Looking Cool at Dinner

Finally settling in and doing some sightseeing, having some meals out (we are already tired of Greek food actually and going to likely brave it and try the one Chinese restaurant…) and enjoying our villa pool.

Enjoying the Villa Pool

We drove by to see the villa we were supposed to have had yesterday.  Fantastic view, nice garden.  Didn’t get inside though but it looked really nice and was in an area where we could have walked to a few things (shops, restaurants, beach).  So it was  a bit disappointing.  However, our villa is more private so we are looking on the bright side.

Old Town Rhodes

Since Nanna has been here we have done quite a bit of sightseeing.  We got to visit the Old Town of Rhodes and hit the weekly farmer’s market on Saturday in Rhodes Town (always a highlight of any trip I go on being a “foodie”).  I think we were the only non-Greeks at the market which was a lot of fun.  The Old Town is absolutely amazing and definitely something to see.  We hear that it is a lot like the old walled city of Dubrovnick so we are looking forward to that.

Justin and I were even able to go out for a few drinks in Lindos (a World Heritage site and very pretty) after we put Stella down to bed.  Nanna kept an eye on Stella which was nice.  It was great to take some time for just the two of us.  As parents I think it’s really important to nurture your marriage once children arrive.  Happy parents make for happy children.

Nanna and Stella driving the boat

We rounded out the sightseeing by renting a boat and after we dropped Nanna at the airport on Tuesday we circumnavigated the island and visited some more

Kamiros Ruins

ruins and Embona (the wine producing region).  The drive on the west coast was very nice and very different in topography (mountains and a lot of pine trees).

Lindos Acropolis

Justin and I are getting caught up on work which is nice but still enjoying ourselves.

Now, since this is a baby travel tips blog I must share some more insights.

Here are a few of my packing tips for traveling to the beach with baby (you will find others throughout the blog):

1.  Tons of sunblock.  I try to get organic/all natural as possible as babies are so small and all the chemicals in other sunblocks are quite harsh.  Of course, you can always pick up more sunblock at your destination no matter how remote, in most cases.

2.  Sunhats, swimmers (non-disposable), sunshirt:  Anything to protect baby from the sun.  I also have a great muslin blanket that is great for keeping the sun off of a sleeping baby.  I am not a fan of the disposable siwmmers as they are just another pile in the landfills.  I have now found that the reuseable swimmers you can find at Target and just about anwyhere else these days are fine.  They keep “everything in” and you can reuse them (saving precious packing space and the environment).  A word of caution here though is that I have heard that some resorts REQUIRE disposable swimmers and a swimsuit over top.  Enquire with the place you are staying first if you are concerned with this.

3.  Beach toys, umbrella, raft, life jacket, etc.:  If you are flying you can likely pick all of these things up when you get there and pretty inexpensively (again though, if you have it, bring it I guess so as not to increase the plastic waste buy buying new…you can always hit a second hand store for these sort of things at your destinations, some are easier to find than others.  I actually bought a table cloth at a charity shop in Marlow to use as a play blanket for Stella on the trip).  And if you are lucky your resort, condo or house may already have them.  Ask before you go.

4.  All natural bug spray if you are going to a climate with nasty bugs and where you will not speak the language (harder to find mild sprays in another language).  I also try not to put this directly on Stella but rather we wear it (I don’t even like wearing the harsh stuff on myself or Justin as it always rubs off on Stella) and put it on her stroller, etc.  I have also heard that some people place a lady bug pen on the baby’s stroller which is suppossed to keep bugs away.  We are having a terrible time with “buzzy bees” at our villa and are desperate for any recommendations on how to keep them away.

5.  Baby toiletries:  most you can buy at your destination but if your baby has sensitive skin bring some from home.  I also sometimes use Stella’s toiletries myself as they are great for dry skin and saves me transporting a lot of toiletries.  Baby sunblock is all you need as well.  No real need to buy adult and child unless you plan to do a lot of water sports then you’ll want something that is waterproof for yourself.