Halki 2017 (Dodecanese):

Chapel by Pondamos beach, Halki

June 2017 saw me making my fifth visit to the Dodecanese island of Halki making it my most visited place in Greece. Here are some notes on my trip.

Early starts, long lunches and leaping mammals:

This year I came on the Easyjet 05.30 flight out of Gatwick. Unlike previous years there didn't seem much point in getting a room at the airport for such an early flight so I just got a late train up from Hastings getting me in shortly after midnight. This only left three hours or so before it was time to head to bag drop off and security. On arrival at Rhodes the Olympic rep asked me to come back in an hour as they were awaiting another flight (the early Monarch from Manchester) so I had the chance for a coffee and catching up on emails. In fact the Monarch flight had just a family of three Halki bound so I was quite impressed that Olympic had a small coach just to take the four of us to Kamiros Skala which we reached at 14.00. As expected we were booked on the 17.30 Nissos Halki crossing so there was time (plenty) for an enjoyable lunch at the Althemeni fish restaurant washed down by my first two bottles of Mythos of the holiday.

In fact, had I paid for a one way ticket I could have got a much earlier crossing on either Fedon or Express Nikos both of which made the crossing around 15.00 - but I realised that would probaly just cause confusion all round and with nobody ready for me at the other end. Eventually the four of us duly boarded and it looked like a repeat of last July when just five of us made the crossing until, after some delay, another full size Olympic coach arrived with around another thirty passengers and we set off for Halki.

Excited enough as I was anyway things hit fever pitch half way across with the shout of Dolphin!

Ferry departing Emborio harbour, Halki

And, yes there it was, leaping out of the water in the wake of the boat. I've probaly mentioned before that in seventeen years of visiting Greek islands I have never seen one (except on fridge magnets, beach towels, postcards and just about everything else you can put a dolphin image on). It was truly a magical moment.

Arrival and studio alarm:

Hyped up by the dolphin event everything was going just great with this trip until on being warmly greeted by Zifos Travel (agents for Olympic) at Emborio I was told I was in Studio 3 at the Dorothea. Now that wasn't in the script as I had specifically booked and had confirmation of a Side Sea View (which is Studio 4 only). Read my Dorothea review posted previously to fully understand the difference but, simply, four has a private balcony leading off the kitchen, three has a front balcony accessed from the communal corridor. Studio three is lovely (I've sneaked a look when it was empty!) but I wanted MY balcony. It seems that Zifos do not get the info (from Olympic) about front/side bookings and it was suggested that I should have made a special request for studio 4 (I'll be taking that one up with Olympic in due course). However, a quick resolution was proposed namely that if four was empty when I arrived at the Dorothea I should take that and let them know I was in that one. A rather nervous ascent of the steps followed but, thankfully, I was greeted by an unoccupied studio 4 and promptly took possession! Next Retsina (six euros this year for a 1.5ltr bottle) cheese, crackers, oregano crisps, peach juice and water were all promptly purchased and lugged back up the steps and I was sitting on my balcony enjoying that spectacular view over the harbour. Home!

Tarpon Springs Boulevard, Halki island

First day storm, A moment of Pride and Meet the Kids:

There's nothing like getting up on that first morning on a Greek island to head out to the balcony with a cup of coffee and soak up that sunshine. This was, indeed,  nothing like that. Storm clouds, bolts of lightening and then rain greeted me early the next morning. That wasn't in the script either. Luckily the rain didn't last long at this point. This being a Thursday morning I knew that the twice weekly arrival of the Dodekanisos Express fast catamaran ferry was due only to find (who says nothing much changes on Halki?) sister ferry Dodekanisos Pride powering into the harbour. This vessel normally runs the Symi route (I transferred back on it from Symi in 2011). Essentially they are both very similar but with Pride being built in 2005 (in Norway) five years after the Express. At least, as a photographer, this was something different to photograph.

