Parga Holiday Review

If you are thinking of taking a holiday in Greece but have no idea as to whereabouts in this beautiful country to go then Parga is an absolutely wonderful place to start.

A small town nestling in the mountainsides of the Greek mainland it consists of beautiful coves and inlets with turquoise, blue seas that are as clear as crystal with small sandy, pebbly beaches that offer a privacy and tranquility beyond belief.

There is also a larger, busier beach called Valtos Beach that epitomizes everybody's idea of paradise with golden sands flanked by green, olive tree covered mountains and slopes that are overlooked by the impressive ruins of an 11th century castle.

A Parga holiday somehow effortlessly provides you with everything that you need but has still kept that unique, traditional Greek feel about it with the local people giving you such a warm welcome with ready smiles and friendly waves you are put at ease and feel immediately at home in this beautiful part of Greece.

If you had any misgivings about personal safety they will instantly disappear and if you are a lone traveler then Parga does not feel in any way intimidating and feels very safe.

Another holiday concern can be about food but Parga restaurants cater for even the pickiest of eaters and you would be very hard pressed not to find something to suit your taste buds here.

There are wonderful tavernas offering mouth watering, traditional Greek cuisine with fresh, juicy tasting produce such as Greek salads piled high with creamy, delicious feta cheese, plump olives and the sweetest tomatoes and most succulent cucumber you are ever likely to taste.

For the meat lovers you have souvlaki made of either chicken or pork threaded onto a skewer, cooked to perfection and served with chips, or rice and more often than not with both.

It would not be right to forget moussaka amongst all the amazing dishes that are available and the Greek people certainly do their cuisine justice here.

There are plenty of small friendly tavernas situated around the harbor and you can sit outside drinking coffee and eating sweet pastries during the day to watch the small sailing boats gently drifting in and out of the harbor or just take in the beautiful scenery in these relaxing surroundings.

By night, the castle is lit up and presides ever watchful as you sit and enjoy cocktails or a long cool beer together with your food, whatever you choose.

You can wander through up through the back streets where you will find tavernas nestled in the most unexpected places.

The food in these places is just as good, if not better value for money at least as, you often find you will pay less than down on the harbor where you are paying towards the view.

If you are just looking for snacks then one of the local favorites is something called gyros which is moist, freshly baked pitta bread stuffed with slivers of lamb, salad, taztsiki and chips (yes chips) and then folded which is absolutely delicious.

Also, the bakeries you will find have wonderful pastries both sweet and savory all of which are bad for the waistline but worth every mouthful for sure.

Whether you choose to eat formally and sit down at a table or just eat on the go the portions are generous and prices reasonable.

Also, if you stop for a coffee or a beer you will often be presented with of meze which vary from place to place but are plates full of feta cheese, olives, bread, salami type sausage or perhaps butter beans (this is just a small selection of the type of thing to expect) just to accompany your drink which is just fantastic as it just keeps coming every time you buy a drink.

There is plenty of accommodation to choose from in Parga with hotels such as the Alfa Hotel Parga (run by the friendly Dimakos family) providing a cool relaxing environment for you to kick back and relax in, a wonderful terraced area around a crystal clear pool with plenty of sun beds and umbrellas, a pool side snack bar serving very tasty and reasonably priced snacks and bar type meals.

Air conditioned large comfortable double, twin or family rooms with fresh towels every day, and balcony area, safe, fridge, satellite TV and hair dryer come as standard.

Attached to the Alfa Hotel is the 5 Senses Restaurant which offers beautifully cooked food in a light, airy atmosphere with your complimentary ouzo during and a lacquer at the end of your meal, you have no need to ever leave the complex if you did not want too, just wonderful.

There is even a supermarket less than 3 minutes walk away should you need any provisions and two further restaurants less than 5 minutes away, both with a great selection of value for money meals.

Parga weather is just stunning and if you want to escape to clear blue skies with hardly a cloud to be seen and plenty of sun then, from the beginning of May through to the end of October you can enjoy everything Pargas climate has to offer (just remember your sun screen as the July and august temperatures especially are very hot).

If I had to sum up Parga then I think I would have to say it is like a paradise island, only it is on mainland Greece.

