After cutting it unnecessarily fine at the airport we caught our flight to Athens and landed to find out our first ferry in a couple of days was cancelled due to strikes. This meant a fairly stressful hour rearranging things and left us with only 24 hours in Athens. We checked in to our hotel Coco-Mat in the Kolonaki neighbourhood and headed straight out. First stop was Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Zeus, and our first view of the Acropolis above the city. We made our way in to Plaka which is the old town and stopped on a cute square for our first Mythos. We pottered around for a while and had some tacos (when in Rome) before Baba au Rum, a super cool cocktail bar with great drinks and tunes, and then it was time for bed.
Next morning we were up very early and walked through the city park which is lovely, to get to the Acropolis just after it opened. There was already a queue but we were soon in and making our way up the slopes. The star of the show is the huge Parthenon which is all kinds of impressive but the whole site is pretty amazing.
We headed back into town via the Roman and Ancient Agora’s before making a pit stop for brunch. We ploughed on to the Acropolis museum which showcases many of the artefacts found at the site and the top floor is built in the same size and orientation as the real thing using some of the originals plus more plaster casts. This gives you a real sense of the scale and incredible craftsmanship while seeing the actual site through the huge windows.
By now we were shattered with some pretty sore feet and the afternoon was really hotting up so we stopped for a drink and then went back to our hotel to chill on the terrace before some really good Greek food at nearby Oikeio. If we had another evening we would have gone up Filopappou hill which is a great sunset spot, but sadly we had to make our way to the port to catch a late ferry to Milos. This was a slog, we waited forever at the port as the ferry was delayed and it took about 3.5 hours so it was nearly 2am when we made it to bed.
Anyway, we woke up in Milos, picked up our quad and dropped our stuff at our actual hotel, Konstantinos which was a 5min drive from the port of Adamas. We set straight out to explore and the first stop was Plathiena beach, this is a gorgeous little cove and the water is crystal clear so we couldn’t resist putting our towels down for an hour or so. Next was the idyllic fishing village Fyropotamos, before on to Mandrakia for a late lunch at the famous Medusa restaurant. We waited around an hour for a table which overlooked the sparking sea – the food, wine and service were all amazing and still reasonably priced, delightful. Next was Papafragas beach which has some cool arched rock formations, and then on to Pollonia which has a more family friendly resort feel and we had a drink on the water as the sun was starting to drop.
Last stop was Sarakiniko, sometimes known as moon beach because of the unusual white rock landscape, we purposely came at sunset to try and avoid some of the crowds and this was a great call because it was quiet and light was incredible. We spent a very happy hour exploring and taking endless photos, a perfect first day!
Another early start as we had decided to hire a boat to see the beaches on the southern side of the island. We picked up the boat from Pits water sports on Paleochori beach and after a quick lesson we were off. We headed full speed all the way to Sikia which is one of the many sea caves however this has an open roof so is unique. As we had a small boat we had hoped to take it inside but it was pretty tight and choppy so we dropped anchor and I swam instead, this was very cool as I was the only person there, maybe slightly scary for Dan when I disappeared from view. Next was the famous Kleftiko which is a stunning series of caves cut into the white rock, it was once used by pirates as a hiding place. Having our own boat meant we could really explore and we made a few stops to jump in and snorkel. There are so many beaches and coves but the next showstopper was Fyriplaka which is a thin strip of white sand backed by shear rock cliffs and then Tsigrado which has a series of ladders to access it from land. For sure you can join a group tour and see most of these for a much cheaper price, but we wanted to go at our own pace and driving the boat ourselves was a lot of fun! One tip, do check the nearest shop because just imagine if you hired a boat for the day and couldn’t buy and drinks or snacks to take on it…
After we dropped off the boat we stayed on the beach for lunch before heading home for a nap and to get ready for the evening. Back on the road we stopped at Klima which is another fishing village but famous for its brightly painted fisherman’s huts, we also drove through Trypiti which is where the Venus de Milo statue was found by a farmer! Then on to Plaka which is the capital but is a classic Greek town perched on the hilltop and filled with charming streets. We picked a spot with a great view of the sunset and watched the show – you can also go further up the hill to the remains of a Venetian castle for sunset which also gives you a 360 view of the island. We then had a lovely dinner at Avli-Milos before heading home, another glorious day.
Our last day here and we had explored most of the island by now so thought we deserved a beach day and went back to beautiful Plathiena. This is an ‘organised’ beach so you can rent sun beds and they have toilets and a bar / restaurant so we had a very chilled day, may have got a tiny bit sunburned, oops. That evening we checked out Adamas, trying a couple of the cocktail bars before Dan had his first Gyros. And that was Milos, this island really exceeded our expectations with its stunning beaches and the most beautiful water, but excited to see what Paros has to offer.
An early and on time ferry meant we were at our next hotel by 10.30am! We were staying at Paros Palace which is just up the hill from the port town of Parikia and had a lovely big pool so we promptly picked a spot and didn’t move for the rest of the day. That evening we went into town for dinner, walked along the seafront and through the old town stumbling across a local dance show and a full orchestra performance, finishing with some Gelato.