I later did my traditional first walk of the holiday to Kania later on (having to put my camera away several times as rain started up again). For variation, whilst descending down to Kania I took the dirt road that goes off to the right. This then becomes a very overgrown road before coming to an end by a large gap in a wire fence.  Passing the sign on the fence (in Greek) that might have said Danger Unexploded Mines but probaly just Private: Keep Out I picked my may down across a very rocky field until I was almost at Kania. Sadly, at the bottom there didn't seem to be any corresponding gap in the fence and retraced my steps back up. Heading back to Emborio I was delighted to meet a family of goats in the road with two very tiny young kids (who bleated at me rather forlornly). Eventually the family moved off into a field leaving just one kid behind -which I now felt personally responsible for (what if it gets run over by the bus?). I saw them all on a later walk so they were fine. Arriving back at the harbour front heading for a Mythos and toasted cheese sandwich at Costas the rain started in ernest and chucked down for a good ten minutes. If seeing a dolphin was a first, seeing a Greek person sheltering under an umbrella was another.

Regatta time:

Small boats in Emborio harbour, Halki

Sunday 18th saw the Channel Regatta come to Halki when 23 yachts gradually arrived and moored up together. Organised by the Offshore Yachting Club of Rhodes and the Marmeris International Yacht Club this is a three stage race taking in Rhodes to Symi, Symi to Halki and finally Halki back to Rhodes. It certainly made for a lively evening with speakers set up on the harbour front and loud music being played -quite a contrast to the normal peaceful atmosphere but, I thought, made for a nice change. The next morning they all set off -again with music playing from one of the yachts.

Walk to Lagonia, Mist and close encounter with a well:

I saved this lengthy walk till near the end of my holiday. Taking the road to Kania I turned off by the old power generators -there's now a sign post for Areta here. Through the two gates and then a steep clamber up the rocky hill. There is a path of sorts but I struggled to see it at times. With a stone wall on my left I kept going upwards and then bore left when the wall did. A further climb away from the wall took me to the welcome shade of some olive trees. From here there is a steep clamber taking you up to a gap just below the summit which brings you out onto a huge valley sweeping down to Kania which you can see far below. This is where I went wrong and instead of bearing right for the track to Areta I just kept moving round the island just below summit level -sometimes with a defined track and sometimes improvising. Eventually after about 90 minutes (total) I reached the steep ravine of Lagonia. From here I could have descended into the ravine and up the other side before continuing on and eventually ending up coming back down the road to Emborio.

Nissos Halki ferry arriving at Emborio, Halki

However, I decided to call a halt here as I had no idea how long that stage would take and, worryingly, a thick sea mist was now rolling in and covering the summit ahead. I had no idea how thick that mist was likely to get but I did realise there was no chance of finding my back down if I couldn't see ahead. Back tracking I kept looking back to see the mist slowly advancing on me -no rush then! This is the point at which I realised I was about to walk into a deep uncovered well next to the ruins of an old chapel. Thankfully I stopped just in time and I was very pleased when I was finally making my long descent back to the Kania road - Emborio visible ahead.

As ever, the time to return home came and we set off on the Nissos Halki at the fairly civilised time of 07.30 (I've had earlier transfers in my time). Boarding the coach at Kamiros Skala I was a bit surprised to have my name called out. It turned out that I was the only one catching the noon Easyjet flight home and the coach made a special stop at the airport just for me before taking the rest of my fellow travellers off to kill time before their later flights.

The end of another two great weeks on Halki. I have a feeling that I may visit a different island next year but I can certainly say I'll be back for a sixth visit in the future.

Halki 2016 (Dodecanese):

Emborio harbour on Halki island

July 2016 saw me making my fourth visit to the lovely little Dodecanese island of Halki. I've posted here twice before on the island and as little has changed there (thankfully) I'm keeping this report down to some specific points rather than writing a full review of my two weeks there.

Departures and Arrivals:
Things got off to a great start when after queuing for check in at Gatwick for some time I realised I was heading for "The Gambia Experience". I'm sure that would have been lovely but it was The Halki Experience at the next check in that I was hoping for. A slightly delayed departure for the Enterair flight but pleasant and friendly cabin crew made up for this. I had slight concerns about the ferry connection due to the late arrival at Rhodes (especially when the Tilos bound couple in front of me were told they were being overnighted) but I was soon on a mini bus heading for Kamiros Skala. This was the first time in four visits it had been a mini bus rather than a full size coach and it became clear why after boarding the Nissos Halki when I realised there were just five of us making the crossing. I've never been in July before but I had expected it to be much busier than my last two visits in June. I have to say it was quite an emotional moment when we arrived at Emborio harbour -with a real sense of home coming.

