Thanks to Scott’s Travel Deals, I received a notification about $500 regular economy flights to Greece in the height of summer. Greece was already on my radar for my 40th birthday next year but after the year I had, I figured why wait when I could do it now. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic putting all of my travels on hold for 16 months, I had my second son in February (with no epidural which was traumatizing in and of itself!) and just finished radiation in May from an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis. Needless to say, a trip was much needed.
As usual, I fit A LOT in our 6 days but also balanced it with time to relax and enjoy the beautiful Grecian landscape. With more than a hundred Greek islands, the biggest challenge was figuring out which ones to go to! I knew that I wanted to save Santorini and Crete for the hubby and kids so those two islands were out. I also knew that I wanted a good mix of beaches, fun things to do, and close proximity to other islands for day trips. And, since we were short on time, we wanted to visit islands that were somewhat close to Athens. With all of those parameters in mind, I landed on the following itinerary: 2 days in Athens, 2 days in Naxos, and 2 days in Mykonos.
Travelling in the time of COVID was interesting to say the least. Before we left, we needed our vaccination card, Passenger Locator Form with QR code, and passport (which must be valid for at least three months beyond the intended date of departure). Most people never think about this but I actually met someone in Greece whose friend wasn’t allowed to board the plane in New York because her passport was set to expire within 3 months! The non-stop flight was a “quick” 9 hours and they fed us twice (dinner about an hour after takeoff and then a snack/breakfast shortly before landing). As always, we made sure to grab a map of the city in the airport after we landed since we planned to do quite a bit of exploring on foot. Since we knew we would be eager to hit the ground running as soon as we arrived, we had pre-booked our taxi pickup through our hotel. Good thing we did because the taxi line was extremely long.
After dropping our bags at the Electra Metropolis, we left for our first stop: Kostas! This is a souvlaki restaurant offering quick, takeaway bites. I heard it was supposedly the best and luckily there was a location one block from our hotel because we were starving. We actually got there just in the nick of time because they stopped taking orders after us (and it was only 3pm). We both had gyros but honestly, it wasn’t anything to write home about. I would still recommend trying though.
With our map in hand, we meandered down store-lined streets on our way to the Acropolis, including the popular pedestrian walkway Dionysius Aerogatipou. We finally reached the entrance to the Acropolis and since we bought our tickets ahead of time, we just needed to show the email with the tickets and were granted entry. We opted for the self-guided audio tour that we were able to listen to through the Clio Muse app on our phones which narrated all 15 stops, from the first stop at the Theatre of Dionysus to the last stop at the Parthenon. I’m not going to lie. I stopped listening after stop #4. I’m more of a visual learner so listening to it became boring and uninteresting really quickly. Also, it was HOT outside, super dusty, and all of the temples started to look the same after a while so the last thing I wanted to do was try to listen and figure out which structure was which. Pro Tip: wear sneakers and visit in the morning or evening when the sun isn’t blazing.
After we reached the top – only to head right back down – we made our way to the Technopolis area, about a 20-minute walk from the Acropolis. There, we began our next adventure: Dinner in the Sky! I read about it in different cities and always wanted to try it. It was a bit on the pricey side (135 euros) but worth every penny! When we first arrived, we were served pre-dinner wine and snacks in a little patio area. Then, we were strapped in and suspended 130 feet in the air where we stayed while they served us a 6-course meal. Each dish was delectable, and with an eye level view of the Acropolis, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect experience.
The next morning, we grabbed breakfast on the rooftop bright and early, enjoying the view of the Parthenon.
We were supposed to do a three-island cruise to the Saronic islands but it was cancelled. We didn’t let that deter our plans and figured we would tackle the islands on our own! We grabbed a taxi to the pier (paid 23 euros) so that we can board our boat to Aegina (pronounced Ah-ghee-na). We had to pick up the actual boarding passes at the ticket office right near where the boat docked.
