The original plan for our trip to Greece was to stay in Athens for the entire week. But we kept hearing so much about the Greek Islands that we knew we had to find a way to fit it in. I mean, we had traveled so far already, it only made sense to try and see at least one island during our visit.
While we looked at going to Santorini, Mykonos fit our pockets much better. (Gotta love the off-season!) After spending almost three days in Athen, we hopped a quick 20-minute flight on Aegean Airlines to the idyllic island.
Our three days in Mykonos were a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Athens and was nothing short of fun and relaxing. Even though it was early October, there were still plenty of people around the island and plenty of things to see and do. (Thanks mostly important to the many cruise ships that dock there.) Here are a few of my favorite things that I absolutely loved about Mykonos.
Getting lost amongst the winding streets of Mykonos Town.
The stone streets of Mykonos Town were some of my favorite to wander and quite literally get lost in. While many of the streets can be crowded, the more aimlessly we would wander, the more the crowds would thin out. Soon enough we would find ourselves in quiet, amongst the typical white-washed and colorfully accented buildings of the Cycladic islands. Not to mention the extremely friendly and curious four-legged locals we would meet along the way. (The two-legged ones were also very nice.)
The food
Mykonos is definitely a foodies paradise with options including traditional Greek dishes, fresh seafood and Italian. Two of our favorite restaurants during our stay were "off the beaten path" if you will. The first was Fato a Mano, a restaurant we found quite by accident while strolling through the town. We stopped in for lunch and later went back for dinner. Fresh calamari, perfectly cooked pasta, there wasn't a single dish that we had that wasn't delicious. My absolute favorite was the grilled bread with blue cheese yogurt dip that they serve as an appetizer. I'm drooling right now just thinking of it.
The second restaurant that we absolutely loved was Joanna's Nikos Place Taverna, a 10-minute walk from town on Megali Ammos beach. If you are craving traditional Greek food and fresh seafood, this is the place to go. I couldn't leave Greece without having moussaka and it was truly everything I had hoped and prayed it would be. My friend had a pasta salad with fresh tuna that was out-of-this world delicious and I don't even like tuna!! Good food and even better view and location. What more could you ask for?
The beaches
The beaches of Mykonos quickly became some of my favorite for their calm surf and super chill vibe. (read: filled with people with manners, including children.) We were very fortunate that our Airbnb was right on the Megali Ammos beach, and we took full advantage of it from morning to night.
For a whopping 1,80 euro, we took the bus from town to Paradise Beach. We spent the afternoon laying out and once the sun set, made our way over to the the dance floor at Tropicana Beach Club. Even though summer was over, there were still a ton of people around and it was a lot of fun. I could only imagine what it's like during peak season...
The scenery
Mykonos has this way of capturing your attention when you least expect it with how beautiful it is. Wether it's watching the sunset over the windmills, strolling through the church, sitting by the bay and watching the waves as the boats come in, Mykonos has this way of making you stop in your tracks just to take it all in.
The pace
The number one thing that attracts me to Europe is just how much slower things are than in the US. People walk calmly through the streets. Meals are long and consumed at a pace that doesn't cause indigestion. There's no rushing. Things just go with the flow. It was truly bliss.
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