Nightlife
in Sifnos
The Old Captain in
Kamares
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Whether
you want to sit in the courtyard
watching the lights of the harbor and
the incoming ferry, or you want to sit
inside and be entertained by Captain
Lefteris and his partner Tony, the Old
Captain is the happening place on the
island. (Both of them played a role in
the legend of the
Sifnos
Monster
.) |
The old
Captain is where I began my career as
a folk singer in 1984 when I shared
the stage with the famous
Greek-American superstar Dorian Kokas.
Every night there was a line of people
waiting to get in while all the other
bars were empty. The only problem was
that people would sit through the
entire show nursing one drink and the
bar was losing money so eventually
they discontinued the live music. But
sometimes when the moon is full and
the crowd is right I have been known
to do a surprise special performance.
Come to think of it, if you go there
why don't you 'suggest' they bring
back the live music. I think it was
the best job I ever had. |
Profile of Kelly, Tony and Lefteris of
the Old Captain Bar
Tony is a Greek born in Cairo and
educated in America who speaks perfect
English, in fact I forget that he is
Greek sometimes. He currently splits
his time between Sifnos and San
Francisco, California. He is crazy
about country music and if you have
any cassttes or CD's with you he will
gladly play them. If you end up at one
of their after-hours parties be
prepared to listen to the likes of
Junior Brown and Willie Nelson until
the sun comes up and the smell of warm
bread from the bakery fills the
streets of
Kamares.
Lefteris is a total basketball fanatic
and is willing to talk about the
subject for hours. He can tell you
every American who is playing in the
Greek leagues, his stats and what he
makes a year. The Old Captain is where
most of the yacht people go, in fact
most everybody comes here at one point
or another during the night.
Acting hostess and den-mother, Kelly
Thayer is a professional jazz singer
from Oklahoma who gave up her
marketing career to live in Greece and
spend her summers in Sifnos. Kelly
manages the Old Captain and makes
people feel right at home, giving
plenty of helpful advice about
what to see on the island. |
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Mention
this website and drink free.
(maybe).
If you
come here for a before dinner drink
they will give you a discount coupon
for Claudio's Italian Restaurant
across the way. Then when you eat at
Claudios they give you a free drink
coupon for the Old Captain. You can
save a small fortune with this
formula. Looking for a summer job?
Have waitressing experience? E-mail
Tony at
manolatostony@yahoo.com |
Yamas in
Kamares
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My friends
Sarah and Stavros of the popular Hotel
Stavros have taken over the old Collage
Pub and turned it into a terrific bar.
Yamas has a great view of the bay and
arriving night ferries. On a quiet evening
you can sit up there and talk for hours.
Best ouzo sunset-ferry-view in
town. It is also an internet
cafe. |
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Folie
A touch of
Jamaica in Greece, this colorful bar on the beach
is also a snackbar-restaurant with a beautiful
view of the lights of Kamares at night.
Apollonia
Nightlife
The scene in Apollonia
(on the main footpath with the pubs) during July
and August is a miniature of Mykonos. People stay
up until 5 o'clock in the morning going from one
pub to another. It's a very happy environment (no
rowdiness) and kind of sexy.
A
listing of clubs and what kind of music they
play.
Aloni
- live Greek music
renown for its rebetika musicians - very good
(until 5 am) - great interior and
terraces.
Emmetrou
- live Greek music
Camel
Club - all
kinds of music mostly the "top of the chart"
stuff
Isidora
pub - 90's
music and rock and roll - nice place
Volto
- current hits - small
place
Argo
- the classic place -
has been there since 1980 - classic rock tunes,
current hits, top of the chart, some Greek (taped)
music. Nice interior and terraces.
Doloma
- another classic
although not so old - small in size, beautiful
interior - proposed for real music listeners -
jazz, blues, rock, ethnic music - great drinks,
very friendly.
Bodgi
-Music bar plays relaxing music at a tolerable
volume
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If you ask me, the best way to enoy
the nightlife of Sifnos is to find a
restaurant or ouzerie in the harbor
and sit as close to the water as you
can get. Order your favorite drink and
enjoy the view, whether it is the
boats and the lights in the harbor or
the people passing by. If you look
around and you see others doing the
same thing then don't be shy about
gling over and saying hello and
joining them for a drink. Maybe they
have read this guidebook too. If you
are on a budget keep in mind that the
bars charge more for drinks than the
restaurants and cafes. You can enjoy
the pleasures of the port and then
continue in the bars when you get
tired of the tranquility. |
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