★ ★ ★★ Keep Shining...... always ★★ ★ ★ HATE the new...
★ ★ ★★ Keep Shining...... always ★★ ★ ★ HATE the new Ciao format... why mess with something that worked????
Member since:31.10.2003
Reviews:25
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The Choice...
This was my first holiday away with my mum (we now go away each year for a week) and one of her closest friends, and after browsing through countless brochures we finally chose the little resort of Haraki in Rhodes for the first week in June, staying at the Stella Studios sharing a two bedroomed apartment. We booked through Kosmar as a package at £199 each.
The journey....
We depart from East Midlandsairport early evening, and board our 4 hour flight to Rhodes with 'Aegean Airlines'. Mum is in for a shock, when the unusually dressed steward (jeans and a t-shirt) asks what she would like to drink she requests a brandy and soda, 'no brandy', she then requests a whiskey, 'no whiskey'... it appears they either have no alcohol on board or just don't serve it...
We are whisked aboard the transfer coach and arrive in Haraki after a brief 40 minute transfer, experiencing the delights of late night Faliraki along the way! (not nice - no wonder the Mayor is trying to tidy the place up - and Brits tend to have a bad name
in Greece).... the less said the better.
The Resort....
We arrived at resort at about 6.30am, myself clad in jeans and denim jacket. To our amazement the sun was already shining, an excellent start to what would prove to be an unforgettable week.
First impressions however where not good - our rep left us at the dusty roadside in the hot sun whilst she escorted other holidaymakers to their chosen accommodation, however we were in for a great surprise, after dragging our cases down a long path were escorted to our home for the week, now first things first I always check out the balcony, for those early morning reads and last drinks before bed!, It was fantastic - our room was set on the small promenade with the beach literally 5 seconds walk away, you could see the whole of the tiny bay and St Johns Castle on the headland above. 10 out of 10 for location.
After changing into something more comfortable (definitely not denim!) we just had to venture out to explore this little place basking in the beautiful Greek sun. The owner of our apartments was sitting on the little veranda - no doubt watching the little fishing boats bobbing on the bay. I tried my hand at Greek - wishing him a good morning in his native tongue, which I'm sure resulted in our shots of ouzo later that evening.
We decided to turn right, passing local houses along the seafront with patios full of old olive tins containing brightly coloured flowers, and the odd grape vine here and there. Our walk took us in a very small circle around Haraki, all in all around 10 minutes!!
There are several small supermarkets offering all items to cover your basic needs as well as decorative bottles of ouzi and small souvenirs etc.
Food.....
Restaurant wise you will find a selection of around ten tavernas, all offering varied menus. Starters from 1-5 euros, mains 4-15 euros and house wine at around 5 euros a carafe. There are also several bars offering snack menus, toasties, breakfasts, coffees etc.
We found our favourite restaurant located on the promenade, a small menu but fantastic food, traditional Meze and good house wine. The place was run by mum and her two greek god like sons, and we were made most welcome by these most hospitable people. The olive oil was made from their own olives which they harvest in winter.
A meal for the three of us which constituted 4-5 mezes (we like to pick), a nice Greek salad, a chicken main course, two long drinks, a lager and water came to around 16 euros. A reassuring thing was that you always saw a lot of Greeks in all the restaurants.
Nightlife in Haraki is very laid back, with only a couple of ' music bars' on offer. Our favourite was 'Dreams and Memories' located on the villagesquare, they have a DJ who will take requests - Zorba as ever was a favourite and after our second night everyone was up and dancing. The bars pretty much close when the last customer leaves so the option of a late night is always available. Many people venture from Haraki at around 2am to nearby Lindos or Falaraki, we didn't on a night .. preferring a relaxing drink in the resort but the option is there if you fancy dancing the night away at a disco.
Talking of night time you may wonder why I mentioned my jeans and denim jacket?, they were a godsend, after the heat of the day Haraki seemed to get very cold at night - hence I wore the jeans every night apart from one, the breeze picks up and it can feel quite chilly so I would advise you to pack something warm just in case!!!
Out and About....
Getting out and about is quite easy in Haraki, taxis are available from the main square and the local bus runs hourly to Lindos and neighbouring resorts, including Rhodes town (2 euros to Lindos). On our trip to Lindos we got the bus in, and spent the day wandering around the tiny streets which are crammed with shops, ice cream and crepe places, restaurants etc. We chose a roof top restaurant for lunch so we could enjoy the view of St Pauls bay, price wise inevitably it's slightly more expensive (10-20%) (scenery tax!), but you don't mind with a nice view on offer.
Compared to Haraki, Lindos is quite busy and it can be hard work walking around it's tiny streets, especially in the heat - all the more reason to enjoy a calorific ice cream at the end of the day from one of the many stalls dotted around the place. We returned to Lindos by Taxi (10 euros plus tip).
Chatting to locals they informed us there was a fantastic beach only a few minutes walk out of Haraki (this must have been a few minutes in Greek talk because it took us an hour in the morning sun!!!!). If you take the main road out of Haraki about 1/3 mile along there is a right turn which leads you up over the headland and when you reach the top you can see a lovely sandy beach below you, it's well worth the walk but you'd be well advised to take water with you to sip along the way. The sand shelves into beautifully clear water and you can walk hundreds of yards before you reach waist depth, probably a nice beach for kids, but it did get a little windy by mid afternoon. There a several beach canteens offering basic snack menus prior to your walk home!!!. This beach made a nice contrast to Haraki's - which is made up of shingle and large pebbles (jelly sandles are a must when venturing into the sea here!!).
Rhodes has a lot to offer, and I would say Haraki is a good base, a little hidden gem. We weren't so active in our week here but everything is as accessable as you want it to be. We were offered the usual trips, Island Tour (probably cheaper off your own back on the local bus), Greek night (look for a restaurant offering live music), Boat trips, etc etc and on our return we plan to do a bit more site seeing!, but sometimes the beach, clear seas good food and new friends is all you need.
An ideal place for a chilled out week.........I will return
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Not a place I had heard of but sounds the ideal place for me. I also like to find a good taverna and stick with it for the duration of the holiday, although the food is the attraction for me, not greek god like men !! LOL. xx
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