Deja Vu?

When I worked as an excursion escort, I had lots of conversations with guests about their holiday habits. Sometimes they'd say,"We never go to the same place twice. The world's just too big, and we only have so much time." Others would say, "We've been to Rhodes (for example) eleven times, and we love it."

Over the forty-plus years or so that I've been either coming to Greece, or actually living here, I've come across people just about everywhere I've gone that say the latter. Whether it's Skiathos, Thassos or Poros. Kefallonia, Corfu or Symi, you always come across those who came there many years earlier, then just kept coming back, year after year, sometimes several times in one season. Of course, here on Rhodes there are loads like that too, which includes those who eventually make the move and, of course, they move to their favourite destination. When you talk to such folk, they'll always swear that their chosen favourite is simply the best place on the planet, and that's why they wouldn't go anywhere else.

Call me a little blunt here, but those types are often, to me, manifesting a fear of trying something different. They're worried that if they go somewhere new, then it won't measure up to what they've already experienced. Maybe they feel that, if it doesn't go so well, then they'll have wasted some hard-earned cash. I can understand that, but, in my experience, you never lose by trying something new. 

That's not to say that there isn't some value in repeat visits to a favourite resort. I often agreed with my guests that, whichever way they saw it, their viewpoint had some merit, but that neither was entirely correct. For example, if you go back to somewhere you've holidayed before, you do tend to settle in much quicker. If you only go for one week, it can often take most of your time discovering your favourite restaurant, bar, beach or bakery. Then, just when you've settled in, you have to go home. If, though, you're making a repeat visit, you settle in much quicker and thus it seems that the time goes that little bit slower. It feels like you've been there longer and so that feeling of relaxation kicks in faster.

I suppose the above reasoning is why me and the better half have held the policy for years now of going back somewhere at least once more, before perhaps moving on to pastures new. Thus, the reason for this ramble. In May we're going back to Patmos. We went there last April (blog posts: Rhodes-Patmos, The Voyage, Do We Know That Person?, Patmos People, Plants - Two Different Kinds, Room Service, or Room to Breathe?, An Affirmation of Sorts, Did You Hear the One About?, The Walk Up to Kampos, Whatever Gets You Through and, finally Patmos, the Verdict. I did write rather a lot about the place didn't I), and I can't wait.

The lovely lady who runs the modest accommodation where we stayed has agreed the same price per night as last year, which we thought was very kind because we're going a full month later this time. Plus, and here's a tip I should pass on if you're going island hopping in this chain, the Dodecanese islands, I enrolled for my Dodekanisos "Bonus" card, which gives you discount off all bookings as soon as you're enrolled, which is a very quick and efficient process, all done on-line.

So, expect more gushing reports come May about that most unspoilt of Aegean Islands, plus maybe one or two nearby ones as well. Now that me and her indoors are people of leisure, we can go when the season's well and truly up and running, which should mean there could be the occasional knees-up with some live music, plus more opportunities to take day-trips to other places as the boats will be running this time.

Plus, of course, having already been, we know where we like to eat, where our favourite bakery is (three minutes walk from our apartment) and where to enjoy our late evening glass of Mastika before retiring to bed for the night.

Should feel like we've been there ages after only a day or two.