Greece Archives - Caffeinated Excursions https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/tag/greece/ Blog of a Traveling Coffee Addict Sat, 17 Aug 2024 23:02:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://i0.wp.com/caffeinatedexcursions.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/wp-1555570621336.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Greece Archives - Caffeinated Excursions https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/tag/greece/ 32 32 141833777 Beyond The Photo Ops In Santorini, Greece https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/beyond-the-photo-ops-in-santorini-greece/ https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/beyond-the-photo-ops-in-santorini-greece/#comments Thu, 25 Oct 2018 17:00:00 +0000 https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/?p=3538 As part of my recent week-long vacation in Greece, I visited Santorini with a friend from high school, Ismael. We knew that Santorini would be picturesque, but the beauty of its less-Instagram’ed spots is as stunning as its blue-domed churches and pastel-colored villages...

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Beyond the Photo Ops in Santorini,
Greece

Published October 25, 2018

As part of my recent week-long vacation in Greece, I visited Santorini with a friend from high school, Ismael (who, by the way, has made some guest appearances on Caffeinated Excursions in my Philly, Miami, and Nashville posts).

We knew that Santorini would be picturesque, but the beauty of its less-Instagram’ed spots is as stunning as its blue-domed churches and pastel-colored villages. There were also so many different activities to do and things to explore that we roamed the island from morning to night each day. 

Before planning a trip, you’ll want to take a look at the geography of the island:

The most famous and popular town for tourism is Oia (pronounced EE-uh), located on the very northern tip of the main island. Another beautiful town called Thira is centrally located, and both have amazing sea views as well as stunning architecture. We stayed in Oia and went to Thira for dinner one night, which is what I’d recommend doing unless you have more than a few days in Santorini.

The highlights of our trip were the amazing views, the locally-made white wine, the delicious cuisine, and the beautiful beaches. This is everything you need to know for a perfect few days in Santorini:

  1. The town of Oia
  2. Day-trip ideas (wine, sailing, and Thira)
  3. Restaurant ideas in Oia
  4. Lodging and transportation

The Town of Oia

The most striking thing about Oia is the labyrinth of stairs and footpaths that run through the village up and down the mountainside. In fact, most houses and buildings in town are only accessible via these paths, and there are no actual roads except for one that runs adjacent to the edge of town. This is why Oia is so iconic and the houses look so densely packed in pictures.

If you stay here, I recommend booking one of Oia’s traditional cave homes which have been carved into the hillside. Read more about it and see what one of them looks like in the section on lodging below.

Amoudi Bay

If you’re willing to climb down a steep trail to get to it, Amoudi Bay is a beautiful part of Oia worth checking out. The bay is surrounded by unusual red rock cliffs and once you get to the water, there are about half a dozen different restaurants that all serve seafood. Read about one of the restaurants right on the water that we ended up trying here.

This is also a great place to catch the sunset if you visit during dusk.

Ideas for Tours and Day Trips

Oia is undoubtedly amazing and beautiful, but you’ll want to be sure to check out other parts of Santorini as well. One way to do this is to rent a car (more on that below), but another good option is to book a tour or two. We did a sailing tour and a wine tour; although both were pricey, they gave us a chance to see the island’s coastline and interior. Plus, our tour guides were excellent!

Boat Tour

For our first full day, we booked a sunset sailing tour, which left from Amoudi Bay (but included hotel pick-up) and then navigated south between the various small islands to the west. The trip stopped at the south end of the island, where we saw a few different beaches before heading back north to catch the sunset.

This cruise was a great introduction to the geography of the island. Our guide told us about the volcanic history of the area as well as how all of the little islands used to be a single, large one a few thousand years ago. You’ll get the chance to swim in a hot spring if you want, and I really enjoyed seeing the vivid stratified layers of rock along Santorini’s shore.

This cruise also included a dinner that the crew cooks on board, as well as bottomless wine!

We booked the tour through Sunset Oia Sailing Cruises which seemed to be one of the most popular day-cruise companies on the island. They have a number of different options for different prices, but the one we booked cost $220 (190 €) per person.

Wine Tour

What better way to see the island than with a glass of wine in hand? This tour was another highlight of our trip because it brought us to three different wineries located in different parts of Santorini. Our guide did an amazing job of introducing us to wine production as well as how to taste and pair them with hors d’oeuvres.

