Came back from Halki on Wednesday. Had a lovely holiday and really liked Halki though it hasn't overtaken Symi as my favourite Greek island Here is a copy of my trip report:
Halki - September 2013
18/9/13
Travelled with Olympic from Leeds Bradford to Rhodes on the Jet2 flight. Jet2 had changed the flight times from a morning to an afternoon flight which meant I had to spend the first night in Rhodes. Rhodes airport was very busy on arrival, found the Olympic desk and was advised
that the overnight accommodation was at the Finas in Pefkos as everywhere else was fully booked �V they couldn't have got anywhere further away! 3 hours after landing at Rhodes after approximately 10 stops �V including 2 in Lindos �V we arrived in Pefkos at 2230. Was allocated a ground floor studio at Finas which looked quite nice with a swimming pool. Went straight out to dinner and found a taverna in the centre where you could have 3 courses for 8.95 euros. Had a Greek salad to start followed by pork fillet with mushrooms which came with green beans and chips. Quite nice though the pork was a bit overdone. Skipped dessert and asked for a small bottle of water instead though there were numerous desserts to choose from. A large glass of house white accompanied the meal, quite expensive at 3.5 euros, though it was a big glass.
19/9/13
Mini bus came at 0730 to take me and 4 others to Kamiros Scala to catch the boat to Halki. Journey took 1 and a quarter hours and we had half an hour for breakfast before the boat departed at 09.15. Had an omelette and fresh orange juice at the local taverna �V 8 euros.
Journey to Halki took about an hour and went to Zifos Travel in the port where Jane showed me to my room at the Roulla studios. Studio was very quaint with a sleeping platform which made downstairs more spacious, though the stairs are very steep. Lovely views from the terrace and accommodation is in a good location only a short walk from the centre. Had to wait almost an hour for the luggage to turn up and after unpacking went out to explore. Had a cheese and bacon pie from the bakery for lunch (1.4 euros) and then walked on to Ftenagia Beach �V wasn't over impressed. Took some shopping back to the studio and then walked on to Potamos beach which had a sandy beach, though too many sunbeds crammed together for my liking. Walked back to Nimborio via the cemetery and stopped off for a delicious slice of chocolate pie from the cake shop which I ate on my terrace overlooking the sea �V 2.5 euros.
Had dinner at Kiki's �V Greek salad (huge) moussaka, half a litre of house white and a large bottle of water was 18.5 euros. Complimentary sweet of stewed grapes in a very sweet sauce. Excellent meal
20/9/13
After breakfast on the terrace set off on the hours walk to Chorio and the Knights Castle. Walked up the road and then the steep climb up to the castle where there is a lot of restoration going on and wooden scaffolding in places. There was a workman working on the path and inside the castle more workmen, though they appeared to be on a break. It was quite a climb but the views down to Nimborio were well worth it.
Had lunch at Pondamos beach taverna �V tuna salad, bread and a large bottle of water was 6 euros. Sunbeds cost 3 euros each. After a relaxing lunch overlooking the beach walked on to Kania beach which was small and pebbly with a portable 'taverna' and free sunbeds. Walk took approx 45 minutes. Walked back via the cake shop for a slice of some sort of chocolate cake �V 2.5 euros.
Had dinner at Valantis. Tzatziki followed by chicken souvlaki with rice accompanied by half a litre of house white and a small bottle of water was 14 euros, very nice.
21/9/13
After breakfast had a walk round the back of Nimborio and then decided to walk on past Chorio to Ghiali beach which took about 45 minutes down an unmade road with little shade. There wasn't much at Ghiali apart from some rubbish and a couple of goat skulls! After resting on a rock and reading my book for a while walked back up the track and started down the road back to Nimborio. Passed a couple of goats by the road side, one of them ran off but the other one had its foot trapped between a small metal pipe and the wall. It was struggling to try and free itself but was completely trapped. I wasn't sure if it would bite but decided to try and free it and by pulling at the pipe and pushing at its hoof I managed to get it free. It stayed there for a while and I wondered if its leg was broken but eventually it got up and scrambled off. It was walking quite gingerly at first but put weight on its leg so hopefully was ok.
Had lunch at the taverna at Pondamos again �V Greek salad with bread and a large bottle of water was 8 euros. Walked back to Nimborio the long way round past the cemetery and met up with a family of cockerels and chickens.
