When we arrive at the pension, Ms. Petros greets us from the reception desk. Behind her, I notice gracefully painted murals throughout the hotel lobby and around the spa. I recognize most of them as reproductions of the Akrotiri wall paintings. Their daughter shows us to our room. Running this pension is a real family affair. She tells us that Internet WiFi is included in the price and provides the password. Through the guide books, we had heard WiFi was ubiquitous in Greece, but that has not been our experience in the inexpensive hotels. She also informs us that for a few euros more, we can have a larger, quieter room with views, in the rear of the hotel.

We follow our host up the steps at the far end of the pension and across the private terrace of the new room. A partial view of the island, complete with a blue domed church and the sea just beyond, is visible from up here. Opening the door, tiled floors welcome us inside. Stepping around a small single bed near the door, I see a spacious, full poster bed sitting along the opposite wall. I call dibs on the poster bed. Just beyond it, on the far wall, a shuttered window opens up to a partial view of the countryside. This room is more than we bargained for and well worth the extra euros. Now settled in the best room we’ve had yet, I can relax. Greece has real old-world charm, and I feel that we will be well cared for by a Greek family.