July 2024

Thoughts. 

Post Bulgaria, we had a little time. Because we are crazy – and because we have a fabulous Greek goddess in our life, Liz, giving us tips – it led to a road trip through the northern coast of Greece. David and I visited the Greek Islands years ago, and had a mental picture of what it would look like. But this little slice of vacationland was totally different: off the radar, fewer crowds and incredibly cheap.

We started in Kavala, a good jumping off place for a few days. Day 1 we hit the “famous” Ammolofoi beach, and Day 2 we took a fun / chaotic / ferry to Thassos Island and visited a little beach hamlet. From there we drove to the Halkidiki area – one of the three “sleeves” in northern Greece.

I appreciated the organized beach bars in all of the towns, with chairs, wicker umbrellas and full service happy hour at the ready. Every place was comfortable, cozy, welcoming and not an inch of stuffiness. These are family resorts for Greeks who want to relax. I’m so glad we went.  

Stay. 

• Nowhere of note. Infinite Airbnbs and hotels. 

Eat.

• To Araliki / Kavala. On this day we decided as a family we could eat Greek food every day for the rest of our lives. This big statement is coupled with a controversial one: the Bulgarian shopska salad beats out the traditional Greek one every time! 
• Lemomidis Mpogatsa / Kavala. The day we discovered Bougatsa – essentially Greek breakfast pie – it was all over. We went daily to this tiny bakery for the flaky cream and feta filled pies.
• 1901 Old Town Cafe / Kavala. Found a fun wine bar to play Phase 10 around 7pm with every variety of negroni so I had to love it. When we walked by later at 10pm, it was a REALLY fun wine bar where one would definitely not play Phase 10. Cute spot, nice waiters. 
• Taverna Tra Tria Pitharia / Nea Paramos. Super family friendly tavern directly on the water. If you fell off your seat you would fall in. Clearly this made the souvlaki, fresh fish, tzatziki, eggplant, salads and 5 Euro pitches of wine taste even better. 
• Taverna Pirofani / Sarti. Lots of Greeks “lined” up for dinner only added to the fun. One of my favorite family dinners just for the people watching.  
• Bokeh / Vourvourou. Compared to everything else we ate in Greece, it was expensive but had a super hipster hotel vibe on the water. Good stop on the way to Sarti.

Play

• Ammolofoi Beach / Kavala. Maybe 2 miles of beach bars, water sports, and a crystal clear sea, complete with a water jungle gym and water slide paddle boats. Great day. We preferred the first set of daytime beach bars over the second set; less club music / crowds.   
• Potos Beach / Thassos. Cozy, artsy beach town on the island. But mostly, just taking the ferry to see an underdeveloped island was a cool experience.
• Beach Arcades / Every Beach! All the arcades all the time. Turns out Greeks like air hockey too. And, miniature cars for kids to drive.