Boat House

The Boat House Restaurant in Kamari (Tel. + 30 22860 33789) intrigued me since it is set literally under huge Almira trees along the beach of Kamari. It's setting in the cool shade drew me in one day when the temperatures reached 98 F and I was drawn in like a moth to a flame (yes, I meant to use that analogy). I got a seat under the huge tree and quickly learned that aphids lived in it, so I spent my lunch brushing them off me.

I ordered a glass of wine and the huge 8 oz. glass that was served proved to be the standard for ALL restaurants; considering that the wine is local and costs 5 Euros a glass ($7), this is less expensive than ordering a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, which usually cost MORE!


Since it was so hot and I was craving more Santorini tomatos, I ordered a tomato salad and got a bowl of plain cut up tomatoes. Olive oil and vinegar were put on the table along with salt and peppper (as is the custom here, salad dressings are a do it yourself affair). Simple, but fresh and good.


I wanted something light, so I ordered the grilled calamari, which was gigantic. Unfortunately as large as this dish was, the meat of the calamari was not as tender as it could have been and the tentacles were completely overcooked to the point of being tough. After a few bites of the squid, I gave up and ate some of the very decent fries.


The best part of this place was definitely the view, which can be had anywhere along the 5 mile stretch of Kamari. The Boat House taught me not to succumb to the heat and stop for shade in the first shady spot, because good food doesn't always come out of shady kitchens. Thankfully many other restaurants are wonderful along this same stretch of beach, so there was no need to settle for mediocre when there are great places like Almira and Nichteri (post coming soon) just steps away.