Greek Getaway
Ohhhh, what I say about the beautiful and picturesque country of Greece. I never really imagined that I would like a travel destination as much as I enjoyed Greece. Greece is one of those countries that really has so much to offer, whether you're a honeymooning couple enjoying some alone time, or if you're with a group of friends, having one of the best times in your life! Although you're not getting the crystal blue waters here, you're getting amazing food, great culture, amazing views, and historical architecture. I can't wait until I get to plan another trip to Greece (one day, CROSSING MY FINGERS!). The hubby and I went to Mykonos and Santorini, however I'm still looking forward to going back to check out Crete and Corfu!
HOW WE GOT THERE:
For most of you planning a trip to Greece, the most common way to plan air travel would be to fly into Athens and spend a night or two in this historic city, before jetting off to the islands. For our Greek vacation, we were looking for a more R&R experience, meaning beaches and pools all day (and of course with some yummy drinks)! So, we decided to skip the sightseeing in Athens and fly straight into Mykonos from London. If you're already in Europe, and are interested in just island hopping this is a good option, with a quick three hour flight! And you'll notice going through the photos, that we also decided to check out the beautiful island of Santorini, so we took a ferry (SeaJets.gr) from Mykonos to Santorini in just about two hours. I loved how easy the reservation process was. You just go to their website, and book your fare very much like an airline ticket. The ferry was also very modern and clean.
WHERE WE STAYED:
When we got to Mykonos we stayed five minutes outside of Mykonos Town. Mykonos Town is the little city center that has all the cute shops and alleys. The experience is very maze like, BEWARE to get lost a bit, walking around in circles. LOL. Our hotel was at the stunning Cavo Tagoo. The beautiful 5 star hotel really gave us the true Greek vibe will all the beautiful white architecture. Prices in the high season are pretty steep, but you really get what you pay for. The food was really fresh and delicious, they even had a sushi restaurant. The pool was really boutique style with lots of daybeds. The lobby area was very serene and minimalist. The hotel is VERY MODERN! I also liked how the hotel offered complimentary rides to and from Mykonos Town. Aesthetically, this is one of the nicer hotels we have ever been too!
Arriving to Santorini, we had chosen to stay in the city of Oia. This is a really small cliffside town that's really picturesque Greece. Here, you get your amazing screensaver photos! In Santorini, we stayed at the beautiful Andronis Luxury Suites, not to be confused with the Andronis Boutique Hotel. They are sister companies, so when booking you may get a bit confused. This hotel had a very cavelike look to it architecturally. The views were quite spectacular, and the hotel service was nice. We didn't spend much time at the hotel since we did walk around the small city, but we did spend a day at the fabulous infinity pool!
HOW WE GOT AROUND:
Lots of walking! If you're in Mykonos Town or in Oia, you'll be doing lots of walking. A lot of tourists also opt to rent mini scooters in Mykonos that also seemed quite fun. If you're planning on exploring Mykonos, and checking out the various parts of town (not within the city center) you would need some type of transportation to get around. If you're in Oia, and planning on staying in Oia, then no car is required.
WHAT WE DID:
In Mykonos, we lounged by the pool a lot and tried to really soak in the beauty of our hotel! We went into Mykonos Town a couple of times to experience both the daytime and nighttime festivities. During the day, you're pretty much shopping and having lunch. At night, there are several bars you can go to after dinner, and it's just like one BIG PARTY! If you love music and dancing this is really the destination for you! We went to several daytime party like places where people are just eating and drinking, and enjoying loud music. A few cool places we went to were Nammos, Scorpios (LOVED IT HERE), Jackie O, and Super Paradise. These are all places where you can enjoy a sceney lunch and hear some great music!
Santorini is much less active,with lots of pool lounging and dinners. I would say other than some music by the dinner table, there is definitely no nightlife on this island. If you're a honeymooner, then this is the place for you. One nice thing we did here was experience the beautiful Santorini sunset that millions of people go to see each year.
WHERE WE ATE:
In Mykonos, we mostly ate at our hotel, either by the pool or the sushi restaurant called Kiku. One night we ventured off into Mykonos Town and ate at a restaurant called Koursaros. I noticed of course, that we ate a lot of great fresh fish on this island. If you love Sea Bass or any type of Branzino this is the place to be.
In Santorini, we also enjoyed delicious fresh food. We ate poolside and dined in our restaurant quite a few times. We also had our concierge make reservations to a little quaint romantic restaurant called Ambrosia. If you're celebrating a special anniversary or if you're honeymooning, I'd definitely make it a point to dine at Ambrosia's.