Next day was another morning by the pool and then we decided to start exploring. As Paros is bigger we hired a buggy but this was an absolute tank, and we probably should have stuck with a quad. First stop was Kolympethres beach, which is a series of pretty coves between huge boulders, we also stopped at Santa Maria beach before heading into Naoussa. This is a super nice town with a huge choice of bars and restaurants – probably a nicer place to stay but we hadn’t been able to find a hotel and it’s only 15min away. We pottered around taking pictures, the remains of a Venetian castle being battered by the waves gives a great view back to town, then we stopped for a sundowner and some people watching at one of rooftop bars. Dinner was Taverna Glafkos which is right on the water and it was delicious, a lovely evening.
The next day was our first taste of the Meltemi, these are strong winds which impact the Cyclades in summer and can cause havoc for ferries. It was too windy to sunbathe so we set out for Antiparos, you can catch a passenger ferry from Parikia but we wanted to take the buggy so drove 15min to Pounta and then it’s just 5min on the boat. This island is definitely the posh little sister, the main town of Chora is so pretty, full of swanky shops and cute cafes all dripping in pink bougainvillea so we stopped for an iced coffee to watch the world go by. Next was the cave of Antiparos which, surprisingly to me at least, was high up the mountains so you get a gorgeous view of the Aegean Sea from the entrance. The cave is huge and really impressive, although the 400 steps back up are tough. We stopped at the fancy Soros beach club for a drink before lunch at Captain Pipinos on Agios Georgios beach. This was another seafood delight, the food was great and the fishes swimming in the water just below provided the entertainment. We had a quick nap at the beach next door before swinging by Sifneiko beach which is meant to be a great sunset spot but as it was still windy we headed home and watched the sunset from our hotel as it had a perfect view from the pool. Sadly we didn’t see Tom Hanks who lives on Antiparos, but a great day nonetheless.
We were up early the next day and drove to Paros Park to do one of the 3 main walking trails, this was an hour or so round the headland and as it was still quite windy there were some impressive waves. The walks start at Monastiri beach which is really lovely and has a huge beach club / restaurant so would be a nice spot to set up for the day. After breakfast back at our hotel we set out across the island via the mountain village of Lefkes, this isn’t quite as picture perfect but definitely feels more authentic. We made it to Golden beach which is a long, wide sandy beach famous for wind and kite surfing but quite frankly it was blowing a gale so we went to nearby Punda which was much more protected. This is another big beach club which also has a pool complete with swings which we had basically to ourselves, so we had some lunch and chilled out for a few hours. There are loads more beaches on the south of the island you can explore if you have time. That evening we were back to Naoussa and first stop was Moraitis winery to try some local Greek wines, dinner at Daverona and a nightcap at vibey Sante, delightful.
Our last day in Paros was basically a pool day with an interlude at lunch to check out nearby Marcelo beach, this is the closest we found to a white sandy beach and was lovely, although there’s quite a lot of construction going on behind the beach, after a beer and some bat and ball we had lunch at nearby Cabana. That evening we stayed in Parikia for a gyros and then watched the new Mission Impossible at the open air cinema which was fun. And that was Paros, loads to do here and more choice for food but Milos seems more untouched, for now anyway. Last stop… Mykonos.
Our final ferry was late morning but I’d recommend getting the first one you can to try and avoid delays, given there was another strike affecting ferries to Athens on this day and as several ferries had been cancelled during the week due to wind, we were just glad to make it! Obviously Mykonos is a party island with beach clubs galore but we planned to do as little as possible for our last couple of days. We were staying just round the corner from the port at Rocabella hotel which is perched on the hill so feels quite secluded and is super stylish, cactus everywhere giving it a Palm Springs meets Tulum vibe. It’s only a 5min walk down to Agios Stefanos beach so we popped down for supplies. We had splurged a little on a room with its own plunge pool so spent the rest of the afternoon there until the sun went down. That evening we walked back to the beach and Nosotros restaurant which was one of the best meals we had!
After the best nights sleep of the trip we had a pre-breakfast swim in the huge main pool which looks over the ocean, then spent the morning on the daybeds, there was barely any wind so it was HOT. The afternoon was spent back on our terrace with a bottle of fizz and an epic playlist. We headed into the old town for the evening and actually took the bus which was super efficient and €6 round trip instead of €60, winner. We walked along the front and the plethora of bars in Little Venice, stopping at the famous windmills for our final sunset. There were so many people here, it must be carnage in peak season! After a potter and a couple of drinks we had dinner at M-eating which was lovely, Dan claims it was the best ribeye he’s ever had.
And that’s the end of our Cyclades adventure! Maybe not the easiest of holidays if you’re on a tight schedule, but if you’re up for getting out and about there’s so much to see and do. Milos was probably our favourite but we enjoyed all the stops, lots of delicious Greek food, gorgeous weather, stunning sunsets and crystal clear water, September is a great time of year too as the crowds are definitely thinner. An awesome holiday and shout out to the seemingly endless number of cute cats we met along the way.
If you like Piña Coladas... 