Today we arrived on the Mykonos island; very pretty and very weird. The airport we arrived at was definitely not an international airport- evident in the fact that when the plane landed, everyone exited and walked up to the baggage claim across the runway... After that we took a hotel bus around some of the most winding hills that I have ever been on (and the last hill is so steep that Diana refuses to ride a rental scooter). The hoses are almost identical: they look like white adobe-style houses with rounded corners (I think they are all solid brick with a plaster coating)- it is hard to tell the personal homes from the hospitals and hotels (the sign is usually the give-away). Even more interesting are the seemingly endless walls that kris-cross the landscape that are made up of loose stones- it almost looks like several hundred people were really bored for a long amount of time and they just started stacking different stones in lines (perhaps to clean the land up for livestock?).
So we are at the Royal Myconian Hotel- and they also try to rape people for Internet access; 6E for 1 hour, 10E for 2 hour, etc. Their best deal is 7 days for 50E- which would be great if we were going to be here that long. Another sticky subject is the wireless works only in the public areas of the hotels (the solid brick walls covered with plaster seem to stop it from going much further)- so it cannot be used at say 3am when I want to check my email. Ironically, the Royal Myconian has a 'sister' hotel called the Myconian Imperial Hotel across the street- and their wireless does reach our room (same rates- and no Vaseline!)
When we arrived, Tracy was a little pissed- the room we were given was Ok- but it is not worth what she is paying for it: it was reminiscent of a hotel for spring break that is filled with disposable furniture. The view was stunning and the amenities are stacking up- but the kid endlessly crying next door was the deal beaker- we needed a new room. We were moved to a slightly bigger room located beneath the swimming pool area (you have to see pictures to understand- and I cannot post them at the moment due to the Internet issue- see above). Much better, but still not 5 star.
The ocean view is incredible- and there are acres of beaches with chairs and umbrellas (under which many of the Greek girls like to topless sunbathe) so there are some reasons for the extra cost. There is a vast breakfast buffet that would make a diabetic go into a coma from the smell alone. There are a few restaurants, bars and shops spread through-out the hotel. There is a 'Thaissso Center' (a massage/aromatherapy/beauty salon), a fitness center (which no one appears to use) and a child care center. On top of this, I do not think I have seen more than 25 other guests in the entire hotel (capacity is about 100) so it is pretty cool.
I found a small restaurant on the edge of the beach at which I had the best meal I have had since I have been in Greece; I had Musocha (sp?), an appetizer of fried cheese and a bottle of sparkling water- plus the obligatory bread and olives- and it was only about 22E. The girls went into Mykanos city so I will have to tell them about it when I get back...
If you would have told me a week ago that I would be washing clothes in a bathtub and hanging them to dry in the closet, I would have told you that you are nuts- but today I was stomping around on my clothes with a box of tide in my hand. The girls did this at the Hilton before we left and I told them they were nuts- there has to be a laundromat on Mykanos...
Two things that would make a killing in Greece- A decent grocery store and a decent electronics store. We only found one of the former and it was a small 4 lane checkout (where you entered the store through the checkout) that spiraled down two levels and had a bunch of dead-ends and poorly merchandised displays; no AC and it was putrid around the baby diapers and cat food... The later type is dominated by cell phone stores with gaming sections or appliance stores with electric razors- I did not see one flat screen TV while in Athens (but I was looking for a headset for Skype, a camera tripod and a 'cantenna' so it really didn't matter).
Other things to note: the subway in Athens is incredible and very clean and good looking- I felt like kicking myself in the ass for avoiding it for four days and walking around all the places I went. It is .80E for a short trip or 1.20E for a 24 hour pass; they are brightly lit and not at all like the ones in the movies. The track curves and you can see all the way down the cars- so if you are in the middle it 'bends' off into the distance and looks very cool (I would have taken pictures but I was holding on with one hand).
Travel tip: there is a 'service charge' at most restaurants in Greece (for the bread, olives, etc) and it is usually per person- so a 3E service is 9E for three people. This is not charged if you eat at the bar...
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