If you are only spending a few days in Santorini, booking both a wine tour and a sailing tour is a great way to see a lot of the island in a short amount of time. Stunning cliffs will surround you on the boat, and you’ll get a glimpse of some of the smaller villages south of Oia that are home to the wineries you’ll visit.

There are a number of companies offering wine tours, but we booked with Santorini Day Tours and were very impressed with them. The three wineries we visited on the tour were Boutari Winery, Gavalas Winery, and Estate Argyros, and if you like anything you try, you can purchase a bottle to bring back home.

Boutari Winery
Gavalas Winery
Estate Argyros

This tour lasted about five hours and included hotel pick-up and drop-off. We paid $120 per person, which obviously isn’t very cheap, but I’d say the experience was worth the price.

Dinner in Thira

If you’re going to stay in Oia, consider going to Thira for dinner and drinks one night. Thira is the capital of the island and has a little more to offer than Oia in the way of nightlife. Located about a twenty-five-minute drive south of Oia, it’s also an amazing place to see the sunset.

Thira may look similar to Oia, but it has a more lively vibe to it, especially at night.

We ended up trying a nice restaurant called Argo, which specialized in seafood and had an enormous outdoor seating area overlooking the bay to the west. If you’re a fan of escargot, order the snails here as an appetizer; they were delicious!

After dinner, we wandered the town and stopped at a few places for drinks. Two Brothers was definitely the loudest and most rowdy one and felt like a college bar with strong drinks.

A couple on our boat tour recommended PK Cocktail Bar, so we headed there afterwards. They have a heated outdoor terrace and the cocktails were top notch. If you only want to do one bar in Thira, this is the one to go to!

Restaurants in Oia

Thira isn’t the only place with good food options; Oia also has a bunch of excellent restaurants. Because our wine and boat tours included meals and snacks, we only got a chance to try two places in Oia, but everything we had was delicious.

For dinner on our first night, we tried Sunset Ammoudi. It ended up being a bit overpriced, but they have a bunch of tables that are so close to the water that you could fall in if you’ve had a few too many glasses of wine! This made it a great place to watch the sunset while eating.

As you might guess, they mainly have seafood on the menu.

For lunch the next day day, we tried Nikos Place Gril House, which had excellent souvlaki and gyros.

Their sampler appetizer was also great for tasting a variety of Greek flavors.

If you’re looking for a good cup of coffee in the morning, try Meteor Cafe. It’s a cute and cozy little place with a great view. It appeared to also be a bar, but it was my favorite place to get coffee first thing in the morning.

Another good place for drinks in Oia is called Marykay’s Bar. It’s also pretty cozy, but they have a huge list of original cocktails and the ones we tried there were delicious.

Additional Info

Airbnb

It’s probably not going to be cheap, but if you can find one within your budget, consider staying in one of Oia’s traditional cave houses. We stayed at this home and our host was so nice and hospitable that she spent a good half hour at check-in telling us her favorite spots around Santorini.

It’s incredible that these cave homes are built into the rocky hillside, and this one even had a cellar that was used to collect rainwater in days past.

Transportation

Getting to Santorini by Plane

Flying to Santorini from Athens was easy and the journey only took an hour. We booked on Expedia with Sky Express. A one-way ticket from Athens cost 100 Euro.

Leaving by Ferry

Instead of flying, we left Santorini by passenger ferry, although I’m sure a round-trip flight from Athens to Santorini would be as straightforward as a one-way. However, the ferry was an interesting experience that you should consider too.

We booked our tickets through Direct Ferries, but by October, the boats weren’t departing from Santorini every day. Book in advance and don’t miss your boarding, because there may not be another one for a while! Our tickets cost $40 per person.

If you’re curious about the ferry experience, read about it on my other blog post here [coming soon]!

Getting Around on the Island

In order to move around the island, you can either hire taxis or rent a car. In most cases, I think it would be more economical to rent the car, which for us cost 40 Euro per day, while a taxi between Oia and Thira (about a 25-minute ride) cost 30 Euro. We rented a car for one day from Drossos Car Rental and ran into no problems.

On to the Next Island...

By the time we had boarded our ferry and were waving goodbye to Oia, it was clear that Santorini is as magical as we hoped it would be. However, the island is home to so many more beautiful places than the few famous spots that have taken Instagram by storm in recent years. Early autumn proved to be the perfect time to avoid the summer crowds without having to give up the sun and warmth. Personally, I can’t wait to go back to Santorini one day!

