greek islands

Mykonos Windmills & Little Venice: Best Sunset Point

Little Venice is one of the most romantic spots in Mykonos to watch the sunset. Many people gather here to enjoy the sunset and afterwards get lost in the small narrow streets to start their evening. Mykonos Windmills are the islands’ iconic feature and from there you can watch the sun setting down. Little Venice is located on the opposite side so from there you will see the sun illuminating on the small houses.   Of course there are more points on the island where you can enjoy the sunset, just make sure to take a breath and enjoy the mixture of sunset colors wherever you are.

2018-02-23T09:14:21+03:00August 30th, 2017|

Santorini Top 10 Things to Do

Santorini is another beautiful island of the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea. It was devastated by a volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC, shaping its existing landscape. The whitewashed, cubiform houses of its 2 principal towns, Fira and Oia, cling to cliffs above an underwater caldera (crater). Personally, I believe Santorini is more for sightseeing instead of swimming (there are other Greek islands with great beaches and golden sand for that). In Santorini you can enjoy amazing landscapes, views, wineries, food and the amazing sunset. You can visit is anytime between April - November, where the weather is still warm compared to northern European countries. If you choose to visit within October-November prices are dropping compared to high season during summer. If you select to visit during low season, then you should stay in Fira since most places are still open. 1. Watch the most famous sunset Santorini's sunset is what makes the island so famous. Find the perfect spot to watch the island in Oia, Fira, Imerovigli. Make sure to check my post about 'Chasing Sunsets in Santorini' to see more photos. Arrange to watch the sunset and have your dinner at the same time. Although dinner with a view tends to be expensive (in areas like Fira, Imerovigli & Oia) you can still enjoy the sunset from another point of view e.g. in Megalochori. 2. Eat Traditional Greek Food There are a lot of places to enjoy a budget meal, either fish or meat. 3. Explore the small paths in Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli & Oia Walk through the hidden alleys, discover magical places and enjoy amazing views. 4. Drink a Donkey Beer Donkey Beer is the locally brewed beer made in Santorini. There are three beers, yellow, red and crazy with another one which they are making now. You can even visit the Brewery for free tasting. 5. Visit Perissa & Kamari Beaches Perissa is one of the nicest beaches in Santorini. There are a lot of restaurants and bars [...]

2023-06-29T12:54:59+03:00July 1st, 2017|

Chasing Santorini Sunsets

The earth rotates, the sun disappears. Sunsets are never the same. You have to chase Santorini sunsets, be ready at the right time, other times you just get to see them out of the blue. I've seen thousands of Sunsets, unintentionally, but in Santorini I had to plan in order to see the sunset! What I mean by that? If you happen to been in Santorini before you know. People from all over the world come to this beautiful island to see the sunset. Santorini is famous for its beautiful sunsets. Whilst spending a week on the island, we've seen 3 different sunsets, one in Oia, one in Fira and another one from Megalochori. All three of the different. Below I'm sharing my photos from each spot.   Oia Sunset I felt that I had to run the marathon in order to get a spot in Oia and see the sunset. The place is packed during that time, with people arriving earlier in other to stand in a nice spot waiting for the golder hour. To be honest I didn't enjoy the sunset in Oia due to the fact that the place was packed - as you can see from my photos. I also took some photos from Strogyli restaurant (you have to book in advance in order to enjoy the sunset from here). Check Out:  Santorini Top 10 Things to Do Fira Sunset In Fira we arrived earlier and sat down for a drink before the sunset. If there's no cruise ship at Fira then you'll find a lot of empty spaces to enjoy the sunset - I think most people on the island are in Oia at the specific time so you'll find plenty of places to sit down!   Megalochori Sunset We arranged dinner at a restaurant in Megalochori, at Athermi Restaurant, where we enjoyed the sunset from a different angle compared to Oia and Fira. The place is very quite with no people jumping in front of you (e.g. in Oia).

2023-06-29T13:04:10+03:00September 7th, 2016|

Spetses, a mixture of sea and forest

Whilst staying in Hydra we decided to visit Spetses for the day since it’s very near. We got the flying dolphin from Hydra which is about 40 minutes. I’ve known this island since I was in school, from history lessons, that Spetses is famous for its contribution to the 1821 war of independence. Once you reach the Spetses harbor you’ll see Dapia (new harbor) which is the tourist and commercial centre and old harbor. The trademarks of the town are not far away from there. You’ll almost see everywhere near the harbor the horse-drawn carriages which are the island’s emblematic means of transport. We got a motorbike (25 EUR for the day) in order to explore the island which is 25km. We started our journey from the old port towards Agia Marina and followed the white line (as illustrated on the map). We got off at Agioi Anargiroi which is one of the largest beaches on the southwest of the island. The Bekiris cave is located near the beach. This dark cave used to be a safe place for pirates to hide. There’s a story which says that the cave was named after a man with the name Bekiris betrayed the people who were hiding there during 1770 when the Turks were plundering the island. We then moved on towards Agia Paraskevi. We didn’t get off here but we only viewed the amazing and breathtaking sea views. On our way to Vrellos beach we could only see a mixture of the sea and forest pine trees. This was our next stop. A beautify sandy beach on the west part of the island surrounded by pine trees. Then we passed through Zoodohos Pigi and moved on to Kaiki Beach Bar restaurant for lunch. This place is one of the most popular beaches in Spetses. Then we got the motorbike and went towards the lighthouse. Spetses is famous for its little almond cakes with sprinkled icing sugar (called Amygdalota) and there are available near the old port. We tried them as Politis and they were delicious (even though I don’t like these in [...]

