Greek Island Adventure

I had always wanted to do a Greek Island adventure and an invite to a friend's wedding in Cyprus provided the perfect opportunity. The turquoise seas, amazing seafood and beautiful beaches did not disappoint.

Planning - This trip did involve a fair bit of advance planning, as there are plenty of beautiful islands to choose from but they may not be connected easily on ferry routes. I decided initially that we would visit islands in the Cyclades, and then worked out what the route would be. I had previously visited Mykonos and loved it so decided it would be a good island to start on. From there we would travel to Santorini and then on to visit 2 lesser known islands - Sifnos and Milos. A word of warning with the ferries, they can be very rough - so if you suffer from travel sickness (like me) then definitely pack some tablets!

Mykonos

Mykonos manages to combine its well known party island atmosphere with relaxed holiday vibes very well.

As we were only staying for 2 nights we chose to stay walking distance from Mykonos Town, which I would definitely recommend if you are not there for long.

We stayed at the Apanema Resort, which was lovely and chilled with beautiful sea views, and not as pricey as some of the other nearby hotels.

Mykonos Town - The first night we headed into Mykonos Town and had a drink in one of the Little Venice waterfront bars and watched the sunset by the famous windmills. The Town is so nice to have a wander around, it is touristy but manages to balance this well and its fun to wander and get lost down hidden pretty alleyways.

We dined at Avra restaurant which had a beautiful setting under a canopy of bougainvillea, it wasn't the best meal we had, but a pretty romantic spot. 

Scorpios - As we were tight on time I had already pre-planned a beach day at Scorpios and booked one of their beach beds for the day. There are quite a few beach clubs to choose from, but we really loved the more chilled laid back atmosphere here. We ended up having the best beach day, it was fairly quiet and we were lucky enough to have the beach pretty much to ourselves to enjoy sipping cocktails and lounging by the sea. I'd booked in the restaurant for dinner - a lot of people come here for sunset as it has a great rocky cliff spot with cushions for everyone to lay back and watch the sun go down. The food was really good and I would definitely go back here, especially loved the decor.

Santorini

We hopped on a ferry and then travelled to Santorini (about 2 hours). From the ferry terminal its a crazy winding road up the cliffside to get to the top, which is where you start to see the beautiful views.

We stayed outside the main town of Fira at Lilium Santorini Villa which I would definitely recommend for its stunning unspoilt views on the edge of the Caldera, such a gorgeous sunbathing spot.

Santo Wines - This is a perfect activity at sunset, the winery has an awesome view atop the island, and is there anything more dreamy than wine tasting with a beautiful sunset as a backdrop. 

To get around on Santorini we hired a quad bike which was a fun way to get out and explore the island. We spent some time having a good wander around Fira and finding different spots to check out the view. Be warned although Santorini is beautiful, its not exactly a secret and it does get flooded by tourists and cruise ships in the Summer, so be prepared to battle the crowds.

Oia - We drove over here and came across by chance the most beautiful little harbour, its like a postcard. We had an amazing lunch at Sunset Ammoudi Taverna right by the water - apparently one of Oprahs favourite restaurants, so can't be bad! If you carry on walking round the cliffside there is also a popular swimming spot thats worth checking out. 

Oia is very pretty and is where everyone goes to chase the sunset, which really got ridiculous as everyone is squeezing into the narrow streets just to catch a glimpse!

Sifnos

We then took the ferry to Sifnos (around 3h30mins - longest and bumpiest journey!) We stayed by Platys Gialos beach at a really lovely place - Verina Suites, it had a relaxing atmosphere with a lovely pool area and just across the road from the beach.

Omega 3 - Sifnos does have a reputation as being a foodie island, and this restaurant is a must. Its only a little spot right on the beach but the seafood small plates are so good and really innovative. Tom Hanks supposedly has a place on the island and is a regular here (I don't base all my restaurant choices around celebs - promise!) While we were there we witnessed a Greek wedding tradition where the groom gets flour thrown on him the night before the wedding! We then managed to see a bit of the wedding the next day at a beautiful little church out on a rock, real-life Mamma Mia.

Apollonia - is the main town, and is really pretty to wander around. Much noticeably quieter than the craziness in Mykonos and Santorini. There is a lovely church at the top of the hill where you can get views over the island.

Cheronissos - We hired a car for the day, to drive to the other side of the island and the secluded beach at Cheronissos. This small beach and little harbour is a picturesque place to have a swim and then lunch on the catch of the day at one of the family run fish tavernas.

We really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere on this island, so many less tourists and just felt much more Greek.

Milos

Its a pretty quick ferry trip over to Milos (around 1h30mins). We decided to treat ourselves and stay at the beautiful Salt, sadly we missed out on one of their rooms with outdoor hot tubs, but it was a lovely experience staying at this small secluded boutique hotel. Our room was like staying in a luxury white washed cave, and it felt like such a treat sipping a cocktail on their terrace at sunset.

Its a big island so you really need some transport to get around, we went for the fun option of a quad bike. 

Plaka - the island's main town which is perched atop of a hill is perfect for dinner and sunset. Lots of beautiful winding alleyways to get lost in.

Kayaking - We do like to throw in an activity when we can, and decided to try kayaking whilst on this island, and booked this with Sea Kayak Milos. In theory this is a brilliant way to see some of this beautiful island, however the day we went was particularly windy so was really tough for us inexperienced kayakers! But was still a lot of fun and you get to stop off at the picturesque fishing houses of Klima for lunch. 

Beaches - This is what Milos is really known for, and we really were not disappointed by the beautiful variety of beaches on the island.

Sarakiniko was perhaps the most memorable. It feels like you've landed on an alien planet, the smooth white rock landscape contrasting against the turquoise sea is beautiful. Theres also some old mining caves in the rocks to explore.

Tsigrado was another amazing beach, you can only access it by a rope ladder through the cliff - which is only for the adventurous, its a pretty scary experience! But you are rewarded with the most beautiful beach with turquoise water and hidden caves to explore.

Pollonia - This is the seaside village we stayed in, and had quite a few restaurants to choose from. However I would definitely recommend Armenaki tavern, we had a bit of a wait for a table but it was well worth it for the seafood treats here. 

This was such a memorable trip and left me wanting to see more! Would love to go back and visit some more Greek islands, if you have any recommendations please share them :)