- The Lone Scallop
We are returning for our second visit of the year to wonderful Symi and whilst historically there has always been around three months between our May and Sept / Oct visits our last minute week in July was only weeks ago.
Normally we stay down in September. We have stayed up in September before but not for several years. 2017 has turned out differently than originally planned.
The run up to this visit has been difficult as our “boy” (cat) Greyam was diagnosed with low red & white blood cells on the Monday before we headed off on the Tuesday. He is a good age and so it was very difficult to say our farewell to him at the cattery that he has so often visited over the years. We know that he is in loving and caring hands with the two girls who run the cattery and we can only hope that he is waiting for us on our return. We are getting regular updates on his well being by text.
Tuesday
After seeing Greyam safely housed in the cattery we headed into Aberystwyth to pick up the one way hire car from Europecar once again taking advantage of the “no penalty for one way” Airport Connect deal and once again we were lucky enough to be given a free upgrade so plenty of room for the luggage. Our own car is a Smart ForTwo and it just about copes with long weekends away, luggage wise, so the Airport Connect is perfect for us.
45 minutes into the journey we found ourselves in a long queue of traffic and word filtered back that the road ahead is closed due to a road traffic accident. Being an A road in Mid Wales we know this could take hours to clear so, like many others in the queue, we turn around and follow the flow which puts about 30 minutes onto our journey to Carmarthen. There we pick up the M4 and it is trouble free motorway all the way to Gatwick via M25 and M23. E was dropped off outside the Sofitel whilst D headed to South Terminal to fill up and return the hire car, returning to the hotel on foot by way of the shuttle. This is about the 5th time we have flown from Gatwick in the last three years so it has become a tried and tested routine.
Using room rate as a measure the Sofitel Gatwick is very popular. We monitored the price for a couple of months in the run up to our departure date and had not D found a third party website rate that was still a third higher than we have ever paid before we would have looked elsewhere and we may still do so in future.
On arrival there used to be several porters available to assist with luggage up to the first floor reception desk but not so this time so E struggled up with the bags. The hotel was in a bit of disarray due to the main bar being closed for refurbishment and although staff were doing their best by offering “Club Sofitel” (free wine, basic spirits, bottled beers and snacks) the first floor cocktail bar was overflowing. It had also been refurbished and the TVs that used to show news and sport have been removed. But the biggest disappointment for us was dinner in the Brasserie which readers of previous Blogs will know we have always raved about. The dinning room had been refurbished and made bigger and we learned that it had only reopened around 10 days before our visit. It seemed that the front of house team were new and were not getting their act together. They missed serving our amuse bouche which we only noticed during our main course whilst other tables near us were being served - when we asked about this they offered to serve it at the end of the meal !!! D had the scallops to start or more accurately one scallop. With a £4 supplement the dish was a single scallop with some black pudding and some finely chopped beetroot and whilst perfectly cooked and very flavoursome we noticed that other guests were being served two generously sized scallops. When asked about this there was an apology. E’s smoked trout starter was up to the usual standard although it took around 35 minutes for the starters to arrive. D’s main of halibut was slightly overlooked and E’s lightly crumbed chicken dish was good but not to the standard that we come to expect of this quite expensive hotel restaurant. There were lots of apologies from the Maitre d but it was almost laughable when he offered to deduct the optional service charge which we could have done ourselves. Anyway a feedback email will be sent as this once superb hotel needs to know that post-refurbishment it needs to up its game. By the way the dry martinis they mix were still up there.
Wednesday
Our flight was scheduled for departure at 09:10 so we made our way from North Terminal to South at 06:45 and had a queue-less check in at Monarch. The airline is boasting a 23kg baggage allowance but this information had not reached Olympic, the itinerary still stating 20kg. but that always proves to be adequate. After a light breakfast of a shared cheese, ham and rocket croissant and coffee in one of the many airside outlets we board and discover that due to a strike by French air traffic controllers over the previous few days our take off slot is delayed 50 minutes.
There is plenty of tarmac activity for D to amuse him from his window seat and E gets stuck into the Monarch onboard shop magazine. The time passes quickly and we are up and away with great views of London.