Dorothea Studios:

Restored chapel at the Crusader castle on Halki

My plan here worked and I was delighted and relieved to get the same delightful studio as last year. This is the one at the top with a stunning panoramic view over the harbour and its own private balcony at the side. See my review and photos of the Dorothea in an earlier post here. The lower studios have a view which is partially obscured by the roof of the houses in front and the other top floor one has a balcony that you enter from the corridor so is less private. Look for "Side sea view" when booking. The TV didn't work any more than it did last year but I stand by my claim that this is the nicest Greek island property I have ever stayed in. Only a couple of other apartments at the Dorothea seemed to be occupied when I got there and in the second week just one other that I could tell. In fact, many of the holiday properties around the village appeared to be empty during my stay -maybe it is a July thing. Only the Nissia properties showed much signs of life including the one at the top of the steps behind the Dorothea -which I eventually realised was the Laskerina property I stayed in for my first visit in 2005!

Retsina:
I know this is a subject dear to the heart of many so a quick word on the subject. I mainly used the Lefteris supermarket -being closest to my studio and my 1.5 ltr bottle of Restsina started off at 5euro. To my horror supplies ran out a few days into my holiday and I made to the trip to the Petros supermarket only to be charged 7euros for the same Restsina! Thankfully, Lefteris soon received fresh supplies though price now migrated to 5.50euro. They did run out a second time but had the alternative of the 500ml bottles at 2euro so substituted with those.

The Church of the Holy Trinity above Chorio on Halki

Walks to Kania:
I've posted before that the upgraded Kania beach isn't to my personal taste and much preferred the unspoilt cove it used to be - with just a lizard or two for company. Nethertheless, I still always enjoy the road walk to there and back (I just leave out the stopping bit in the middle!). It's always good to see those bee hives are still there as they always have been and those two huge abandoned trailer things are still parked up at the side of the road. I made a more concerted effort this year to try and see what they actually were but lack of any name plates or signage on them left me none the wiser. Some sort of refridgeration units connected to the old fish farm? Something to do with road building or power lines? In fact I was on the right track with power lines as a regular on the excellent Halki Visiting forum informed me that they were emergency generators intended for use during power cuts. It seems they arrived, parked up and were then never used. Looking at them now I think it safe to say they never will be used.

Castle renovation:

Old stone building by Emborio harbour on Halki

I reserved judgement on this last year as the work was very much in progress. I have to say that, overall, they have made a good job of this. Much easier path to reach it and some interesting and informative signage here and there. If I was afraid that it was going to become a crowded tourist attraction I needn't have worried -I was the only person there -as previously. A couple of minus points were that the numerous tall shrub like plants have now regrown inside the castle walls making photography difficult. It looks like having completed the work no further attention has been paid to it. It may well be that there is no budget available for this. Secondly, I was disappointed to find that the restored chapel was locked. I had hoped to see what they had done inside. Maybe it gets opened on special occasions (my visit not being one of them!).

Orange alert and Apaches:
My holiday this year certainly co-incided with a lot of events both in the UK and elsewhere. One such event was the attempted military coup just across the water in Turkey. This manifested itself on Halki in the following week when we had two ribbed patrol boats with guns fore and aft turn up in the harbour followed shortly after by two Apache helicopters thundering low over the island. I thought it was some kind of excercise but it turned out that the Greek military had gone to Orange Alert (combat ready) after reports of some Turkish military attempting to head for Symi after the failure of the coup. That was about it really but we did have the boats return a few days later before heading back towards Rhodes

The Greek flag flying at Emborio on Halki

Celebrity glamour:
My time in Halki was livened up by the presence of an U.S. actress (not a household name in the UK but she has appeared in numerous television and film roles). Initially on a yacht moored in the harbour, her and her family later moved to apartments close to mine. What was fun was that every night she organised games for the children on the harbour front. I never worked out exactly what the game involved but it consisted of her directing individual or groups of children to various points around the harbour (some sort of strategy game I guess). They all seemed to have a good time and one night there must have been fifty or so taking part! I'm not mentioning her name to maintain privacy (and she may well want to return to Halki another time).

