Secret Café - a place for great coffee, parties, and fun times!

Secret Café is a really nice coffee bar located in Pyrgos, Santorini. I've been coming here for almost two years, to enjoy my morning coffee, relax before my working day, and lately to actually work and bring to you all this blogs.

I would like to dedicate this blog to Secret Café, as I believe it is a pity to visit Santorini and not pop in to this place for a morning coffee or an evening drink.

Secret Café's owner is Katerina, a cheerful and incredibly positive person. She always dreamed of opening her own coffee shop, and she made her dream come true in 2013. Ever since, she's been making everyone's day brighter with her smile and good coffee. She really loves what she does, and pours her soul into it, which really shows in her work.

When entering this place, you will be welcome with a heartwarming smile. The interior of the place is cozy, warm, and it perfectly reflects the amazing character of the owner. All over the walls, you can find writings from the people who visited the place over the years, which adds a beautiful touch to the place. You are of course welcome to leave your own mark on the wall, if you feel like it.

The view from Secret Café does not lack beauty as well. Pyrgos Village, where the café is located, is the highest village of Santorini. Because Secret Café is located in the outskirts of the village, it offers the amazing views of the caldera, and the close by islands when the sky is clear. The view is not restricted with the caldera. You can also enjoy the view of Akrotiri, which is equally breathtaking as the cliffside of Santorini.

Apart from the tasty coffees and great atmosphere of the place, it is also a great location for parties. In Secret Café, you can have any type of party you like: birthday parties, name day parties, divorce parties, hen parties, just a party for a good time! You can choose between a public party, a semi-private party, and a completely private party. Beside the affordable prices, you are guaranteed to have the time of your life when hosting your party at Secret Café.

When asking her why someone who owned a coffee shop decided to host parties as well, her answer was "I like parties! I like listening to music, I like dancing and having fun, and if I can offer all those things to other people, it makes me even happier. I also believe that dancing is an important part of life, because it makes you feel free, it helps you express yourself and forget about your daily problems. As dancing is always part of a party, hosting parties at Secret Café is my way of giving people one more excuse to dance!".

Katerina's moto is "Be yourself and leave your dream!" and she really lives by those words.

When you visit Santorini next time, make sure to come to Pyrgos and enjoy a cup of coffee at Secret Café!

Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you a lovely day!

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Ideas for a post-divorce rejuvenation trip in Santorini!

Photographer: Christos Trigas - http://www.clickbychristos.com/

Santorini is a beautiful island and a lot of people come here to relax, enjoy the views, enjoy the food, and have fun in general. Although the island is famous for weddings, this does not mean that you shouldn't come here to "shake off" any negativity left from your divorce. Gather up with your close friends, and organize a nice trip to Santorini to start your new life on a positive note.

Why choose Santorini for your divorce healing process, and why host a divorce party on the island as well? The main reason, is that Santorini perfectly combines relaxing holidays with party holidays. Whether you wish to spend your holidays by the pool with a cocktail in your hand and a good book, eating at nice restaurants, going to spas and having massages, or you want to party every night and engage in fun activities, Santorini offers both.

Yes, Santorini is so great indeed!

Wine tastings:

Santorini is really famous for its wines, this is the reason for the big number of wineries on the island. Some wineries are located on the caldera, others on the sea side of the island. When visiting Santorini, arrange with your friends to have a wine tour at one of Santorini's wineries, for some wine tasting and to learn the history of wine making.

My two favorite wineries are the KoutsogiannopoulosWinery in Mesaria and the Venetsanos Winery in Megalochori.

Koutsogiannopoulos Winery has an amazing museum, which takes you to a journey of Santorini's wine making history, combined with wine tasting after the tour. Venetsanos Winery, which is located on the cliffs of the caldera, also has a nice museum to visit. Afterwards, you can stay for the wine tasting, while enjoying the amazing view the winery offers.

Have a tour to both wineries and enjoy the famous wines of Santorini.

Spa & Massage:

Massages and spa treatments are known to relax both body and soul. Santorini has a number of different spa centers, and most of the hotels offer massages to their guests. One of the first things you should do upon arriving on the island, is having a spa day, to relax after the journey and to begin your rejuvenating Santorini visit with positive energy.

Don't forget to visit one of the fish spa that Santorini has. This will surely be an experience to remember! Also, it is especially important to keep your feet in good health with all the dancing and walking that is to take place on the island!

Activities:

Beside the views, the wine, the spas, Santorini also has a lot of fun activities to do. Rent quad bikes, for example, and have a tour around the island. Go from one end of the island to the other, and enjoy the amazing scenery.

Go horse riding in Akrotiri to add some adventure to your rejuvenation trip. Horses are known to have therapeutic properties for your body and your mind. Agree, you might be a bit sore after the ride, but believe me when I say, that you will recharge your excitement batteries to the full!