It is many years since we flew with Monarch and they still prove to be an excellent airline. Good bar service with Hendrick’s Gin & Fever Tree Tonic being D’s measure of a good airline. A 95mph tailwind sees some time made up but we land at the same time as another plane and there is a bit of a scrum to get through the doors and into the Passport Control area where every booth is manned and giving each passport a very cursory glance we are soon at the baggage carousel and our bags are there before D has time to avail himself of the traditional first can of Mythos from the vending machine.
We had to laugh at the passport officer we encountered who just kept saying “You're In” as we briskly passed him - we do wonder if it will continue to be like this in a Post-Brexit Europe.
The speed of bag recovery had meant that E had not had time to get to the Olympic Desk so we did that together and explained we we are making our own arrangements for the night which turned out to be fortuitous as the designated hotel was the Golden Days which appeared on Google as being quite far out of Rhodes Town.
We caught a taxi to the Best Western Plaza and were in our room on the 5th floor with excellent balcony views down to the port by 16:30. We then went out for a walk around the Old Town finding Socratous Garden as we always do where we had a small Mythos, after which we traced the route to the Nireas Fish Restaurant that Robert’s Blog had highlighted so that we could find it again later in the evening.
We returned to the Plaza, showered, changed and D went down to the bar for an ouzo and found that Greece were playing Russia in the European Basketball Championships live on the TV and this was being eagerly followed by a few locals. We headed to another favourite venue - the Yacht Club where a wave of tiredness hit us. We put this down to the worries over Greyam and the resultant impact on recent sleep but we both agreed that we would not do Robert’s recommendation justice so we headed back to the Plaza and made do with the perfectly adequate hotel buffet dinner.
Nireas Fish will have to await the next visit as the menu and venue looked very inviting.
Thursday
After the varied choice of the Plaza’s buffet breakfast we caught a taxi to Akantia where we presented our Olympic voucher at the ticket office and we we are aboard the Panagia Skiadeni by 08:00 for the 09:30 sailing. D always errs on the side of caution.
It was a beautiful morning and we sat out with a frappe watching our fellow passengers board and it did become a busy boat with many day trippers seeking out the delights of Symi. We bumped into J&M whom we hadn't seen for years and it was really nice to catch up with them.
We berthed at the Clock Tower and Fotini, the Olympic Rep on Symi, made sure those staying up got on the right Symi Tours bus whilst she personally too, care of those staying down. The bus dropped us at “the bins” and D became the “Tour Guide” to get guests to Anastasia’s. He only lost two of the ten arrivals but when Anastasia pointed this own he soon found them and delivered them safely to the apartments.
We are lucky enough again to be in our favourite Room 5.
After unpacking we headed down the Kali Strata encountering Maria “Herbs” for the first time. We kindly explained we had just arrived and had two weeks to entice us with her €10 bundle of various dried herbs. Actually the competition from the shop beside the Olive Tree is now hard to resist on this front.
We headed to the familiar comfy chairs of Cafe Aiglios and had a small draught beer and as we then made to move on we were asked by the owner what would we like and so an ouzo and a retsina arrived as our “welcome drink” - that’s Symi for you. Amazing generosity.
We then decided to bus back up but as we had half an hour to go until the 16:00 bus we had another ouzo and retsina in Cafe Alegrito and As D had forgotten to pack the beach towels E went to the very nice shop two doors down and returned with a couple of very nice beach towels made in Greece from linen, cotton and bamboo. Oh and a beach bag to carry them in.
Lakis was spot on time and we were back in Anastasia’s for a read and rest before getting ready and heading to Yannis Rainbow Bar where business was steady. It is nice to see and catch up with regular Symi Visitors and A&A and then N&P came over and then P gave us an insight into the Symi International Film Festival that he has been organisation. It starts on Monday coming and does seem to be an amazing feat that has been pulled off in a very short time.
And so as tradition dictates our first night is at Giorgios for mezes and so we ordered the crispy filo roll with cream cheese and shrimps that is the ever reliable and rich Bourataki. The imam that has been baking in the oven for hours with the sweet onions on top infusing beautifully with the tender flesh of the aubergine; the green beans stewed with onion, tomato, finely diced potato and garlic and the light but very flavoursome meatballs in tomato sauce. As regular readers will know this is always accompanied by bread, large bottle of water he a half litre of retsina.
And so it was Kali Nichta and home to bed.
- View From The Plaza