After an hour-long ride on the ferry, we arrived in Aegina. We walked along the picturesque boardwalk for a bit, perusing the vendors and restaurants. We then paid a taxi 40 euros to take us on a tour, going to the Temple of Aphaia (a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Aphaia) and the beautiful Agios Nektarios church (the third biggest church in Greece). On the drive back, there were olive oil, lemon, and pistachio trees everywhere!
After we arrived back at the pier, we had a pistachio tasting (butter and pesto) at a nearby vendor and sat for a small snack of Ekmek Tsoureki (similar to easter bread with mastic ice cream and pistachio). It was SWEET but delicious! All in all, Aegina was a quaint and charming island, but four hours was more than enough for me who is used to a bit more adventure.
The next and last stop on our day of island-hopping was Agistri, which was only a 10-minute ferry ride from Aegina. However, there are actually two piers there: one where the “fast” boats (Flying Dolphin) go and the other where the “slow” boats go. The price and timetables are different as well. Of course, time is of the essence on my trips, so we took the fast boat (surprise, surprise). It was a short walk to Megalochori beach (in the VERY hot sun) and got two sun beds and umbrella for 5 euros. We also indulged in some mojitos and pizza while we just relaxed on the beach. The water was a beautiful shade of blue-green and was clear and refreshing (the pictures don’t do it justice). We were actually going to walk a little further to Skala beach, but it was SO hot outside, we couldn’t fathom walking any further than we had to. Instead, we caught the 5:50pm fast ferry back to Athens which took about an hour.
To cap off the day, we had dinner at Thes Greek Creative Cuisine, a restaurant in Psyrri, a cute neighborhood with a funky vibe. The streets were teeming with people looking for restaurants so I was glad I had made reservations. In fact, while we were seated, we saw quite a bit of folks being turned away because the place was booked solid. We had a table right outside and enjoyed a bottle of rose, a “summertime” salad (with watermelon, tomatoes, and scallions and a really yummy ouzo dressing), feta cheese donuts, Greek sea bass ceviche, and the lamb in Dutch oven accompanied by stuffed vine leaves. I would highly recommend the restaurant as the food was delicious.
The next day, we were headed to Naxos! There are two options to get from Athens to Naxos: flight or ferry. Since flights were fast and cheap, we opted to fly. A short 25-minutes later, we were in Naxos. By the way, the airport is TINY and the baggage claim area was equally small.
Our pre-arranged taxi (15 euros) met us at the airport and whisked us through the narrow streets to the Glaros Boutique Hotel. Since we didn’t have breakfast, we grabbed a sausage pastry from the Naxos bakery. We then walked the promenade which were lined on both sides with souvenir shops and restaurants. We then took a detour and veered off, stumbling across picturesque Old Town. We enjoyed getting lost in the cobbled walkways and twisting narrow streets adorned with blue-and-white buildings.
After that unexpected adventure, we figured it was time to relax so we walked to Saint Georges beach. On the way, we stopped at a beachfront restaurant and feasted on stuffed calamari. It wasn’t my favorite by far and definitely not what I expected my “calamari” to look like.
We continued walking further down the beach, got a couple of cocktails and beach chairs with umbrellas, and relaxed. The sea water was warm and extremely shallow… to the point where you can walk really far out, and it still won’t reach your hips.
After a quick change back at the hotel, we walked to the Portara for sunset. The Portara, or the Great Door, is a huge marble doorway left from the temple of Apollo. Some believe it was built in honor of Dionysus, the God of wine and patron God of Naxos. The “hike” up the hill was crowded since sunset is a popular time to visit but seeing the sun descend through the Portara was definitely worth it.
