The ABCs of Greece – B is for Boating
In previous posts (here and here), I’ve described a really fantastic two week trip a group of friends and I took to Greece in September 2021 (I know, I know – so tardy in writing about it). The trip consisted of a few days in Athens, several days on a boat in the Cyclades islands, and then rounding out the experience with some time in Crete. This forms the Athens, Boat, and Crete of my Greece reviews and recommendations. Overall, the trip was so enjoyable and so relaxing and I’d encourage anyone to add Greece to their bucket list and go as soon as you can. It’s magical.
I know that boating through the Cyclades sounds so extravagant (and it was) but let me explain the logic here and it may make more sense than it seems. My Greek friend, Eleni, planted the idea in my head as she was helping me with a lot of the planning and logistics. And she was right. The Cyclades is the grouping of islands in the middle of the Aegean Sea and usually what most people envision when they think of Greek islands – the famous ones of Mykonos and Santorini are here as well as many, many others. This is the land of the blue domed churches, white stone houses, and crystal-clear seas. When I started planning the trip, I wanted to visit four or so islands (Mykonos, Delos, Naxos or Paros, and Santorini). What Eleni pointed out to me was that we would waste a lot of time and money going from island to island. One consideration is that the hotels and Airbnb’s on these islands can be quite expensive (these islands are some of the most visited places in Greece). Then you factor in the cost and effort of getting to each island, you can only get to them via ferry and you are subject to the ferry time schedule. The ferries run pretty regularly and the cost is not extreme but losing the time to take four or five ferries was an eye opener. An additional thought she planted in my mind was that we’d be spending so much time in transit – ferry to an island, taxi to hotel, check-in and unpack for one night, pack and check-out next day, taxi to ferry and the rinse and repeat four times – that we’d be missing out on a lot of the experience of being on the islands. This did not sound at all very fun nor relaxing. Her final selling point was – how cool would it be to be on a boat cruising around Greece? I mean, what a unique adventure for us! She had me convinced and I discovered a website called BednBlue, which is basically the Airbnb for boats and yachts. Searches and cost comparisons later, we agreed that this boating approach was an excellent idea. In the end, I think it’s a little more expensive than if we had used ferries/taxis and stayed in hotels or Airbnb’s but it was so stress-free and such an amazing and unique adventure, it was well worth the incremental cost.
The ”yacht” we ultimately choose was the Aiolis (they also have their own booking site) and the plan was that we’d meet them in Mykonos new port (in Tourlos) and then disembark in Santorini – we’d spend four nights in total on the boat. It was very easy to get from Athens to Mykonos (we took the Minoan ferry line from Piraeus [the primary ports for Athens] to Mykonos new port) and arrived about noon. There were many ferry lines in Greece but the Minoan suited our schedule best. The Aiolis crew (especially Denise) were so helpful and communicative and we knew exactly where to meet them when we arrived – a short walk around the harbor and we were at the boat. Honestly it felt like such an adventure as we walked up to the boat and realized we’d be sailing on it for four days (it’s a 56-foot sailing yacht). This was a real adventure for most of us as we’d never spent time on a boat like this. We met the Captain (and excellent chef), Yiannis, and his charming First Mate, Eugene (not his real Greek name which we failed time after time to pronounce) and boarded the boat. If you have not been on a boat like this before, it seems things are always more cramped then you’d think. There is a push for the utmost economy of space on a boat and everything must also be able to be secured. But it was a very charming and lovely wooden boat and we got settled in our cabins started to learn the ropes.
The goal for our first half day in Mykonos was to see the “chora” or main town. Many Greek islands use this term (which means town) as a general name for their main commercial centers, especially when the island and the town have the same name. Mykonos is very cosmopolitan and known as the party island of Greece. The chora is pretty touristy, flooded with shops, restaurants, and bars. It’s also known as a LGBTQ inclusive island with many hotels, resorts, and clubs catering to this community. Mykonos town also has a number of charming historical points of interest including churches and their famous windmills. But our first need was for some food, we’d had a long morning on the ferry and settling on the boat and we were hungry. We took a quick boat taxi from the new port to the old town (very easy) and then a brief walk to Little Venice. Much of Greece was controlled by the Venetians at one point in their history and this area of Mykonos town has very charming and colorful buildings which directly abut the water, making it resemble houses on Venice’s Grand Canal. We chose a lovely and well-regarded restaurant called Kastro’s and enjoyed an amazingly fresh seafood feast along the water. Happy and with a few drinks under our belt, we made our way to explore the town. Our first stop was right outside of the restaurant, the Panagia Paraportiani Orthodox Church. The church is actually a complex of five small churches built together starting in the late 1300’s and is an excellent example of Cycladic architecture. After checking out the church briefly, we walked through town, popping in and out of shops as the mood struck us, and ended up at the impressive collection of Mykonian windmills. The town was charming and our first introduction to the classic Cycladic style of smooth paved stone walkways, brilliant white-washed home, overflowing flowers, and blue domed churches. It was like walking in a fairy tale.