Halki 2016:
So the end of another great two weeks on my favourite default island. As always, it is the little things that make it good. Toasted cheese sandwich and beer at Costas. The chickens clucking around by the cemetery. The goats on the road to the castle. And, of course, Prevelis gliding into the harbour with all the drama and excitement that causes. Cockerel count and Goatiness ratings were medium for this trip. I never thought I would return to any island four times but Halki has lured me back and, no doubt, will again in the future.  Regards, David.

Dorothea Studios review, Halki (Dodecanese):

Front windows with a great harbour view

Last June I made my third visit to the little island of Halki which is near Rhodes in the Dodecanese island group. Read my previous post on Halki here: Halki review .Travelling with Olympic Holidays I stayed in the Dorothea Studios at Emborio. A new post about my 2015 trip to Halki will follow in due course but meanwhile here is a review of my apartment.

View of Emborio from the window

The Dorothea Studios qualify as simply the most delightful accommodation I have ever had on a Greek island. I was in the number 4 studio, which along with number 3 is situated at the top and front of the building. Large, light and airy with lots of wood panelling - with a colour scheme of traditional Greek white and blue - the studio was a joy to stay in for two weeks.

Two large shuttered windows faced out directly over the harbour affording views of both the village and all
the nautical comings and goings -from the serenity of small sailing and fishing boats chugging in and out to the drama and excitement caused by the arrival of the massive Athens-Rhodes ferry which calls several times each week.

Private balcony at the side

I also had a side balcony leading off from the kitchen area which again had great views towards Nissos island and the harbour front. I was able to take countless photographs without even leaving my studio!

The kitchen area had a good selection of crockery, glasses and utensils and a kettle was provided. The shower was astonishing for a Greek island -shower curtain, fitting for the shower head and a powerful blast of hot water which put my shower at home to shame. Hot (very) water was available whenever I used it.

The studio has two comfortable twin beds and there is an additional double sized raised sleeping platform

Forward view from the balcony

accessed by steep wooden steps.

It's hard to find fault with this lovely accommodation (I couldn't get the television to work but I'm sure that would have been dealt with if it had been sufficiently important enough to me to report it). A light on the balcony would be a nice addition -if only to see if any flying objects have landed in your Retsina!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the Dorothea and have re-booked the same studio for Summer this year. Worth noting that the other studio has a harbour facing balcony which you access from the corridor rather from the studio directly. This might bother some so look for the studio with the "side sea view" when booking if you want the one I had. Regards, David.

ETA Anyone considering a visit to Halki should check out the excellent and informative Halki Visiting forum. I have been looking at this for many years but I have only recently got round to signing up as a member. I have know idea why it took me so long but I am glad to be there now :)
Check it out with this link: Halki Visiting forum

Halki (Dodecanese):

Emborio village

I visited the lovely Dodecanese island of Halki (Chalki) in 2005 and again in 2010. Slightly over an hour by sea from Rhodes this little island is barely 10km long and has a permanent population of only around three hundred people. Of course, this number is increased in peak season both by tourists and people coming to work on the island. Nethertheless, even then you could not describe the island as crowded and you will be able to walk for miles barely seeing another person.

The main centre of population is the port of Emborio where the ferries arrive and, to my mind, the approach to Emborio is one of the most attractive views of any of the Greek islands I have visited. Pretty pastel coloured houses, the imposing white Town Hall, the bell tower of the Agios Nikolaos church (the tallest bell tower in the Dodecanese) and, above all, the tall stone clock tower all make for a stunning first impression.

Agios Nikolaos bell tower

Now for a word about that clock tower. On my first visit the time on the clock was always twenty past four which led to speculation that, perhaps, the clock was a bit noisy and was stopped during peak season (slightly reinforced by a resident confiding that the major holiday company to Halki at the the time -the now defunct Laskerina Holidays - "encouraged" locals to keep music and noise down during the holiday season). However, on my return five years later, time had literally stood still on the island and it was still twenty past four. It turned out the explanation was simply that it was broken and was too costly to repair, though I have read on the internet that some funds might be in the offing so maybe time has restarted by now.

