A Jolly Jaunt in July
Posted: 10 Jul 2017, 09:41
Many thanks to Silverfox over the last couple of weeks for putting in such a wonderful first leg and in such heat. So the baton is now firmly in our hands and here we go.
Friday
So our unexpected and unplanned short Symi Visit starts at 08:30 with Greyam, our cat, being taken to his holiday home in the nearby cattery. He loves the car and is soon purring himself to sleep. E has to work the morning and we leave Aberystwyth around 13:30 heading for Manchester Airport via Shrewsbury where D exchanges a new pair of shoes that failed first time out.
An uneventful journey up in the Friday afternoon traffic and we are in the Crowne Plaza by 18:00. This is our hotel of choice when flying from Manchester as it houses the superb Sanpans Pan-Asian restaurant. After an aperitif in the very busy hotel bar we have an excellent dinner of dim sum, tempura prawns, stir-fried beef and a superb Thai prawn curry, with coconut rice and pak choi as sides. With a glass of fizz and a nicely chilled Sauvignon Blanc this place remains a firm favourite.
Saturday
Up at 05:00 and the sun is coming up over the airport as some night flights start arriving. We catch the 05:45 shuttle bus and are one of the first at the Olympic Desk on the ground floor of Terminal 2. A very quick check-in with D very happy having secured a window seat. Then up to level 3 for the scrum that is security at that time of day - almost worth paying the £5 for FastTrack one thinks but after an initial bottleneck it starts to flow and we get through quite quickly apart from E having a problem with the body scanner.
E is a T1D (Type 1 Diabetic) and has an insulin pump. Manchester is the only airport where she has a problem. The pump manufacturer recommends avoiding the body scanner and to ask for a swab & pat down and this always causes a fuss which stresses E which is not good for a T1D so a letter to the airport manager on our return is on the To Do List.
After that hiccup we push in a bit of time over a coffee and then we are called and bussed out to the ASL Boeing 737-700 which is quite dinky. A French run airline with the drop down screens that keep us informed of the route which D always likes - bless. The bar service commences about an hour into the flight which seems quite a long time - not so much D wanting his G&T but E wanting a coffee. Having bought the usual “smellies” they find that they were out of stock of the free candle offer - well who wants a candle on the way out to Symi anyway - so they offer us a complimentary drink - result ! Another glass of fizz and a G & Fever Tree Tonic.
We land at 14:30 and whilst D has his traditional can of Mythos from the vending machine and awaits the bags E goes to tell the Olympic Rep that we have decided to make our own arrangements for the evening and to ask about what ferry we are on the next day. Another couple bound for Symi are told they will be in the Blue Ocean hotel which we know as a good hotel. Thinking that we may have been premature with making our own arrangements E is told that we would have been housed in Falaraki. Olympic explain that the choice of stop over is dependent on the class of accommodation you choose on Symi. The Blue Ocean people are dropped at Iapetos the next day.
So we are clear of the airport and in a taxi to our hotel by 15:00. Still €25 from the airport to Rodos town centre. We have a room booked in the Koykos which describes itself as a Traditional Guest House. This is a real find within a couple of hundred meters of the Plaza which is a known stop over for many independent travellers to Symi.
The staff could not be more pleasant and helpful. The whole place is quirky and themed around cuckoo clocks. The rooms have some amazing original features like the stone sink and the bed is ultra comfy. We head out for a walk to our two fav places - Socrates Garden and The Yacht Club before returning to Koykos via a shoe shop sale where E avails herself of a new pair of black espadrilles.
We have dinner in Koykos. The welcoming barman George and owner of the hotel greet us and after an ouzo & retsina (what else) with a mezes of pickled yellow pepper, olive and anchovie we have a table reserved outside where Greeks and tourists are queueing to get a table. We have moussaka, spetsofia, pork in a spiced sauce, cheese & courgette fritters and excellent flat bread with water and half kilo retsina - €35. Great staff, superb hotel and excellent value at around the same price as the Plaza so we will more than likely stay there again when we have to stop over in September.