After staying in Oia, we headed off to the much quieter island of Milos, which was a completely different experience. Read about it here, or check out my general overview of Greece here [coming soon]! Thanks for checking out my post on Santorini!

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This post was published on Oct 25, 2018

Hi, I’m Kevin! I’m a coffee addict from Seattle, and my life revolves around traveling! Caffeinated Excursions is a record of my trips over the past seven years. Since I started blogging, I’ve lived in Mexico, Vietnam, Brazil, and the US. I just moved to Australia and plan to be here a full year. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Upcoming Trips

  1. Bangkok (Sept)
  2. Istanbul (Sept)

Support the Blog!

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]]> https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/beyond-the-photo-ops-in-santorini-greece/feed/ 4 3538 Why Every Visitor To Greece Should Visit a Lesser-known Island Like Milos https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/why-every-visitor-to-greece-should-visit-a-lesser-known-island-like-milos/ https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/why-every-visitor-to-greece-should-visit-a-lesser-known-island-like-milos/#comments Tue, 23 Oct 2018 17:00:00 +0000 https://caffeinatedexcursions.com/?p=3542 While planning our vacation to Greece, my friend Ismael and I knew we wanted to spend some time on one of the lesser-known islands. We decided to go to Milos, a quiet island of only 5,000 residents whose coastline is dotted with fishing villages and unspoiled beaches...

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Why Every Visitor To Greece Should Visit a Lesser-known Island Like Milos

Published October 23, 2018

While planning our vacation to Greece, my friend Ismael and I knew we wanted to spend some time on one of the lesser-known islands. After much deliberation, we decided to go to Milos, a quiet island of only 5,000 residents whose coastline is dotted with fishing villages and unspoiled beaches.

Milos stood in stark contrast to Santorini, the most visited island in Greece. We avoided hordes of tourists by visiting in October, but even so, Milos and Santorini had fundamentally different atmospheres. This made the two islands a great pair to visit over the span of a week (read more about choosing islands here [coming soon]).

My favorite part of Milos was the dozen or more tiny villages throughout the island, some of which only contained a few houses. The island also has 70 beaches along its coastline, and many of them will take your breath away. In terms of cuisine, we found restaurants with a distinct “mom-and-pop” vibe and very satisfying dishes.

In case you want to skip ahead to read more about any of those topics, here are the links:

  1. Towns and villages to check out
  2. Our favorite beaches
  3. Other activities
  4. Where you should dine
  5. Rental cars, ferries, and planes: Getting here and getting around

But if you’re curious about Milos in general, read on!

The Many Villages of Milos

For an island with a land area of only 60 square miles, Milos has a surprising number of towns, villages, and settlements. Almost all of them are clustered on the eastern half of the island, but they’re still far enough apart that you’re going to want to rent a car to get between them. Below are the ones we managed to visit, but this definitely isn’t an exhaustive list.

Adamantas (Adamas)
Αδάμαντας (Αδάμας)

Adamas (otherwise known as Adamantas) is the largest town on the island and the first one you’ll encounter if you arrive by ferry. No matter where you stay, you’ll probably pass through Adamas at some point to get from the north end of the island to the south.

Since Adamas is home to the island’s main port, you can find almost anything you need here, including restaurants, groceries, souvenir shops, and more. There were a few hotels here, but I recommend finding an Airbnb in one of the other villages listed below. Read on to see why!

You can read more about Adamas here.

Mandrakia
Μανδράκια

This tiny fishing village on the northern shore of the island (located here) was probably our favorite. In fact, we spent our first few nights in one of houses here that has been converted into an Airbnb, and it was absolutely beautiful. Waking up and seeing these blue waters first thing in the morning was a perfect way to start the day.

If you’d like to stay in Mandrakia like we did, Airbnb is probably your only option, since this tiny village has no hotels.

Even if you don’t stay in one of these homes, be sure to carve out some time for a visit. The shoreline in this area is made up of distinctive white rocks, which we didn’t see anywhere else on the island.

Read more about Mandrakia here.

Klima
Κλήμα

This little village is basically a row of brightly colored houses tucked away behind steep mountainside and a narrow beach. If I ever go back to Milos (and I sure want to), I’d probably book one of these vacation homes. There’s only one narrow, windy road to get here, but it’s well worth the effort to visit.