We then walked to Scirocco for our 9pm dinner. We dined on pita bread with Melitzanosalata (i.e., baked eggplant mixed with chopped onions, parsley, garlic and olive oil), Meatballs Politiki (yogurt sauce), Mama’s Moussaka (slices of potato, eggplant and zucchini covered in mince meat and bechamel sauce then baked in the oven… a not to be missed Greek specialty), and Lemonato (small pieces of tender lamb slowly stewed in lemon sauce). And, since I mentioned that it was my birthday when I was making the reservation, the restaurant was nice enough to bring out a complimentary dessert of chocolate souffle with ice cream and some lemon sorbet. Everything was SOOOO delicious (except the lamb which I didn’t care for that much).
The following day, we were supposed to do an excursion to Paros and Antiparos but it was cancelled by the tour operator because it was extremely windy. Since we were only there for a couple of days, we couldn’t reschedule to when they had availability (always the downside of fast travel). We didn’t let this deter us and decided to just improvise! Once again, we booked ferry tickets on our own to Paros on the 9:30am boat (which took about 40 minutes to get there). There was a ton of people waiting for the boat which left about 40 minutes late but was humongous! Seriously, it looked like a bonafide cruise ship and the inside was just as luxurious.
When we finally reached Paros, we didn’t see any taxis readily available to take us to Lefkes or Kolymbithres beach with the unique rock formations so instead, we meandered through the streets of old town. We ended up not doing much in Paros due to lack of transportation options but did get to see an old church and enjoyed some yummy gelato. Next time we are in Paros, we’ll be sure to visit the fishing village of Naoussa which I heard is spectacular at sunset.
We were scheduled to catch the 1:30 boat but when we arrived at the pier around 1pm, they told us to get on the one that was already there (I think the 1:30 was cancelled because of the wind) so we jumped on for fear of being stuck in Paros. Once back in Naxos, we had a quick lunch of sangria, meatballs with yogurt dip, and mushroom risotto at one of the restaurants on the promenade.
After some down time at the hotel, we went to dinner at To Elliniko, a super cute and popular restaurant. Once again, we saw lots of people without reservations being turned away. Luckily for us, our reservation was intact when we arrived. Although we did have to wait a few minutes, the food was well worth the wait. We enjoyed a bottle of rose (a different one this time), pastitios (a Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce similar to moussaka), lamb chops, the “to elliniko” salad, tzaziki, and complimentary chocolate cake for dessert that was really moist.
The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and then walked to the port for the last leg of our Greece adventure: Mykonos! We boarded a really big comfortable ferry that took an hour and 15 minutes to Mykonos. When we departed the ship, our mouths dropped. Mykonos was GORGEOUS! Gorgeous people, gorgeous scenery. Idyllic white-washed homes, narrow winding alleys, and perfectly suntanned bodies… we couldn’t wait to explore more of the island! The one thing I wasn’t prepared for but I was repeatedly warned about was how expensive Mykonos was. Boy did I get sticker shock, especially coming from the less popular islands.
Our driver was waiting for us at the pier to take us to the Argo hotel. The most popular areas to stay in are New Town, Old Town, and Platys Gialos beach. Of course, we chose the beach 🙂 It was 25 euros for a 10-15 minute drive. After we checked in, we arranged for someone to come and give us a Covid test at the hotel for 130 euros. After hearing from the front desk that the lines at the clinics were long and we could be waiting for hours, we decided to take the most convenient route since we didn’t want to spend our vacation waiting in a long line. It was quick and easy but soooo expensive 😦
With that out of the way, we walked to Psarou beach, a short 5-minute walk from the hotel. The water was beautiful and clear, just like Naxos, but really chilly. However, the really big difference was price. We paid 40 euros for two sun beds with an umbrella! The drinks were equally expensive but I enjoyed every bit of my caipirinha and time to relax. There was music playing at one of the other hotel beach bars that created a nice vibe and lively atmosphere.
We then walked over to Platys Gialos, another popular beach, to compare and while it was pretty similar, the water didn’t seem as clear. It also had a more laidback, family vibe.