The windmills were so impressive – a collection of about six dating back hundreds of years, they were originally used grind various types of flour and are known for the circular shape, conical roofs, and strong fabric wings. Today they are primarily tourist attractions. We continued our walk around town and decided it was time for a drink and a sunset view (one key draw of all the Cycladic islands). We made our way (up a steep hill I’d add) to Elysium, an LGBTQ resort hotel with gorgeous sunset views. It was a really fun time there with our very campy and animated server, Adonis. The drinks and music were so much fun that we didn’t want to leave but were in need some of dinner, so we followed Adonis’s recommendations for dinner in town at Nikos Taverna, where we were seated outside in a very busy square
. The scene was hopping with so many people out eating, drinking, and walking around everywhere. The food was fine but it was the atmosphere that was so energizing. After dinner, we made our way back to the Paraportiani church and old port area for a stop into Jackie O’s, another LGBTQ hotspot. Named after the American First Lady (who visited Mykonos), we had a nightcap and then headed back to the boat for the night.
Our first full day in the Cyclades was also centered on Mykonos. We had wanted to head to the island of Delos (a short six and a half miles from Mykonos) in the morning to see some of the ruins there, but there was a hold time on departures from the marina and we were unable to leave in time. I did learn that when you are on a boat, you need to be flexible and adaptable for stuff like this and especially the weather conditions. We had an afternoon reservation at Jackie O’ Beach Club in the south of the island and we did not want to miss that. This afternoon was to be a relaxing time of fun and sun, no sightseeing and no firm agenda. (I am finally also learning that it’s good to build a few of these every once in a while!) We had a delicious breakfast on the boat prepared by our talented Captain/Chef Yiannis and then set off for the beach club. After we pulled into the Super Paradise Beach cove (don’t you love that name) and set anchor, we took a quick dip into the sea (this was to become a daily event). We later set off in out very tiny dinghy (in groups of two or three) to the dock for the beach club. We had an amazing day sunning and funning while seeing our “yacht” sitting anchored close by waiting for us. A few hours of the hot Mediterranean Sea can be plenty so we headed back to the boat to have a snack and get ready for the rest of the night’s activities. Back at the Jackie O’ club we very much enjoyed a poolside drag show and met tons of new friends. Our evening blissfully ended with a tantalizing dinner on the boat consisting of a home-cooked meal of Greek salad and a delicious baked local fish. Heaven on earth. We were so lucky too that the crew decided to navigate to the island of Paros while we slept (I don’t know how Yiannis and Eugene were able to stay awake for it) but we woke up in a quite cove outside of the main town in Paros the next morning.
After the hustle and bustle of Athens and the party vibe of Mykonos, Paros was a welcome quiet and slower pace. You can’t really describe how to feels to wake up on a boat anchored in the water, have breakfast and swim a little, it’s really the ultimate in relaxation. We made our way into the marina of the main town of Paros, called Naousa, and docked for the day. It was fun to watch this whole process where boats come in, dock, refuel and supply, and then depart again. We headed into town and walked around the very charming streets. Paros and Naousa in particular are very popular with the French and the island had a bit of a sophisticated charm with more upscale shops, restaurants, bars, ice cream places, etc. It was by far my favorite island in the Cyclades. We had a really fantastic lunch at Barbarossa, sitting in the open air and enjoying one of the best Greek salads I’ve ever had, and meandered through the narrow streets, shops, and churches including what we dubbed the “big church” of Kimisis Theotokou (which sadly was not open to the public that day). One point of interest was the old Venetian fort which protected the old harbor. These old forts are fairly common (there was a similar one in Crete) and a wonderful connection to the ancient maritime history of the area. After a long (and warm) day of eating, exploring, and shopping, we headed back to the boat for the evening. One of the joys of having a small boat and being in the marina is that you have electric hook up so we enjoyed a cool night of drinks and another amazing dinner by Yiannis on the boat – Greek classics like dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), yemista (stuffed and roasted vegetables), and pastitsio (pasta and meat dish). While a short visit, the sophisticated yet charming vibe of Paros will stick in my mind for a long, long time.
