Crystal clear blue water, awesome food, friendly people, beautiful scenery, architecture and beaches as well as history.... what more could you want on a holiday?
Part 1.... 2018 saw us travel to the Greek Islands of Milos, Naxos, Paros, Hydra and Poros and enjoying the best that these places had to offer.
Flying from Sydney to Athens, we spent the first night in Pireaus - the port of Athens. We were up early and walked to the port while still dark! We found a bakery and had a bougatsa and coffee for breakfast before walking across the street to the port. We were booked on a jet cat and had a 5 hour trip ahead of us as we were stopping at various places before reaching Milos - our first stop.
Arrival at Adamantas, which is the capital of Milos, we walked from the port to our accommodation which overlooked the harbour. We quickly checked in and started walking around the town. We found a place for lunch and ordered a meat platter, which was much bigger than we expected! Dinner was at a place right on the water and the view was magic.
We hired a car the following day and hit the road to explore Milos. Some of the places we discovered were so picturesque, words and even photos just don't do them justice, but I will try.... Leaving Adamantas, we headed north to Sarakiniko Beach. This is a beach that is located in an area of white cliffs. Beatful warm water, picturesque area and luckily we got there early enough to get a parking spot within 1km of the place! We had a swim, walked around and explored the place, and then walked up the hill to head to Pollonia in the north east, but on the way, we stopped at some awesome little places as well...
Pollonia is a pretty place and has lovely beaches and great and numerous restaurants. Milos is a hilly island and a car or scooter is necessary in order to explore it. We drove down to the south side to visit and spend a day at Provotas beach swimming and then had lunch at the tavern at the beach - I had a meat skewer with chips and salad. We then spent a day to do a boat tour of the southern coats to have a swim in the beautiful clear pristine waters and through some caverns in these huge white cliffs. We also drove out to the west side to a place called Klima, where there are some quaint colourful beach holiday places and some great restaurants where we tried the stuffed calamari - and loved it!
After 5 days at Milos, we walked to the port and caught a ferry to Naxos.
Upon arrival, Naxos port greets you with a gate that was built before Christ. We did walk to the gate on one of the days and the view and walk was fantastic. Our accommodation was 200m from the beach and sunny.
Naxos is a busy Island - especially around the port area where all the tourists hang out. The place is alive and buzzing during the day, but night time brings on a whole new feel andevery restaurant and bar is full and the streets are packed with people.
We like to explore places we visit by hiring some sort of transport and gettingourselves lost in amongst the locals. As such, we hired a car and travelled around the lesser visited parts of the island. The water around Naxos, like most of the mediterranean, is warm, clean and an amazing blue. As all Greek islands, there are churches everywhere, and it is amazing to see the crazy places they put them....
We discovered some magnificent secluded beaches on the north side of the island and some fantastic taverns where we stopped for a coffee and lunch.
Naxos is part of the Cycladic group of Islands, which are all known for their fantastic seafood. You will find octopus drying in the sun everywhere you go.
Walking around Naxos, you will find streets lined with bougainvilleas in flower during their summer. It's a very pretty site.
We also stumbled across a place that has live bouzouki music and so we sat at a table for dinner, I ordered my ouzo and a stack of plates to smash.... yep, all of those plates in the photo were smashed on the dance floor!
We did a lot of swimming at Naxos, and then in the evenings sit at one of the beach bars to watch the sunset. While at Naxos, we took a 45 minute ferry ride to go and explore the island of Paros for the day. Paros is a fantastic island which has amazing beaches, quaint villages and lots to see and do. We hired a quad bike and hit the road to explore the place. The port of Naousa was beautiful as was the surrounding village. Full of restaurants and bars, Naousa is worth the visit and would make a great base to explore the island. You cannot miss seeing a heap of octopus being dried in the sun. We made our way from Naousa to a village on the coast called Piso Livadi where we chilled out on Logaras Beach followed by lunch in one of the taverns. From there we cruised around the island and ended up at Santa Maria Beach - it's just magnificent and quite popular as a result!
Paros was a great place to go for a day trip from Naxos. We would definitely would recommend it. After a great stay in Naxos, it was time to move on, and we caught a ferry back to the mainland and stayed at Pireaus for the night. We were again up early and headed to the ferry port where we caught a ferry to Hydra to spend a couple of days.
Hydra is about a 1.5hr ferry ride and is an island that Athenians go to for a weekend away. It is a mountainus island and there are no cars on the island. All transport is either by foot of by mule. Mules are used to take luggage up the hills for the tourists as well as produce and other heavy items. Our accommodation was right on the picturesque port. We had a quaint little apartment - not a lot of room, but we were only sleeping there for a couple of nights so not a big deal. We strolled around the port, and did the usual greek coffee and meze thing before heading off for an exploratory walk around the village, where we found a taverna with outdoor seating area under grape vines that I had eaten at 10 years earlier - so we booked in for dinner! The atmosphere was lovely as was the food. The following day we went for a big walk around the coastal path to the west and then cut across the island back to the port via a few big hills. The residential streets were quite narrow and quaint. However, there are also some spectacular coastal mansions as well.
Hydra is a picturesque island with a picturesque harour and villages. It's close enough to Athens for a day trip, and worth the visit - as long as you're not hoping to find easy-access beaches for swimming and sunbathing. Sure, there's lots of places you can dive in for a swim, but it's off rocks or access via steps or a short ladder. However, if you're on the mainland with limited time and want to visit an island, this one is pretty good!
We left Hydra and headed to Poros - another island that is about half way betweenAthens and Hydra. This was our last stop before heading back home.
Poros is another quaint Island and only a 45 minute ferry ride from Athens. However, it is that close to the mainland that it just doesn't feel like you are on an island.... but you are! We staed right on the water's edge in a nice hotel that is owned by a couple who worked for the Greek Consulate and were based in Melbourne for many years!
Poros is a pretty place (as all the islands are) and is loaded with tourists, cafes, restaurants, tavernas, bars, souvlaki/gyros joints etc. On one particular day, we had a gyros with the works and chips included and a soft drink each for A$6 per person!!! A bargain!
We spent some time on the beach (about a day and a half) at Poros. The weather was hot, the water was clear and refreshing. As such, a swim was a welcome relief.
As with every Greek Island we have ever visited, the biggest issue was the steps. Everywhere you go you will encounter stairs. As such, one needs to pack accordingly as you will be lugging your suitcase on and off ferries and up and down stairs..... but it sure is worth it!
Part 2 of our Greek Odyssey starts again in 2019..... and we can't wait!
Andrew & Stephanie
Comentarios