Emborio has a small selection of tavernas and cafes on the harbour front and a couple of mini markets as well as a bakery for fresh bread and cheese pies. One feature of the village is the number of old derelict stone houses, often with trees growing in them which certainly made for good photographic subjects. On my second visit quite a few of these had been restored to life though a good number still remained. Do visit the Agios Nikolaos church where as well as the bell tower there is also a pebble mosaic "Hoklakia" courtyard. Intricate designs are made up of numerous black and white pebbles from the sea and make for interesting photographs.

Chapel above Pondamos beach

Going right (facing seawards) from the harbour it is a fifteen minute walk to Ftenagia beach where there is a taverna and good views of the uninhabited island of Nissos which lies just outside Emborio harbour. The alternative local beach is that at Pondamos which you reach in about ten minutes by taking the main inland road out of Emborio. This actually has sand (imported!) and an excellent taverna which became one of my regular lunch venues on the island. For variety, when returning to Emborio take the right hand fork in the road which takes you round past the islands cemetery which has a beautiful large domed church. If you want to do some cockerel counting just past the cemetery there were a number of chickens wandering in the road both times I visited and, I expect, still there.

For a longer walk head for Kania beach by taking the inland road from Emborio and then the first turning on the right. This is quite a climb up into the hills above Emborio and then down into Kania. This is just a pretty rocky cove which you might even get to yourself. In 2010, there were no facilities there at all but I gather there is now some sort of temporary taverna in peak season (though do not rely on that!). Allow 45 minutes or so for the walk there.

On my first visit I took the islands taxi to the Monastery of St.John which is near the far end of the island and is the sight of a major festival each August. Maybe it was just me, but I felt rather unwelcomed by the few people working there and left after a brief look around. On the plus side, the long walk back (a good couple of hours) was highly enjoyable and offered excellent views over the island.

Old windmills above Emborio

One thing you won't fail to notice are the three stone windmills that stand on the hill above Emborio. These make a good walking destination and you will get a great view down onto the harbour when you are up there. Take the road on the left just past the small army base on the cemetery road to get up to them. A word of warning: do respect the "no photography" signs by the base -military subjects are considered sensitive in Greece just like anywhere else.

For me, one of the highlights of both visits to Halki was the walk up to the medieval Knights of St.John castle which stands high above Emborio. Take the main inland road past Pondamos beach and keep going uphill to the old (mainly derelict) village of Horio. This will take around 30 minutes or so. Upon

Crusader Knights castle

reaching Horio walk up to
wards two small chapels and then scramble up a path to reach the castle. There were no concessions to Health and Safety when I was there and I was able to explore the castle ruins at will -standing up on the ramparts to enjoy the view and exploring inside the castle chapel (just be careful not to fall down the very
deep looking well!). As expected, there are great photographs to be had here.

One of my interests when on Greek islands is watching (and photographing) all the activity in the harbour and Emborio certainly has plenty of that. Look out for the regular Dodekenisos Seaways fast catamaran, which is the one you are going to get if you take a day trip to Nisyros island to see the volcano (see my previous post on Nisyros). You could also pay a visit to Tilos using this as well (tickets are available in advance from the travel agents in the harbour). Several times a week you might see the massive ANEK lines ferry come in which always looks impossibly big for a small harbour. Notable on Halki as well is the regular visit from the water boat which brings in precious water from Rhodes.

ANEK Lines Ierapetra L ferry

Cockerel count on Halki is medium but Goatiness gets a high rating here. Don't be surprised to meet goats wandering along the road both in Emborio itself and further inland.

Halki then, a Dodecanese island full of charm. Not overly touristy at all. Lovely walks, a castle, boats and goats! Halki is in my top four favourite Small Greek Islands -and I'm delighted to say I'll be returning there in 2015 giving it the distinction of being the only island I have made a third visit to. Regards, David.