Our first dinner on the island was at Phos, a restaurant that prides itself on its “authentic Greek & Mediterranean dishes made with the finest ingredients, presented with a welcoming contemporary twist.” The atmosphere was bright and luxurious, and one could easily see why the restaurant is now in 14th place for the Most Romantic Restaurants in the World, and in 2nd place in Greece for 2021. Our waitress was extremely bubbly and exaggerated all of her words, to the point where it was actually comical. The food was over the top as well, and we indulged in crunchy cheese balls with green apple scallops, handmade ravioli (which we got the last one!), salmon with beetroot puree, and Greek salad (which we didn’t realize didn’t come with lettuce!). Not to mention, the view was absolutely breathtaking!
For our last day, we headed to Delos, one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. A tiny, uninhabited island, Delos has more excavations than any other site in the Mediterranean, making it a prime destination to explore, especially if you are interested in gaining a better understanding of ancient Greek history. After getting the tickets at the pick-up window located at the end of the dock, we boarded the very crowded boat to Delos. Thank goodness the ride was only about 30 minutes. We had a guided tour (the 9am unguided tour we were supposed to take was cancelled) and we were actually glad we decided to get the guide, otherwise we would’ve had no idea what any of the ruins were (not that I remember what any of them were anyway!). After 3 hours walking around from ruins to ruins in the blazing sun, I was more than ready to head back.
We were supposed to have lunch at Karavaki but once we realized the restaurant would be too far to walk, we decided to eat at Vegera which was right on the port where the boat to Delos was docked. At this point, I’d had my fill of Greek food and wine so settled on a burger with fries and a refreshing “cool as a cucumber” cocktail, both of which hit the spot!
Afterwards, we walked through the town, stopping at the windmills, the church, little Venice, and the Louis Vuitton store 🙂
To cap off the trip, I wanted to go to a really unique place to watch the sunset over cocktails. 180 degree sunset bar was the perfect place. Located at the highest peak in Mykonos Town, it provided the perfect panoramic view. It was a long, arduous walk uphill (I wouldn’t recommend walking from town) but it was well worth it because the view was stunning! The setup is chic, modern, very A-list setting…with lots of folks there trying to get a last-minute reservation. When making reservations on their website, you can actually choose exactly where you want to sit (at different price points, of course) and we chose front row seats.
For drinks, I had the Snoopy the Van and an Aegean Blues cocktails that were both delicious. We ate shrimp tempura, beef tacos, and pork pancetta bao buns. What could be better than sipping cocktails in the front row with a beautiful Cycladic sunset? It was the perfect way to end the trip.
Overall, Greece lived up to everything I thought it would be. I loved the laidback European dining vibe where you get a nice bottle of wine and spend 3 hours savoring every morsel at the restaurants. We had a bottle of wine (usually Akres Skouras rose) every night and even when we ordered cocktails, they were delicious. It is something about Europe that makes everything taste extra yummy. I loved the history and ruins but have to the be honest, everything started to look the same after awhile. The views, especially at sunset, were unparalleled. It was breathtaking admiring God’s beauty.
Pro Tips:
- Make reservations! During summer in Europe, you will definitely have a hard time just walking in a restaurant, especially the popular ones. We saw plenty of people get turned away so don’t let that be you 😉
- Utilize the Greek ferry system to get to other islands. We used the ferry to get to Aegina, Agistri, Paros, Mykonos, and Delos. Even though I describe myself as “directionally-challenged” (i.e., I can get lost in my own backyard), the ferry system was super easy to use. We encountered several last-minute changes to our itinerary due to tour cancellations and windy weather conditions, but it was easy enough to book and change our ferry tickets online at the last minute, especially using the FerryHopper app. You can even store your luggage as soon as you board the ferry and then retrieve it when it is time to disembark.
- Although there are buses going from Platys Gialos to the Old Town, and it is possible to walk to a number of beaches if based in Platys Gialos, I highly recommend renting an ATV or car while you are in Mykonos as taxis are extremely expensive so getting from one area to another adds up pretty quickly.
Toya's Travels 