Parga is without a shadow of a doubt one of the top places in Greece that I have stayed in and if you have not tried this wonderful resort on the Greek mainland then you are missing out on a wonderful opportunity to experience a perfect holiday.

From speaking to other people at the resort and from personal experience I found that once you visit you get bitten by the bug and it becomes a firm favorite with everyone as one of the top places in Greece for them to visit too.

A sleepy harbor town that comes alive in the summer months you find old school Greek traditions mingling with 21st Century technology with tavernas serving wonderful Greek specialties next to internet cafes and cocktail bars.

The real beauty of Parga has to be its versatility and adaptability to cater for the visitor and you get that sense of ancient history and times gone by whilst enjoying awe inspiring natural surroundings and being very well fed and watered. CONT:

I have several Greek Statues situated throughout my home, ranging from cold cast resin with a marble finish to bronze, onyx and alabaster. They are not only stunning and dynamic but also add a real theme and Greek feel.

CONT: Nestling at the base of the Pindos mountain range the town spreads up the slopes and you find a real labyrinth of alleyways with shops, bars and tavernas waiting for you at every turn. It really is very quaint and makes for a bit of an adventure every time you go out with little treasures to be found not just to buy as gifts (or things for yourself) but to eat and drink too.

The scenery is truly breathtaking and with the ruins of a 14th Century Venetian castle guarding the entrance to the harbor the views from the battlements are simply stunning and a photographers dream.

If you love a bit of a challenge and enjoy walking then, with the fantastic coastal paths taking you through olive groves and past other ancient ruins along the way and then onto small sandy coves then you are in for a real treat with so much to discover for yourself.

Such energetic walks will mean that you need to refuel frequently and there is plenty of opportunity for you to do this and whether you want a full blown meal or just a drink then there are plenty of places for you to choose from. (That said you could always take advantage of the fresh, local produce at the supermarkets and pack a picnic).

As a package, Parga has to be one of the top places in Greece to stay it really does have everything you could wish for sun, sea, sand and scenery all in abundance.

Just looking at my Parga photos gives me such a feeling of immense satisfaction and pleasure not just from the fact of having taken them and being there to do it but from the fact that never has it more true than the old saying that the camera never lies.

What do I mean by that? Taking holiday pictures you will always have great mementos of time spent in your holiday destination and obviously that is the whole idea but there seems to be something very unique about the Parga photos, they are not just pictures and have such a life and soul about them the likes of which I have never experienced in a photo before.

The colors are so vivid that I am transported back in an instant to the wonderful sights and smells that greeted me when I first arrived, such as the delicately scented orange blossom on the evening air and delicious food being prepared and cooked.

Not just that but the views and scenery that are just so breathtaking when you are there and taking it all in and capturing the moment really seem to come alive in your photos when you look at them.

The turquoise blues of the sea and the crystal clear waters, the golden yellow of the sand on the beaches and especially the contrasting greens on the olive covered slopes of the mountains and hills that surround the resort itself.

Parga really is a photographers dream, it is so pleasing to the eye and makes it so easy to take awesome images, I especially love the way that you can take loads of shots of the same view and yet it is so different depending on the weather, light and time of day you never tire of snapping away.

I think that the most satisfying thing has to be the fact that you really get to capture the essence of Parga itself, you can feel that the ancient history, mythology and traditions are there just under the surface of everyday life and you can see it so vividly in your pictures.

Having such diverse opportunities for photos in one place is simply awesome if you are going to be behind a lens and with just simple subjects like brightly coloured flowers against the stark white of buildings you really get to appreciate the beauty of nature in a whole new way.

I really feel that my Parga photos are much more than holiday snaps and give a pretty good idea of what Parga is about without actually visiting...

The Amazon Kindle 6 or 9 inch is a great companion for any holiday, it really saves carrying around unnecessary weight in your cases, all you need is the Amazon Kindle, that's it...

Thank you for visiting my Parga Holiday lens which I hope you found enjoyable. Please post your comments and remarks below.

P.S.

Thinking of taking a Greek - Greece Holiday? Then don't forget your Greek Music!