While we were wandering the area, a couple from England sitting on their balcony called us over and invited us to try some locally made wine and cheese! They said that they’ve been coming back to Milos year after year and that they wanted to pass on some of the Greek hospitality they received. I guess staying in a place like this puts everyone in a sharing mood!

Read more about Klima here.

Fourkovouni
Φουρκοβούνι

This remote settlement is only accessible by a steep dirt road and was probably the smallest one we encountered. With just seven or eight houses clustered around a tiny bay, Fourkovouni looked like a perfect place for visitors seeking the most relaxed and quiet of getaways.

Like in the other small villages on Milos, most if not all of the houses here had been converted from fishermen’s homes to vacation rentals.

Read more about Fourkovouni here.

Pollonia
Πολλώνια

This town located on the very northeast corner of Milos feels large compared to many of the island’s villages. It’s got a main street with a bunch of unique restaurants on it and a little bay that’s great to walk around if the weather is nice. If you want to be able to grab meals without driving, consider staying in one of the many vacation rentals located on the northern peninsula of town.

There’s also a tiny traditional church on the end of the peninsula worth checking out.

Read more about Pollonia here.

Plaka
Πλάκα

Plaka is the capital of Milos even though it’s not nearly as large as Adamas. Wander the narrow streets surrounded by white and blue apartments and be sure to check out the church, which has this public lookout right behind it with a stunning view.

Along with Pollonia and Adamas, Plaka is a town with many meal options. If you want to skip ahead and read about all the different restaurants we tried, click the link here.

More information on Plaka can be found here.

In addition to beautiful villages like the ones listed above, another central feature of Milos is the incredible number of beaches that line the island’s shores. Read on to see which ones we liked most!

Our Favorite Beaches

With so many different beaches on the island, it’s definitely a challenge to prioritize which ones to visit. A good place to start is to ask locals for their recommendations, but I think the following three choices are a great place to start: Sarakiniko, Firiplaka, and Tsigrado.

Sarakiniko

This beach located on the north side of Milos is made up of the same white rocks that can be seen from Mandrakia, and this makes for a very interesting, almost lunar atmosphere. If you want to get down to the shore, you’ll have to climb down. This was a truly amazing beach and shouldn’t be missed!

On a side note, Milos is a great place for drone flying. Ismael recently purchased a Mavic Air drone, and the views from above that he captured were incredible! The following videos were shot by him, and we are looking forward to using it again on future trips.

Note that drone flying is not allowed in Santorini; in general, you should always look up the local and national restrictions regarding flying to make sure you’re not breaking any laws.

Firiplaka and Tsigrado

If you take a look at the map, you’ll notice that Firiplaka and Tsigrado beaches are practically next to each other, but if you visit one be sure to check out the other.

Firiplaka
Firiplaka
Tsigrado
Tsigrado

Both are amazing, but while Firiplaka is a flat and sandy beach that’s easily accessible, Tsigrado is located in a little cove surrounded by steep cliffs. There are pictures online of Tsigrado filled with sunbathers, and when we visited, one couple was actually down on the beach, but we saw no viable way to descend to the sand below. Nonetheless, the view from above is spectacular, and so is the turquoise water.

Another incredible thing about Firiplaka are the bright red rocks that can be seen on the cliffs nearby.

As I mention above, there are seventy different beaches on the island, so I’m sure these three only scratch the surface. In Milos, curiosity and willingness to stray from the paved roads are essential to discover its most beautiful spots!

Papafragas Beach
Provatas Beach

Much more information about all of Milos’s beaches is located here.

Other Activities

Besides Milos’s villages and beaches, there are a few other activities everyone should try to fit into their itinerary. One we managed to do; the other we ended up regrettably missing.

Climb the Hill Behind Plaka for Spectacular Views

If you spend a few minutes exploring Plaka, you’ll likely notice a large hill right on the edge of town with a castle on top of it. It’s a bit of a workout, but make your way uphill to get some of the best views of the island.

The grounds of the Venetian Castle of Milos are home to a small church and 360-degree views the island. If you ascend the mountain in the evening, be sure to catch the sunset from the top. It’s the perfect place to watch it set behind the mountains.

Boat Tour

Do a little research online and you’ll see that everyone recommends doing a boat tour in Milos. Unfortunately, we tried booking online the day before we wanted to go, and received an automated email saying our reservation was cancelled.

The boat tours bring visitors to the beaches on the western half of the island, many of which are not accessible by land. They also go to the famous Kleftiko Caves.

