In
2005 I worked as a holiday rep for Manos Holidays. I was extremely fortunate to
be given Paralio Astros to look after. I was sole rep in the resort for the
summer, and I loved every minute. In fact, I had such a good time, I was back there again for summer
2006, and again in 2007! I am the first rep
to do more than one summer in Paralio Astros, so they were surprised when I
turned up again in 2006, and it was a real bonus to be there for a third year. I
have decided, however, to retire from repping, and you won't be seeing me pedalling round the resort any more.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my customers for filling in your Customer Service Questionnaires at the end of your holidays. I was going for 100% in 2007, and would you believe that the very last customer on the very last day of the season said no? It's like a Persian carpet - it can't be perfect! I still think that getting 99.8% must be some sort of record. Can I also thank you for all the nominations for ABCDs. I received bronze and silver awards during the season, and had three outstanding nominations at the end of the season. I have tried hard to find out what happened to these, but despite several emails to MyTravel/Thomas Cook I haven't had so much as a squeak from them, which is jolly disappointing. I was really hoping to get the gold!
Paralio Astros is the beach resort of a village called Astros. It is in Arkadia, which is on the east of the Peloponnese. It is hardly touched by tourists from the UK, but is a popular place for Greeks who have holiday apartments there. There is a fair amount of building still going on, but it is for Greeks not Brits, so it isn't turning into another British enclave like Stoupa or Tolo.
There are two beaches, one sandier than the other. These, along with the resort as a whole, get busy in July and August when the Greeks are all on holiday, but at the start and end of the season, you have them to yourself. There is a charming shopping street with shops selling everything you might need. The shops are open in the morning and evening - everyone stops for a siesta in the afternoon. There is a pretty square overlooking the harbour where you can sit and watch the world go by, and there are plenty of places to eat. Here you can get authentic Greek food, not what a Greek person thinks an English person wants! There is an ancient castle on the hill (the 'Nisi') and the climb is definitely worth it for the lovely views.
You are probably aware that there were big fires in the Peloponnese in August 2007. These devastated a very large area. It was heartbreaking seeing the beautiful mountains blackened for kilometre after kilometre. In September, and up to the end of the season, I collected money from customers and friends, and raised a wonderful 1000 euros. I handed this over to the priest in the neighbouring village, with the promise that the money would be used to buy olive trees for the people in the area around Derveni, a small village that I passed through every Sunday on the airport transfer. When I get news of the planting, I will post it here.
Click on a picture to make it bigger.
 The main shopping street |
 Looking back from the harbour |
 Looking towards the Nisi from the town beach |
 The castle |
 Paralio Astros from the Nisi |
 View of the beach from the castle |
 The Square |
 Sunrise over the harbour |
 Looking over the olive groves towards Astros |
If you would like to meet some of the fine folks of Paralio Astros, click here.
