M Y K O N O S

Wow, it has been a long time since our last entry. The last time we posted, we had just left Australia and moved to another new country and new home. A year and a half has passed! Less than 2 weeks ago, I got to marry my best friend and without a doubt, my better half, J :) But anyway, we'll save that for perhaps another post. This post is to document our recent travels to a place we both held in our bucket list, Greece. Two days after our wedding day, we had our bags packed and headed from Vancouver to Montreal to Athens and then finally to Mykonos. Needless to say, it was a long, full day of travel. We had only 7 full days there, so we had to make the most of it. Arriving by plane from Athens, our first stop of the minimoon was in Mykonos. Now, we were told prior to coming that Mykonos was the island known for its parties and night life but despite being hardly the party people, we had to see this town for ourselves. We were here for only 3 days and 3 nights so our time was short but here are some highlights of what we saw during our stay.

What we did Roaming around Mykonos town was definitely a highlight for us. Streets of white walls, doors of varying shades of blue, a few purple flowers thrown in between - it all sounds too much like everything we've seen in post cards but it is truly what you see here. The streets were laid out in a confusing array of twists and turns and that was by design. The town was constructed in a labyrinth like fashion to fend off invaders in the past and it manifests a charm that you don't see very often. Within Mykonos town are the windmills which stand up on a low cliff that overlooks Little Venice. Both are must sees.

On one of the days, we rented a car and toured the island. Since Mykonos is only about 40 square miles, it was fairly easy to get around quickly. It was the only way to see some of the amazing, pristine beaches strewn across the island. The cost was 45 EUR per day. Alternatives to renting a car would be to rent a scooter or an ATV. Both are good options for exploring and will make parking much easier. Having said that, the streets of Mykonos were quite narrow and a car is definitely safer.

Set upon one of the most stunning places I have ever been to, it was a no brainer to hire a captain to take us on the water for a sunset cruise. We went with Mykonos on Board and asked Artemis to take us on a private sunset tour to surprise J. It was easily one of the biggest highlights of our entire trip. Highly recommend you find Artemis for a cruise if you are ever in Mykonos.

Where we stayed We stayed at the Roccabella Mykonos and it was perfect. After a long 30+ hours of travel, it was such a welcome sight to arrive at this hotel. Roccabella picked us up from the airport on a private shuttle and when we arrived at the reception of the hotel, we were greeted with smiling faces and a glass of champagne. We were then given a walkthrough of all the amenities of the hotel and finally, we arrived in our room. We opted for a sea view room with rooftop jacuzzi. Needless, we were left wanting nothing more. It made it easy to stay in the hotel if we wanted some time to relax (ie. in the rooftop jacuzzi, overlooking the water, all the while with a glass of champagne) but with Mykonos town being only 10 minutes away, it also made it easy for us to get out and explore. Shuttle rides to and from the hotel were free. The breakfast served every morning was fantastic as well - fruits, greek yogurt, granola, omelettes, coffee, pastries, pretty much anything you could ask for.

What we ate Mykonos is full of good eats and great restaurants. Katarina's Restaurant in Little Venice within Mykonos Town has an amazing view from the patio that overlooks the water and the windmills. Great place for a few appetizers and drinks while watching the sunset.

Kiki's was a place I really wanted to go based on reading reviews but it was a ways away from our hotel and the town. That was the day that we decided to rent a car and drive around the island. Located north of Mykonos town, Kiki's is a restaurant that apparently does not have any electricity or telephones. In fact, there are no signs pointing to the restaurant at all. Yet, despite all of that, when we got there, there was an hour and a half wait. Good thing there was a great view of the water and the beach below! It was a scorcher that day with temperatures at around 30+ degrees so waiting wasn't fun but while you wait, there is free house wine and water. When we finally sat down for our late lunch, we had a great traditional Greek meal with whole grilled seabass, squid, and raki.

Funky Kitchen came as a recommendation from Rocabella and it was also fun and yummy. It was our first night in Mykonos when we were here so we were admittedly zombie like from our lack of sleep but from what we remember, the service was fantastic and the food was a great twist of modern and traditional Mediterranean. Aglio E Olio was actually a pleasant surprise for us because we felt like having some Italian after 2 months of essentially not eating any pasta leading up to the wedding. It was brand new and situated in the heart of Mykonos Town. We were commenting that the layout and decor of the restaurant was one of the most impressive we have both seen anywhere, not just Greece. The charcuterie board was... well... massive and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, by the time we finished that, we were full!

Overall We were very pleasantly surprised by Mykonos. We came in with the impression that this would be a party island but it was so much more than that. It was everything we could have wanted for our minimoon and we could definitely see ourselves being back.