Have just arrived back from the MOST amazing Holiday ever!!
As I looked out at the sea on that last evening, although slightly intoxicated, I couldn't help but hold my breath at the pure beauty of the moons reflection on the water's surface. The area is just truly magical, and the hotels surroundings were stunning!!!
A whole week surrounded by views of the sea, the mountains and blissful silence.
We left at 2.30am on Wednesday and traveled to Bournemouth Airport. Both myself and Ed felt extremely tired but were way too excited to sleep! We had that Holiday feeling that I'm sure most of you have experienced before. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time, so I had a lovely pot of tea whilst Ed had a coffee (Euggghhh). We then did the usual check in, border control and through to the terminals ... We had enough time to get some water for the plane, use the toilet and have some Breakfast, however Ed had other ideas and instead of getting food we wasted £15 on the Fruit Machines ... not the best idea ever. By the time the machines had robbed us, it was time to board the plane and prepare ourselves for a 4 and a half hour flight (and some food - I was starving by this time!!). After lots of napping and reading we landed in Rhodes, sped through departures and got onto our transfer which was supposed to take 50 minutes to the hotel. 2 hours later we finally arrived feeling extremely hot, hungry and thirsty (and a little travel sick). But the moment we walked into the hotel and saw the views we had forgotten everything and felt immediately relaxed.
After checking in and unpacking in our lovely room with a HUGE balcony, we headed to the pool bar.
Here we began making the most of our All Inclusive option. After 5 beers and conversations with another couple that had just arrived, we went for a dip in the pool and got ready for the evening. Once all dressed up we went for food, made full use of the free drinks and then headed to the local town of Pefkos for some cheeky cocktails and a bit of a boogie.
The next morning, we didn't exactly wake up feeling refreshed - however this wasn't just due to the alcohol and late night - during the middle of the night, I had woken up with a burning sensation on my arm ... Ed wasn't much help in the panic I was feeling due to being in a dream state and tearing the covers off me and shouting random numbers, but a massive burn mark had appeared on my arm (even now we have no idea what might have caused this and it is still just as painful but has now scabbed over). Despite this unexplained event, we spent the whole of the day relaxing by the pool and on the beach - we felt completely chilled. In the evening the hotel was hosting a Greek night - what a laugh! Lots of traditional Greek music and dancing with the family owners of the hotel. We both got involved in all the dancing, including the dance for men only (which involved the son of the owner whipping the blokes with his belt whilst they did dirty dance moves) and the women having to dance in a circle whilst each took turns dancing on a table in the centre. The Greek night allowed us to get to know the owners and thus made our holiday that little extra special and enjoyable!!
The following day we had another morning relaxing by the pool and then went for a stroll to Lardos beach and back to Pefkos (around an hour and a half worth of walking in 35 degree heat). We chose some excursions for the week and also had a fish foot spa - 20 minutes of little fish nibbling at the skin on your feet is a weird but relaxing sensation, I would definitely recommend it. That evening we chose to relax in the bar, looking out at the sea and playing Pool and cards.
Now half way through our holiday, we woke early on the Saturday to go to the Water Park! What a fantastic day this was - lots of water, slides, heights, adrenaline and fun. We started off small as my fears were kicking in, but after descending the Black Hole and the Raft in double rings, I had become brave again. We then went on some of the steeper rides and I spent half of the day screaming! As well as all of these big slides, we raced each other a few times down the mat slides and went on a big bouncing water bubble. We chose our favourite slides to go on one last time before the bus picked us up and then had another evening of chilling in the bar with the magical views.
The Sunday was just as exciting and adventurous - this day I achieved one of my dreams (the main purpose for this blog)! We went SCUBA DIVING!!! If you have never done this before then I highly recommend you try it. We were talked through the safety brief and the different exercises we would have to complete in the water before we could venture further down, by the time we drove to the bay in Lindos I had butterflies in my stomach (a mixture of excitement and nerves). We were the second group to enter the water so had an hour relaxing on the beach looking up at the views of the Acropolis - Beautiful! Then it was our turn. We put our wetsuits, masks and flippers on and got strapped into the gear. We then practiced breathing to check our equipment was working and swam out into the middle of the bay. I was the first to be pushed under the water and was panicking slightly that I couldn't breathe properly and forgot one of the rules to equalize (pop your ears) as you swam further down, so had to bring myself back up and start again. Then we ran through each exercise and after passing this, swam deeper down into the bay. The whole experience was incredible! You feel as though it is just you, floating in the water, viewing all the gorgeous rocks and wildlife (I spotted a multi-coloured fish which was so stunning up close). The only bad thing I could say about Scuba Diving is the silence and tranquility being over when you come back up to the surface. What an amazing experience - will definitely do the PADI qualification one day to be able to enjoy that feeling all the time. Once this amazing dream was over, myself and Ed chose to miss the bus back and walk through the lovely town of Lindos and walk to the top of the Acropolis which holds the temple of the Goddess Athena. This whole day was absolutely magical - achieving a dream, having the most wonderful experience and walking through the history and culture in Rhodes! The only down point was waiting in the heat for nearly an hour for a bus that never turned up - luckily the Greek taxi drivers are nice and friendly and we laughed about the whole experience. When we finally arrived back at the hotel, we had a few hours relaxing by the pool before the evening antics - Karaoke!!! Although I know I can sing a little, the idea of singing in front of people is extremely nerve wracking. But after Ed sang quite possibly the worst Karaoke ever, my confidence and alcohol intake had increased slightly. The whole night was so enjoyable and I managed to be brave enough to do two solos and a duet with Ed.
The next two days were spent relaxing at the hotel - swimming in the pool and the sea, reading, sunbathing, playing cards, beating Ed at pool, chatting to the people we had met and drinking and eating lots!! The final evening we went for a yummy traditional Greek meal - which consisted of a Massive Mythos (Greek Beer), my favourite Greek meal (Kleftiko) and the best cheesecake I have ever tasted! We ended the evening by playing a few games of pool (I won every game) and lots more drinks in the bar with the people we had met!
Now I'm back to that last evening - looking out on the reflection of the moon on the sea, tears in my eyes and the biggest smile on my face! That is what true happiness feels like.
If you ever get the chance to go to Rhodes - then definitely try to stay in the Hotel Ilyssion in Pefkos as it is magical.
I have a lot of loves and passions in life and am a BIG dreamer (hence this blog).
Loves: My boyfriend My friends My family (including my dogs) Dancing Singing Reading Writing Working with Children Animals (Mainly doggies) Sensation seeking - new adventures Fitness - running, exercises Travelling The sea, fields and Mountains Walking Golf Food - Roast Dinner/Steak Drinks - Cups of tea (A new found love), Hot Chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, Smoothies, Flavoured Cider Places - Greece, Devon Allowing time for my inner child :)
When I was a child I had 3 main dreams: 1.Skydive 2.Bungee Jump 3.Hot Air Balloon
However, as time has gone on my dreams have grown and I live my life by the idea of trying everything once and doing anything that makes you happy!!!
I am a very determined and hard working person - I always strive to achieve my best in life!! I have studied a Degree in Psychology (I find human behaviour fascinating) and am now going on to train to be a Teacher of Citizenship (Humanities) and eventually wish to become a Counselling Psychologist.
My one aim is to live life to the full and be happy - This blog is so I can share these experiences and dreams that help me enjoy every moment of life!!!