Friday
So our unexpected and unplanned short Symi Visit starts at 08:30 with Greyam, our cat, being taken to his holiday home in the nearby cattery. He loves the car and is soon purring himself to sleep. E has to work the morning and we leave Aberystwyth around 13:30 heading for Manchester Airport via Shrewsbury where D exchanges a new pair of shoes that failed first time out.
An uneventful journey up in the Friday afternoon traffic and we are in the Crowne Plaza by 18:00. This is our hotel of choice when flying from Manchester as it houses the superb Sanpans Pan-Asian restaurant. After an aperitif in the very busy hotel bar we have an excellent dinner of dim sum, tempura prawns, stir-fried beef and a superb Thai prawn curry, with coconut rice and pak choi as sides. With a glass of fizz and a nicely chilled Sauvignon Blanc this place remains a firm favourite.
Saturday
Up at 05:00 and the sun is coming up over the airport as some night flights start arriving. We catch the 05:45 shuttle bus and are one of the first at the Olympic Desk on the ground floor of Terminal 2. A very quick check-in with D very happy having secured a window seat. Then up to level 3 for the scrum that is security at that time of day - almost worth paying the £5 for FastTrack one thinks but after an initial bottleneck it starts to flow and we get through quite quickly apart from E having a problem with the body scanner.
E is a T1D (Type 1 Diabetic) and has an insulin pump. Manchester is the only airport where she has a problem. The pump manufacturer recommends avoiding the body scanner and to ask for a swab & pat down and this always causes a fuss which stresses E which is not good for a T1D so a letter to the airport manager on our return is on the To Do List.
After that hiccup we push in a bit of time over a coffee and then we are called and bussed out to the ASL Boeing 737-700 which is quite dinky. A French run airline with the drop down screens that keep us informed of the route which D always likes - bless. The bar service commences about an hour into the flight which seems quite a long time - not so much D wanting his G&T but E wanting a coffee. Having bought the usual “smellies” they find that they were out of stock of the free candle offer - well who wants a candle on the way out to Symi anyway - so they offer us a complimentary drink - result ! Another glass of fizz and a G & Fever Tree Tonic.
We land at 14:30 and whilst D has his traditional can of Mythos from the vending machine and awaits the bags E goes to tell the Olympic Rep that we have decided to make our own arrangements for the evening and to ask about what ferry we are on the next day. Another couple bound for Symi are told they will be in the Blue Ocean hotel which we know as a good hotel. Thinking that we may have been premature with making our own arrangements E is told that we would have been housed in Falaraki. Olympic explain that the choice of stop over is dependent on the class of accommodation you choose on Symi. The Blue Ocean people are dropped at Iapetos the next day.
So we are clear of the airport and in a taxi to our hotel by 15:00. Still €25 from the airport to Rodos town centre. We have a room booked in the Koykos which describes itself as a Traditional Guest House. This is a real find within a couple of hundred meters of the Plaza which is a known stop over for many independent travellers to Symi.
The staff could not be more pleasant and helpful. The whole place is quirky and themed around cuckoo clocks. The rooms have some amazing original features like the stone sink and the bed is ultra comfy. We head out for a walk to our two fav places - Socrates Garden and The Yacht Club before returning to Koykos via a shoe shop sale where E avails herself of a new pair of black espadrilles.
We have dinner in Koykos. The welcoming barman George and owner of the hotel greet us and after an ouzo & retsina (what else) with a mezes of pickled yellow pepper, olive and anchovie we have a table reserved outside where Greeks and tourists are queueing to get a table. We have moussaka, spetsofia, pork in a spiced sauce, cheese & courgette fritters and excellent flat bread with water and half kilo retsina - €35. Great staff, superb hotel and excellent value at around the same price as the Plaza so we will more than likely stay there again when we have to stop over in September.