Kleftiko Caves. Image courtesy of aixmi.gr (click image for link).

In order to book, you can try online or just visit one of the boat tour offices on the main waterfront street in Adamas. They also have employees out by the docks who are able to answer questions. One company we were considering was Excellent Yachting, and the cost was about 80 Euros per person.

Be sure to book at least a few days in advance to avoid any potential mishaps! We both want to return to Milos someday to see what we missed this time around.

Where to Find the Best Local Flavors

Throughout the four or so days we spent on Milos, we ended up trying almost a dozen different restaurants. Instead of detailing each appetizer and entrée we had, suffice it to say that we thoroughly enjoyed every meal. If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then a picture of food is worth a million. Check out the following places and click or tap the images for links to more info on each place.

One seafood place we liked was right on Paliochori Beach. Sirocco Cafe was delicious; our waiter even let us choose which freshly-caught fish we wanted grilled.

Saganaki and a sweet appetizer of feta cheese baked in bread with honey and sesame seeds at Phatses restaurant in Plaka

In the tiny, landlocked village of Zephyria, a fancy-looking restaurant called To Petrino was another great option. However, our waiter told us that they would be closing their doors until the following spring since the tourist season was coming to an end.

Keep in mind that some places in Milos close for half the year during the off season, and many restaurants close between lunch and dinner, so it’s always good to have a backup plan. Luckily, if you head to the larger towns such as Adamas, Plaka, or Pollonia, you should be able to find multiple options open all day long.

For example, one day we had a late lunch of gyros (pictured below) at Taverna Ta Pitsounakia located right in the center of Adamas.

Lamb over potatoes at one of the restaurants on Adamas's main waterfront road

If you are looking for a great breakfast, “To γλυκοφίλεμα της Ανεζίνας” (no English sign) was a great option in Pollonia. They seemed to have a little bit of everything: desserts, baked goods, coffee, and more. A spicy scramble and some crepes were the perfect reward for actually waking up early!

Practically right next door was Rifaki, also in Pollonia. Their kebab with fries was delicious, and so were the appetizers.

Appetizers of cheese with eggs and snails in a red sauce at Bakalikon Galanis restaurant near the town of Pera Triovasalos
The interior of Bakalikon Galanis, a restaurant we were told was a favorite among locals
Main course at Bakalikon Galanis, mussels in a spicy tomato sauce

The traditional bakeries on Milos also deserve special mention. We especially liked Mouratos Bakery and visited more than once. Whether you go for a quick breakfast or an afternoon snack, they are a great place to grab a pastry or coffee and are so cozy and welcoming. Be sure to pop in for a visit!

Transportation Tips

We arrived to Milos by ferry and left for Athens by plane at the end of our trip. The ferry from Santorini was an interesting experience, so you should try if you have time. You can read more about it here [coming soon].

We used Olympic Air to fly from Milos to Athens (booked using Bravofly). The flight took less than an hour and cost 85 Euro (one-way).

Once you make it to Milos, you’ll need to rent a car if you want to explore all of the beautiful places shown in this post. We booked with the help of our Airbnb host through “Sea Sun Sophia” and the car cost $140 for four days.

Epilogue

I know this was a long post, but Milos is just filled with so many amazing spots that I wanted to at least mention as many as I could! Hopefully this post serves as a comprehensive guide for anyone who has their heart set on Milos. For those who may be considering Greece for their next vacation, this post is a sneak preview of what can be found on one of the country’s quieter islands. Read about other lesser-known Greek islands by clicking here [coming soon].

If you haven’t already, check out my guide to Santorini, Greece’s most popular island (that does deserve the hype)! You can also read more info about Greece in general, including how to spend one day in Athens, by clicking this link [coming soon]. I for one cannot wait to return to this beautiful, welcoming country. What about you? Do you have a favorite Island in Greece? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts! Thanks for reading!

Share This Post With Fellow Travelers!

This post was published on Oct 23, 2018

Hi, I’m Kevin! I’m a coffee addict from Seattle, and my life revolves around traveling! Caffeinated Excursions is a record of my trips over the past seven years. Since I started blogging, I’ve lived in Mexico, Vietnam, Brazil, and the US. I just moved to Australia and plan to be here a full year. Thanks for checking out my blog!

Upcoming Trips

  1. Bangkok (Sept)
  2. Istanbul (Sept)

Support the Blog!

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