The town of Chora is built on the side of the mountian and resembled a maze of tiny little streets that intertwine one another with many shops, bars and restaurants. The route up was marked in white steps so it made it fairly easy to find. So we set off and made it just in time to see a spectacular sun set On the way down the shops had opened up again foe the evening so we were able to do some shopping before finding the restaurant Lisa had recommended. This particular restaurant was a tapas bar so we decided to order 5-6 dishes to share. This it seams is how most Greek meals are eaten. The food was very flavourful and by the time the last plate was served we all were rolling out the door. We decided to walk down the mountain instead of taking the bus which turned out to be a very well lit pathway down uneven stairs providing great views of the island along the way.
The hotel we were staying at on IOS was called Brother's and was run by Niki and his wife Lisa. Niki's parents had built the place originally and still lived on the property. His dad tended the garden daily and his mom chatted Greek to the guests and spoke to everyone who drove by the property. They had been on the island all their lives.
We had breakfast served every morning down on the terrace. The Greek yogurt and honey was to die for. The preserves were home made as well as the tiny cakes. Greek coffee is also very good. Once we had a leisurely breakfast we decided to go check out the beach in town. We wondered to the far end and mocked the beach chairs under the shade of the trees. There was a restaurant across the street that sold cold beer and had a clean toilet so we were set for a few hours. Lisa had recommended another restaurant that wasn't far from the beach or so we thought so that was the plan, spend the afternoon at the beach and then head for an early dinner as the place was run by a local family that cooked 8 different dishes each day and when it was gone it was gone.
The beach was right next to the harbour so we watched all the high speed ferries coming and going, swam in the warm sea and relaxed. After spending the afternoon we had one last swim and started our walk up to the restaurant. They told us it was just around the corner. So off we went up down and around, up down and around, up down and around and after about the fourth corner we found xxxxxxxxxx. By the time we got there we were all very hot again but they had shade, water and cold beer.
After we cooled off we were invited to go into the kitchen to see what was cooking and decide which dishes we would like. It all looked amazing. Bill was brave and picked the rabbit and we all shared various other dishes. Again we were stuffed and just as we were about to leave they brought out desert and raki with honey. Desert was baklava with honey which just melted in your mouth. The raki with honey we found out is homemade and cannot be purchased. Each restaurant makes their own version and serves it on the house with desert.
It was still early so we thought we would walk back and stop at a resort we had passed to see if we could have a swim. When we arrived we were the only ones there so we bought a round of drinks had a swim and relaxed until it cooled off enough to walk the rest of the way back to the hotel. As we were leaving Bill scooped a souvenir for the trip. A very cool little ashtray the clips to the table.
It was still early when we arrived so we sat by the pool and visited with some of the other guests.
We decided that in order to see the rest of the island we would rent a car. Niki made the arrangements for us and they picked us up the next morning at 10 am. Driving in Greece is fairly easy as they drive on the same side of the road as we do. So off we went. Brian and Bill took turns driving and there was only one main road around the island so not too difficult. Lisa had given us some suggestions so we toured around from beach to beach with stops along the way. Again her recommendation for lunch was great. We shared various dishes which were all delish at a small little taverna on the road.
We saw some very interesting sculptures along the way as well as spectacular views. At the end of the day we used the car to go to a seafood restaurant Lisa had told us about. It was located right on the beach and we were able to pick from the fresh catch of the day. The only drawback was we had to purchase the entire fish. We looked at the grouper but it was just too much for the 4 of us to eat so we settled on the sea bass.
The next morning we returned the car and went to the beach for the rest of the day. We had arranged to have our luggage stored so had most of the day to relax. When we returned to Brother's Niki informed us the ferry was about 1.5 hours late so we hung out by the pool finishing our wine until it was time to go. Niki took us to the port in time to catch our high speed to Santorini.
I must say Brothers Hotel exceeded all of my expectations and was one of the best places we stayed in Greece. If we ever go back to IOS we will definitely stay here again.
