Christmas in the Algarve

For the past 6 years we have spent the Christmas period in the Algarve. In previous years we have spent time in the Western Algarve, this year for the first time we are going to the Eastern Algarve staying in Tavira. This is very exciting as we will be hoping to explore the area around Tavira which is supposed to be the second most historic town in the Algarve after Lagos. The location is also close to the Spain border and we are hoping to check out the sights of Seville.

Greek Calendar Give Away!!

As everyone has been so kind and left really lovely comments about the blog I have decided to give away one of the two Greek Islands 2008 calendars I purchased over the summer. (See previous blog entries about this in September/October).

If, like me, you are an obsessive greekophile who would salivate turning to the next month's page in anticipation of the wonderful images of Greece and also count down to the days when you are back in these bright sunshiny places, then this will brighten up your day.

Just picture this smashing little calendar on your wall and daydream about happy times as I do.

The calendar starts in November 2007 so you can start using this immediately and the image below is a taster of what you can expect to see in ... no wait, I am not going to spoil the surprise!

"How exciting!" I hear you all cry, "put my name down for that one!"

Just post a reply to this entry, I will pull a name from my straw sun hat on 31 October and I will announce the winner in a grand styley on 1 November.

Good luck all and thank you once again for the positive comments on the blog you have left so far, it is really appreciated.

Jools x

Favourite things to do in Zante

Here are some of our favourite things to do when in Zante, in no particular order ...

Please feel free to tell me where your favourite place is and some of your favourite things to do (keep it clean!!). Jools x

• early morning dip and turtle spotting on Kalamaki beach
• driving around the island, finding little out of the way beaches and tavernas
• eating and drinking in Alykanas where everyone is so friendly
• eating, drinking and chilling out in Amoudi where the people are lovely and view is brilliant
• me shopping in Zante Town, Mr Deany people watching on the harbour with a glass of cider (keeps us both happy!)
• snorkelling around reefs near Redskins beach
• watching the little fishing boats going about their business
• watching the sunset with tea lights flickering and ice-chilled local wine being coiffed
• drinking ouzo and raisin brandy and sampling local food, gives me recipe ideas to try out
• and finally, doing nothing, getting into Greek mode where tomorrow will do!

Zakynthos - 28/9 - 5/10

We have returned from a week in Zante, staying in Kalamaki and we were both pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it. We have not stayed in Kalamaki since 1999, preferring to stay in the quieter resorts of Alykanas and Amoudi.

Flight

The flight, with Thomas Cook, was the red eye overnight flight and the only thing I can say about this is 'never again!' We flew from Manchester airport which I had forgotton is spread out over such a large area you end up walking miles, and once again returned to this airport with a large hole in another hard shelled suitcase! The local parking with a company called Autostrong was cheap and the service excellent, their shuttle bus to the airport was very fast and they was no waiting around. The overnight flight was tiring and virtually writes off the first day, however we were able to get into the room immediately when we arrived in Kalamaki and grab a couple of hours well needed sleep.

Accommodation

We stayed at Katerina's Rooms, which are located 3 minutes from the beach, in their own gardens, far enough away from the main drag to be quiet (apart from the local cockerels!)

The rooms have mountain and partial sea views and the family are very welcoming and cannot do enough to help. Katerina cooks absolutely delicious local specialities in her lovely outdoor kitchen. I was absolutely in awe of the cooking area, surrounded by pots of fresh herbs and the wonderful charcoal fire adorned with seashells collected and applied by her daughter. We were treated to small cheese pies, meatballs, potato salad and large slices of the most mouthwatering lemon cake left on the doorstep. The rooms are clean and well equipped with tv and airconditioning and we really enjoyed our stay in these rooms.

Car

We hired a car with Merlis Rentals, we booked via email merlisrental@hotmail.com, and as always Julie and co were thoroughly helpful and friendly. Collecting and dropping the car at the airport is such a hassle free way to start and finish the holiday.

Eating Out

We ate at Panorama (great food, lovely views), Zakanthi (beautiful decor and surroundings), Stani (great supermarket and close to the beach), Zepos (lovely food, especially the rabbit stew), Yoyo's (good takeaway and breakfast), Sugar Reef (great snacks). We stopped for drinks at Sports Bar (Sofia's) and Kalamaki Beach Taverna.

It had been so long since we stayed in Kalamaki we had stayed elsewhere in Zante because from 1995-99 we saw the speed at which new restaurants and bars sprang up along the main road and I am sure that Kalamaki would not be the place for us in the height of summer. However, we picked a great week, the weather was lovely, around 30 degrees during the daytime and cool at night. As this was late September/early October everywhere was quiet and laid back and many places were actually running out of imported food and drink (we had to try a few places to get a decent pint of beer for Mr Deany).

The sunbeds near Kalamaki Beach Taverna
were unoccupied, even at late morning, and having the taverna so close is brilliant for refreshments, however the sea was a little bracing! It was good to see the turtle protection volunteers patrolling the beach and I picked up a leaflet to get more info.

We spent time in Alykanas catching up with old friends, took several trips into Zante town and we also spent a lovely day at Porto Koukla and Keri with Thalia (mitera moo) and George. Thalia had other friends visiting from the UK so we all had lunch together at a taverna next to the sea in Keri, the leisurely lunch of taramasalata, houmous, greek salad, chips and the most delicious grilled sea bass was accompanied by wine and good conversation.

In summary, despite the best efforts of the cold I picked up the day before we left, we had a lovely week in Zante and particularly enjoyed Kalamaki. The accommodation was lovely and as long as the weather is on your side, the end of the season is a great time to take advantage of the relaxed end of season atmosphere and taverna special offers (many offered main courses for 5 euros). The downside is that many places have closed down for the winter and many tavernas and supermarkets are running out of stock. Zante airport departures lounge is still the old arrivals/departures hall and it is awful (particularly the toilets which should carry a government health warning!). The food and drink in the airport are extortionately priced and it is really time that the Zakynthos/Greek government sorted out the new departures lounge. This really is a lovely island and it is sad that the infrastructure is not in place to leave people with a good impression, as they cannot wait to get out of the airport fast enough!

Finally, I spent 6 days looking for the right Greek calendar to bring home and eventually purchased one which would supremely adorn the kitchen wall. This morning I was clearing out the front bedroom and found the ungainly black holdall purchased during the summer in the Peloponnese, to replace yet another hardshelled suitcase destroyed by airport baggage handlers. I tried to fold the holdall into a drawer and wrestled with it wondering why it would not fold in half. I unzipped the side pocket and pulled out a carrier bag embossed with a map of Zante, low and behold in the carrier bag was a 2008 Greek calendar! Now I have 2 calendars!! Jools x