The following morning, our third full day in the Cyclades, we were departing from Paros to the island of Ios. Ios is close to Santorini and was our final port of call as Santorini surprisingly does not have a marina for boats to dock overnight. Our boat was a sailboat but unfortunately there was never enough wind for us to actually sail during our trip (another one of those roll with the punches things) so we motored for most the morning to get there. It was quite fun because we’d actually not spent much time at sea and we marveled at how close all of these islands actually are to each other yet how long it actually takes in a motor driven boat. Once we arrive, Yiannis again anchored us in a small cove for some drinks and swimming in the Aegean before we headed into the main town, also Ios (chora). I will never forget the crystal clear, cool waters of the Aegean and how lucky we were to swim every day. Ios is like the up-and-coming party island (little sibling of Mykonos) with definitely a less chic/LGBTQ aura about it. It’s feels younger, more backpacker type, and the smallest of the main towns we’d seen. It’s very much built on a steep hill with the alleys of the town climbing around themselves and forming small squares with dead ends into churches. One very sophisticated place where we enjoyed drinks and the sunset was the Ios Club. The Club was also built into a cliff-face and was terraced so that everyone could take advantage of the gorgeous sunset views. Wonderful vibe with chill music and creative cocktails. Probably the highlight of the island for us. A nightcap (or two!) around the marina – where we finally tried the very rough Raki - rounded out the evening.
The next morning was very sadly our last day on the Aiolis. We were leaving Yiannis and Eugene and transferring to another boat to take us to Santorini. We had so enjoyed our time on the boat and getting to know them both and were very sad to leave. They had arranged a transfer to take us from Ios to Santorini as well as transportation to luggage storage and then from there to the ferry in Santorini. It was really full service! About half way there, we had the most exciting experience as the Captain stopped the boat and went into the hold. I had assumed there was a bathroom and he was taking a short break. He came back up and opened the bilge (I’ve learned all these terms now) and said “Holy shit!” in English (mind you he was Greek). It seemed that some type of plug had broken and sea water was coming into the boat through a small hole. He hurriedly looked around for something to fashion a makeshift plug out of and ended up with a broken broom handle. Asking our friend Tom to hold it in place, he used duct tape to enlarge the handle as well as to keep it secure. We navigated like this the remaining distance to Santorini! While I doubt we were in much real danger, it was certainly an unusual bit of excitement and will be a conversation piece for a long time.
We finally arrived safely in Santorini, a driver and van met us and took us to a luggage storage place in the town of Fira on the island. I will confess that this bit of moving our luggage (a lot of it mind you) between boats and on a van and in storage and then back to a van and then a ferry, was not ideal. I would not recommend this and the reason we did it was that we had a boat which could not dock in Santorini. Next time I’d arrange an overnight stay in Santorini. I think this also clouded my perception of the island a bit – it’s the absolute most favorite Greek island by so many and it’s the stuff of all the postcards. I’ll grant you that it’s beautiful and unique in that the island consists of the remnants of an imploded volcano so everything is built on very steep cliffs. In retrospect, I’d definitely do at least one night on the island to get the full experience, we probably had seven hours at best.
But we made the most of that short time with a quick stroll of Fira and a wonderful cliffside lunch at the Nektar Lounge (with their famous black burger buns). It was fascinating to see how much of the city was built on the cliffs of the island (we did not take the famous [or infamous?] donkey rides down to the harbor). We briefly visited the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist and took in views of the imploded volcano and island in the center of the remaining geography. This main town has lots and lots of tourist shops, a few with some clever marketing hooks to make them stand out amongst the crowd. After this very short stroll through Fira, we headed out to a tour and wine tasting at one of the famous Santorini wineries. The volcanic ash soil of Santorini has long contributed to the unique taste of local Santorini wines. We had prebooked a tour and tasting at Santo Wineries. While it was again very whirlwind, we learned a lot about the wine making process, what makes Santorini wine unique, and the aging process for different types of wine. We likened our wine tasting to speed dating as we were so pressed for time (very Type A) to ensure we met the ferry to Crete on time. The wines were okay, not the greatest, but the views and the experience were top notch.
We finished our Cyclades trip with a short Minoan Ferries cruise to Heraklion, Crete and the last part of our Greek adventure.
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