2018-02-23T09:14:27+03:00September 15th, 2014|

Hydra the relaxing island with no cars

After spending 2 days in Poros the next island to continue our holidays was Hydra. From Poros we got the flying dolphin and Hydra was about an hour away. The first thing you’ll see when you get off the ferry is the harbor which is centered and all around there are restaurants, shops and markets. The small streets are made of steep stones. In Hydra you won’t see any cars, buses, or motorbikes – instead, you’ll see a lot of donkeys. The only vehicle we've seen on the island was a rubbish truck. Donkeys and water taxis are the only public transportation in Hydra for tourists and locals. We booked our stay at Pension Erofili which is located 2 minutes from the port and stayed in the studio which had a kitchen and an independent veranda. Although we didn't pay extra to have breakfast there, it looked nice and on the last day the owners offered us coffee and breakfast. Spilia Beach Bar is located under the cannon on the west side of the port and it’s the only swimming spot you can access by foot near the harbour. It serves food and drinks all day and during the night there’s music. We went there before sunset and had a few beers until dawn. There’s an excellent view of the harbour and you’ll see the ferries, cruise ships, water taxis, and boats coming to the island. Although the drinks were a bit expensive it’s worth going there just for the relaxing view. During daylight people enjoy the rocky beach beneath (Hydronetta) where most people jump from the rocks in the clear crystal waters. Mandraki Bay – Miramare is a beach that you can easily reach by water taxi or by boat. At the Mandraki Bay, there’s a hotel known as Miramare that you could see as you approach with the boat. We got our sunbeds (which were free) and we looked to see if there was a bar nearby or something but the place looked ‘dead’. There was a kid there cleaning the tables and bringing some refreshments and [...]

2023-07-13T12:15:15+03:00August 22nd, 2014|

Poros a lovely hideaway in the Saronic Gulf

Poros is a small Greek island in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf, about 58 km south from Piraeus and separated from the Peloponnese by a 200 m wide sea channel, with the town of Galatas on the mainland across the strait. Before deciding to visit Poros I had no idea about this island. I knew other islands in the Saronic Gulf e.g. Aegina, Spetses, Hydra but not Poros. After making a short research about the island it looked like a nice and quiet island and decided to book there a few days. We got the plane from Cyprus to Athens and then the metro to Pireaus. We reached Poros taking the Flying Cat 5 ferry from Piraeus within about less than an hour.  It was mid of August when we travelled to Poros therefore it’s highly recommended that you pre-book your ferry tickets in advance since there are a lot of people travelling between islands within this period of summer. The island is located about 58km from Piraeus. We rented a motorbike so we could travel through the island since its hilly and mountainous and walking during summer would have been very tiring. Sleep We stayed at Poros Apartments which are located 2km away from the port. You can walk there or take a taxi, however I would recommend if you are in Poros for holidays to rent a motorbike. The place is easily accessible. The room and bathroom were both clean. There's a kitchen were you can prepare your meals and a fridge to store food. Wifi is free and reliable. Eat & Drink Dimitris Place is a pleasant place where you can have lunch and dinner with a nice view of the port. The place is near Agios Georgios square/church; however you have to walk up there or take a motorbike or a car. It's certainly worth the visit. We ordered the 'Stavlisia mprizola', medium to raw, which is 1kg and we hardly managed to eat it (I would recommend this for 3 people).The cooking was just right and it was delicious. If you have a [...]

2016-10-22T12:07:48+03:00August 21st, 2014|

Milos, the Greek island of colours

The volcanic activity during the ancient years provided the Greek island Milos with an exciting variety of gorgeous colorful landscapes, offering visitors a variety of activities. The beautiful strange shapes of the rocks and their wonderful colours at the beautiful white sandy beaches are one expression of the volcanic features of Mílos. Deciding to visit Milos, just came out of the blue. We decided with two friends of mine to go on a short summer holiday somewhere in Greece and wanted to visit a destination which is not so popular. We didn't know anything about Milos apart from the fact that it's an island in the south west of the Cyclades Islands and that the island is famous from the Aphrodite statue which was found there. Milos is an island with amazing landscapes, crystal clear beaches, with rocky environment. Reaching Milos From Cyprus to reach Milos it's a long journey. We got the plane from Larnaca to Athens and then we had to wait for the ship from Piraeus to Milos. If you are lucky to get a Speedrunner ship then it will take you 4 hours to reach Milos. It took us 7 hours on the ship (Adamas Korais) to get to Milos. Accommodation We stayed at Iliopetra Rooms, near the Adamas port. I totally recommend staying there, apart from the fact that it's cheap, it's clean and the staff was very friendly! BOOK YOUR MILOS HOTEL FIND YOUR IDEAL MILOS HOTEL ON THE MAP Booking.com During our first night we walked around the Adamas port, we had the greek souvlaki and looked to find a ship for the next day to go on a cruise. We compared the routes and prices which were offered and booked our trip for the next day. Before booking a cruise you need to see the destination of the ship and the wind. We visited Milos at the beginning of August and it was very windy. We eventually booked Thalassitrsa who was very honest regarding the windy weather and said that they were only going to take the safe route and [...]

2023-08-11T14:15:00+03:00August 15th, 2013|
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