Had dinner at Remezzo �V fava, spaghetti bolognese, half a litre of rose and a small water was 15.1 euros. Another lovely meal.
22/9/13
Decided to have a leisurely day on the beach and walked the 30 minutes to Kania where sunbeds are free if you eat there. Had an omelette with bread and a small water and was told the bill was 4 euros which seemed very cheap. It was extremely windy and everything was blowing all over �V at one point my sandal blew into the sea and I had to brave the pebbles to retrieve it.
Had dinner at Minori, 1 aubergine salad, 1stifado, quarter of house wine and a large water was 16.5 euros. Dinner was followed by a complimentary glass of wine and a large plate of grapes �V plus a glass of raki which I declined. Excellent meal and very good service.
23/9/13
Walked up to Chorio on the track which was more interesting than the road but often uneven underfoot with loose stones. Stopped off at the old cemetery in chorio for a rest before walking on to the monastery at Ayiou Ioannou Prodhromou �V 8 km from Nimborio. Half an hour after Chorio the road levelled out and was fairly straight for the rest of the walk. Only one car passed by on the whole walk. The caretaker didn't look impressed to see me and I think he was telling me it was closed but his wife shouted at him to let me in. I wandered around for 5 minutes before walking back down to Potamos for a well-deserved lunch at the taverna. The walk back took approximately one and a half hours and the views on the last section are stunning.
Had dinner at Kiki��s, tomato and cucumber salad followed by the Halki pasta, which was nice but had too much parmesan on it for me. Total bill including half a litre of house white was 18.5 euros. Joined my neighbours Val and Dai for a drink at Costas (2 euros for a glass of wine) and was shortly joined by the other two neighbours from the Roulla so we all walked back to the studios together �V a lovely evening ��
24/9/13
Popped into Zifos Travel to check with Jane what time we are leaving tomorrow �V the boat goes at 0730 so it will be an early start.
Went to the museum ��Traditional House of Halki�� for a look round - entrance fee is 2.5 euros. It��s only a smallish house so didn��t take long to look round. Walked on to Kania with a detour to look at the fish farm before returning to the beach. There wasn��t much at the fish farm apart from a very friendly young dog. Walked back to Kania beach and settled on a free sun lounger. Had a Greek salad with bread and a small water for lunch �V 6 euros. Stayed until just after 4 and walked back to the Roulla via the cake shop in the harbour where I had some delicious yogurt with honey �V 2.5 euros.
Had dinner at Babis �V aubergine salad followed by swordfish with rice and chips, the fish was delicious. Total bill including a quarter or rose and half a bottle of water was 17.5 euros. Joined Val and Dai for a nightcap in Costa��s before going back to finish packing.
25/9/13
Caught the 0730 boat back to Kamiros Scala along with my neighbours from the Roulla who were also going home today �V it was nice to have some company for the journey. The crossing took 1 and a quarter hours. A bus was waiting to meet us and took us to the Cassandra Hotel in Ixia where we could leave our luggage and use the facilities �V shower room, swimming pool etc. We all walked down to the beach at Ixia and had brunch at one of the tavernas, I had an omelette (6.5) and a fresh orange juice (4 euros). The omelette was huge and very tasty.
My flight was the last to leave so spent the afternoon reading by the pool with another walk down to the beach. Also visited the huge supermarket on the main road where prices were very reasonable.
Had some yogurt and honey on the beach road which cost 4 euros and wasn��t half as good as the yogurt and honey I paid 2.5 euros for in Halki. Wasn��t keen on Ixia, it was too built up for me but the Cassandra hotel is a comfortable place to spend a few hours.
The transfer to the airport arrived at 1830 though when we got to the airport the flight was delayed from 2110 to 2325 so spent over 4 hours in Rhodes airport. Sandwiches were all over 5 euros though water was a more reasonable 1 euro. Finally arrived back into Leeds Bradford at 0215 �V it had been a long day!
Really liked Halki and prices were cheaper than I expected. Had some lovely meals and met some really nice people. Loved the village though I could have done with a few more places to walk to. Thought the Roulla studios were in an excellent location and would stay there again. Only criticism is that the cleaner only came in twice a week which was fine for towels and bedding but the toilet bins need emptying daily IMHO. Apart from that I was very happy with the accommodation.