A trip to Greece was the perfect summer getaway in August for sun, sea and relaxing. I did two of the Islands – Santorini and Mykonos and then a short two days in Athens for sightseeing and to get my history fix. Each had its own unique personality but all were breathtakingly beautiful.

I began in Santorini. Santorini is a volcanically formed caldera island is a large, located in the southern Aegean Sea. Rising from the ocean, the mostly submerged caldera,  creates a gorgeous island with steep cliffs cascading into deep blue water. The hotel was built into the volcanic cliff, overlooking the caldera bay….it may have been the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen! Santorini is quite remote and very romantic, attracting many weddings and honeymoons. In addition to relaxing in the sun and eating some delicious and fresh foods, I did some walking to see the town of Fira. Fira is the capital of Santorini, is home to many local art shops as well as the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. The restaurants all around were delicious. Of course, the fresh Greek salads and olive oil drenched pita bread was phenomenal but I also discovered two new favorite dishes – Moussaka and Souvlaki. Moussaka is an eggplant- or potato-based dish, often including ground meat and bechamel sauce. Souvlaki, is a popular Greek “fast food” consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. Nearly all of the restaurants and bars have open terraces where you can admire the sunset and scenery.

Perhaps my favorite thing that I did in Santorini was a half-day catamaran sailing trip around the island. I used Santorini Sailing and could not have been happier. They entire 5 hour trip was perfect – the boat was large and comfortable, the sailors and team members were able to highlight the different sites, and they cooked up a wonderful lunch of traditional Greek salads, pastas and grilled meats – right there on the boat! It really is the best and only way to full see the entire island! The first stop we made was at Red Beach – a small, very popular beach. It gets its name because it is surrounded by red hills & volcanic rocks – many of which are unstable. Our guide mentioned that the beach is technically closed due to rock slides! The group did stop to swim and snorkel but, because it is an actively volcanic island, there are very few fish and no reefs or ocean-floor plants…just gorgeous deep blue water. The second stop we made was at White Beach, or Akrotiri. As you may can guess, this beach gets its name from the white cliffs surrounding this small, secluded beach. Interestingly, Red and White beach are named for the cliff formations, not the sand! All of the beaches in Santorini have black volcanic sand. There is also an iconic lighthouse near Akortiri that overlooks the Aegean coves. We stopped  that the smaller volcanic islands of Palea and Nea Kameni. The water here is slightly sulfuric (don’t swim in a light colored swimsuit!) because of the natural hot springs. This is where we stopped for lunch to admire the uniquely beautiful rock formations and also have our delicious, homemade Greek lunch.

Definitely my least favorite part of the trip – and something I feel that all Island-hoppers should be warned about – is the Ferry experience. Particularly in Santorini, getting to the port and onto the right ferry is…..shall we say, adventurous? You should plan to leave your hotel giving yourself at least 90-120 minutes of time to get to the port. I was 4km away from the port and it took nearly an hour. There is only one “road” (read: semi-paved donkey trail) down to the port. This is the only port on the island, so the trail is filled with large busses with cruise tour groups and also every taxi on the island. There is only one dock, so any ferry or ship pulls into the same space. There are no signs nor boarding groups, so when the boat that seems to match your ticket arrives, it is just a stampede of bodies and luggage into the hull of the ship. There are people shouting to leave your luggage in the hull but we brought our carry-on sized luggage upstairs with us to our seats. Once onboard, it is quite comfortable, but the boarding process is nothing short of a disaster. It was slightly better in Mykonos and Athens because we were prepared for the experience and the ports were a bit larger. It certainly didn’t ruin the trip or anything like that, but its worth be aware if you are planning to ferry between islands.

Following what was a fairly traumatic ferry experience, I arrived (65 minutes late) into Mykonos. Mykonos is known for parties, beaches and glamorous resorts….its certainly did not disappoint! I stayed at a collection of properties called the Myconian Resorts, on the southern side of the island near Elia beach. This is slightly separated from the clubs in the main Mykonostown and was a luxurious, relaxing and fun few days. I stayed at the Royal Myconian, but when you are on the property, you can use the amenities at any of the others (all within a 5 minute walk!). I had dinner at the Imperial Myconian and also a lovely evening at the Myconian Villas. Most of my time in Mykonos was spent bouncing between the spa, the pool bar and enjoying the sun!

The last stop was the historic capital city of Athens (after a considerably less traumatic ferry ride from Mykonos to Athens!). It reminds me so much of the experience I had in Rome with historic site after historic site around every turn! I stayed at the Athens Gate hotel, which has an incredible rooftop view. On one side, you look directly onto the Parthenon on the top of the Acropolis. To the other side, there is a view of the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, constructed from the 6^th century BC and full completed by Emperor Hadrian in 2^nd century AD.

My one full day in Athens was spent exploring these and other sites! I began the day with a driving tour, stopping at the Olympic Stadium first.  The stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (c. 330 BC), primarily for the Panathenaic Games. The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted the Zappas Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympic games in 1896.

Of course, the main attraction of Athens is the Parthenon and the Acropolis. On the way up the hill, you do stop to see the Odeon Herodes Atticus. It was built in 161 AD by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped theater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive cedar timber. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000 and the ruins still survive today. Finally reaching the top, I was able to experience the breathtaking Acropolis.

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel containing the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, including the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. The word acropolis in Greek means “highest point of the city”. While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site’s most important buildings. In conjunction with our trip up the Acropolis, we also went to the newly opened acropolis museum whose layout matches the Parthenon and contains both plaster remakes (some of the originals from the Parthenon are actually in the British Museum in London) and original pieces, as well as scaled models to help you understand the huge scope and breadth of the structure. It really is awe-insiring!

The rest of the time I explored more of the sites of Athens including:

• Hadrian’s Library and the Ancient Roman Agora

• Hadrian’s Arch

• The National Library

• The Academy of Athens

• Parliament and Syntagma Square

This trip was a perfect balance between relaxation and touring the incredible sites! Highly recommend, but watch out for the craziness of the ferry experience in Santorini! 😊

– MAL

Hotels:

• Dana Villas – Santorini
• Royal Myconian – Mykonos
• Athens Gate Hotel – Athens

Restaurants:

Santorini

• To Briki– order the Moussaka
• Mama Thira– good spot to have a drink/watch the sunset
• Vanilia
• Why not souvlaki(just easy to grab for lunch)

Mykonos

• Cabbanes at Myconian Villa Collection
• Sishu at Myconian Imperial
• Pool Bar and Sunset Terraceat Royal Myconian

Athens

• Athens Gate Hotel Restaurant(Roof/Acropolis view)– make a reservation so you get on of the tables with the best view.
• Drinks at the Hotel Bretagne Roof Bar– another great view of the acropolis

Sites/Things to do:

• Santorini
  • Catamaran Tour with Santorini Sailing
  • Shop/Walk Around Fira – This is the “capital” of Santorini and sort of the touristy center. Its where the churches with the blue roofs and all of that is located. Lots of little local shops, bars, etc.
• Mykonos
  • Royal Myconian Spa
• Athens
  • Acropolis Tour and Acropolis Museum
  • Parliament and Syntagma Square
  • Hadrian’s Library and The old Roman Agora
  • Hadrian’s Arch
  • The Olympic Stadium
  • Academy of Athens, Athens National Library
  • Temple of Olympian Zeus