Enjoy a day at the beach with water sports! Visit Perissa beach. Go parasailing, go on a water bike ride, go on a jet ski ride on the caldera. If you are not a water sport type, then go to cycling tour! Create new, fun memories and experiences.

Divorce Party:

So, you've been at the wineries, had your spa treatments, when horse riding and to your jet ski ride. It's time to party! Here are some things you might find helpful.

Fira is the party center of the island, as most of the clubs and bars are located there. If you wish to spend a night partying at the clubs, then Fira is the perfect location for you. Fira has mostly mainstream bars, so if you are into that kind of music, you will be at right spot.

If you wish to party by the beach, then go to Perissa or Kamari. There, you can find bars that play mainstream music, rock music, rock n' roll, reggae, Greek music. Music for all the tastes! During summer, there are also a lot of live bands playing in the bars, so you if you wish to listen to some live music, you most certainly be able to find what you wish for.

In case you desire to have a private, all night divorce party, or a semi-private house-party style celebration, then go to Secret Café in Pyrgos. Should you wish to have a quiet divorce party with your really close friends, its cozy upper floor area will make you feel at home. If you want to have a grand celebration, then you can rent the whole place, and party all night long!

Upper floor of Secret Cafe in Pyrgos

Santorini is a truly a calming island, and it will surely help you heal after a divorce. If you are worrying that seeing all those brides around the island will bring bitter memories, then you shouldn't. On the contrary, being at a such a romantic place might actually help you wake up all those feelings and dreams about love, so that you will be ready again to meet with your true other half.

If you wish to organize your own an post-divorce rejuvenation trip to Santorini, feel free to email me for ideas!

As always, thank you very much for reading and I wish you a lovely day!


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Divorce parties - general thoughts.

In this blog I would like to talk about divorce parties. Divorce parties are still considered to be a contradictory subject, even though they are becoming more and more popular as time passes by. It also might sound weird for a wedding planner to speak of such a subject. I love organizing any types of celebrations and parties, and I personally find the idea of a divorce party to be a good way to celebrate the beginning of a new life.

I don't believe there are people out there, who would dream about their divorce and anticipate it. Unfortunately, not everyone of us have the luck of meeting their "one and only" on the first try, moreover to marry him or her. Sometimes people get married too young, too soon, too excited to actually see who they are marrying. Sometimes circumstances lead to a loving couple separating. Whatever the reason for a divorce might be, it is not a pleasant time for those getting it. This is why, when the time a right, a divorce party is a good way to leave the bitterness of the separation behind.

In my opinion, a divorce party is a great way to celebrate the transaction into your new life. It is not mean, it is not shallow, it is not meaningless. The same way we could celebrate our leaving from a job we hated, or that we finally decided to move from a house that didn't quite suit us, celebrating the end of an unhappy marriage is a great way to start your new life on a happy note.

Divorce parties are not meant to get nasty about your ex spouse, say bad things about him or her, burn his or her stuff and be generally mean to a person you used to love and be in love with. It is meant to have a good time with close friends, and even family, if they don't mind attending such a party. It is a reason to have fun, dance, create positive memories to replace the sad ones.

As I see it, a divorce party is not a way to get over your ex spouse, but a way to celebrate that you have finally gotten over him or her and ready to start your new life. I don't believe it is a good idea to make the party a week after you decided to separate, as you probably won't feel really excited at that point. As a rule, break ups are followed by sad thoughts, a reminiscing of the love you used to have. Taking all those negative emotions and mixing them up with alcohol consumption, will most probably have disastrous results. As mentioned above, the divorce party is meant to celebrate your new life, not cry over the life you used to have. Better wait until you are over the break up to throw such a party.

Some divorces end in good terms, and the ex-spouses remain good friends. Just because you couldn't make it as husband and wife, it does not mean you shouldn't stay good friends. If this is your case, and if you both feel comfortable with it, you could even have the divorce party together. This way you will be able to show your common friends that you are in good terms, and that there won't be a reason for them to feel weird when hanging out with either of you.

It is not a good idea to have your children attending the party, regardless of their age. Even if you ended up your marriage in perfectly good terms with your ex spouse, it is still a traumatic experience for your children and they won't understand this celebration. Arrange for them to stay at their grandparents or any other relative, and have fun without them.

To sum up, I believe that divorce parties are a good way to celebrate your new life, and a good excuse to have a fun evening full of positive emotions and memories after a sad period of your life Have a gathering with friends at your house, go to nice club, or even organize a nice trip to a country you like, to make it even more fun. Live your life to the fullest, and don't let bad moments ruin your future.

I would be really interested in learning your opinion on the matter, so feel free to comment or send me an email expressing your thoughts on divorce parties.

In Thursday's post I will share some ideas on how you could "shake-off" your divorce in Santorini and start your new life feeling fresh and happy.

Thank you for reading, and I wish you a lovely day! 

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