that it had the audacity to call itself ‘the Best!!’ and secondly that the place was seemingly styled on a ranch out of the OK Coral.

We had passed this taverna every night on our walks out to look for food and we had never been hassled to eat here just a broad smile and a cheery ‘hello’ from the ‘front of house’ man. I guess that really was a point in their favour.

On this night the “dye was cast” and we had decided to cast aside our prejudices and to give the place a whirl. It is a big hall of a restaurant but despite that it has managed to create a decent atmosphere with tables ‘randomly’ placed and a small seating area with settees and coffee tables for a pre/post meal drink set to the side in a comfortable lounge zone.

The menu had a number of dishes that we had not tried before, this was a big plus and with a small carafe of red wine at four Euros this was beginning to measure up to be ‘the best’. After a certain amount of deliberation I chose beef in a thyme and tomato sauce. The range of starters was also interesting and we picked Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) with yoghurt (we have had Dolmades before but never served with yoghurt accompaniment) as well as beetroot.

The waiter seemed to be impressed with out choice (but aren’t they always!).

I always like a surprise or two on holiday and the starters were certainly going to give us that. The beetroot came as expected but…. The leaves and leaf stems were presented alongside the sliced beetroot. Now we’ve always discarded the foliage and I checked out with the waiter weather or not all of the starter was deemed to be edible. Quite rightly he looked at me as if I’d landed from a different planet as he patiently explained that this was a fresh vegetable and it should all be eaten. I didn’t need a second telling and we were both soon digging into the beetroot. It was delicious and that real earthy taste that can sometimes be a feature of this root vegetable was missing. It was sweet and cooked to perfection. As a contrast the acidic Dolmades worked extremely well and the accompanying yoghurt made it even more special than normal. I have to admit to being a real fan of stuffed vine leaves and these were probably “the best” that I’ve tasted. Perhaps the restaurant was living up to its name!

There was a nice delay between us finishing the starter and the arrival of the main course. Time enough to reflect on the flavours and take a sip or two of the red wine. The main course arrived with due ceremony and there looked to be plenty of it. However, quantity isn’t everything and the “sniff test” suggested that this was going to be a tasty course. The aromatic wild thyme was noticeable although not overly pungent and when I tasted the meal it beautifully offset the tomato sauce. A selection of sautéed potatoes was a welcome change to the normal serving of chips and the chunky pieces of beef just flaked away as soon as the knife touched them. What a delight. Perhaps the restaurant can rightly claim to be “the best”

So if you see “the best” whilst on Santorini, just disregard the naff name and remember that the food is top quality and the price – well that’s highly affordable and real competitive alongside its neighbours.

Well worth a visit.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 27, 2008

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Car Hire on Santorini

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Story/Tip

great views from the top of the island Photo - Santorini, Greece

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We resent paying the high prices of the large established rental companies and on one of our walks about had seen the offices of IRIDA. You will find them on the edge of Perissa and Parivolas on main Perissa road towards the co-op supermarket and it looked like they had a reasonable fleet of new looking cars.Their standard small car will cost you twenty Euros a day with full Collision Damage Waiver and although if an accident is your fault you must pay the excess if three hundred Euros (this seemed to be standard across the companies) you can pay extra daily insurance to cover this eventuality, we did not but fortunately a couple in our apartment complex had taken that precaution. They had...Read More

We resent paying the high prices of the large established rental companies and on one of our walks about had seen the offices of IRIDA. You will find them on the edge of Perissa and Parivolas on main Perissa road towards the co-op supermarket and it looked like they had a reasonable fleet of new looking cars.

Their standard small car will cost you twenty Euros a day with full Collision Damage Waiver and although if an accident is your fault you must pay the excess if three hundred Euros (this seemed to be standard across the companies) you can pay extra daily insurance to cover this eventuality, we did not but fortunately a couple in our apartment complex had taken that precaution. They had driven halfway up the cobbled road to ancient Thira and then decided to abort, turn round on the narrow road, which must have been a nightmare, and they had managed to dent the care in this transaction. They had paid an extra nine Euros for the increased cover and must have been relieved and grateful that they had taken that step. There is no hard sell and the front man (it turns out he was the owner) gently explained a little about the cars. Their small car (a Kia Picanto) comes complete with air conditioning (a must un Greece in the height of the heat) and he happily agreed to deliver and collect the car from the hotel.

It was three Euros more expensive than the cheapest deal we had found but their cars did look in better condition and in all honesty we liked the attitude of the IRIDA Company. He asked for a small deposit of five or ten Euros and confirmed that the Kia (a popular car on the island) would be delivered to our apartment on the Wednesday morning at 9am and collected at 9am on the Friday.

He arrived bright and breezy at 8-45am and we signed the contract. As I was paying in cash he quietly insisted that he keep my driving licence as security. I was a little uncertain but could understand the need for them to hold some personal details (it’s usually a credit card). I checked what I would require if stopped by the police – a somewhat unlikely event as it turned out as we did not see a single police car or officer whilst on the island – and he assured us that the contract was all that we required as evidence of insurance and ‘our right to drive’. After the instructions were given on how to operate the care we set off along the drive to the main road.

In recent years I have got used to an automatic car and so I was sure that I had stalled the car on more than one occasion but having managed the first tight junction and got used to driving on the right hand side of the road I was brimming with confidence. That is until we took a wrong road in the town of Emporio. I’d only been driving about 15 minutes and we ended up on the narrowest of tracks that weaved its way with tight turns through the back streets of the town. At time the buildings seemed (no, indeed WERE) perilously close to the car and I was certainly not enjoying the drive. But there was no going back because the road was far too narrow. So we drove for what felt like ages until we hit open countryside and the courtyard of a smallholding farm. I reversed and after several manoeuvrings managed to get the car pointing back towards the town. Now I had to run the gauntlet of buildings yet again and, having successfully made it back to the main road, vowed that we would need to ensure that we didn’t take another “wrong turning”.

Generally there are no problems with parking but care needs to be taken in Thira and Oia as here, we were told, the authorities will often tow away cars parked on the streets of the town. We were careful to ensure that we parked in an official car park in Oia (we’d travelled by bus to Fira but that’s another story).

The map provided by the hire company showed us where the petrol stations are. As the island is small it’s not a massive problem but we put in 20 euros worth at the first petrol station and didn’t need anymore for the rest of the car hire period.

Remember on Greek islands there is a no tolerance policy in relation to the consumption of alcohol and if you’re found with any alcohol in your system it will mean that any insurance claim in invalidated. Abstinence truly is the best policy.
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