Greece. What a beautiful place!. When I think of Greece I think white houses, blue doors, crystal clear waters, incredible sunsets, gorgeously fresh food and, some of the best memories of my life. Greece lived up and exceeded all of my expectations.
Ever since I was young, Greece has been my DREAM destination, particularly Oia in Santorini. I had come across what is known as the most “iconic” image of Santorini – the blue dome roofs & white houses stacked up on the hill. It was the first destination that made me curious about exploring the world and experiencing different cultures. The travel bug set in from a young age!
JOURNEY TO GREECE:
The journey to Greece was a long one. We took the 8-hour ferry ride from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Bari, Italy where we had organized to store our van at a truck stop while we traveled through Greece. The ferry looked like it was straight out of the ’50s. In all honesty, I’m surprised it didn’t sink! It was a long 8 hours but we made it to Italy.
We were nervous arriving at the truck stop, wondering if everything was going to fall through which would leave us nowhere to store the van. The area was as dodgy as ever but it all worked out well in the end.
The following morning we made our way to the airport to fly from Bari – Athens. For those of you who don’t know, Im not a fan of flying. I’m not terrified but it’s not my preferred mode of transport. Thanks to my late Nan, I wear my Saint Christopher at all times and I sure did rub the heck of that necklace!! So, here I was thinking we would be on a normal-sized plane. You can imagine my horror when we turned up to see this!
An hour or two later we landed. Phew, we survived.
We made our way to an Air BnB in Pireas where we spent the night, eager for our early departure via ferry to our first Greek island early the next morning!
ISLAND OF IOS:
Stepping off of the ferry and onto my first Greek islands was a dream come true! We made it!
Apart from the Port and the main town of Chora, it has few settlements spotted along the stunning coastline. Chora itself is a gorgeous Greek town with white and blue houses piled into the hillside, churches, and windmills standing high upon the hilltops and an abundance of narrow winding pathways that you can spend hours exploring.
Although Ios is commonly known as the “party island”, full of young Aussies spending their summers working in bars & restaurants, there is far more going on in Ios. For those of you who know Morgs and me well, you will know we aren’t massive party goers. Sure we like a drink or two and a night out now and again but, we did not travel to Ios to party with 21-year-olds! (wow, I sound old don’t I!?). We traveled to Ios for its laidback lifestyle, pristine waters and the secluded beaches we were on a mission to find.
As we arrived at our accommodation, the excitement level was kicked up a notch. The apartment was that iconic image of Greece with the whitewashed building and the blue doors. Dream. Come. True. We were a short 4-minute walk to the main town of Chora!
We spent the first afternoon wandering around the town, where it slowly set in that yes, we made it to Greece!
For dinner, we opted for what would be the first of MANY Gyros. You can’t go to Greece without trying a Gyros, right?
We dedicated two full days to explore Ios and figured the best way to do that would be on the back of a quad! We made our way to the opposite end of the island in search of a very secluded bay known as ‘Never Bay’.
We had heard talk of the Neverland Boys. A group of Australians who had fallen in love with the magic of Ios so decided to set up a bar some years ago – The Lost Boys Bar where they work and enjoy the euro summer. They had discovered the secrets of Ios, christening one of the secluded coves ‘Never Bay.’ With the laidback lifestyle, endless summer days, cliff jumping and swimming in secrets locations, adventuring up mountains for sunset views over Ios below, it is something out of the pages of Peter Pan.
The name Never Bay nearly lives up to its name as it took us a fair while to find it. We had a rough idea of the location but it took a lot of comparing landmarks on google maps, off-road driving, a herd of goats and steep hiking to locate it! But the journey was worth it when we arrived at the top of the cliff and looked down into the crystal clear waters below.
After somewhat of a dodgy trek down, we made it and had the entire bay to ourselves. It was amazing to be somewhere that was so stunning yet not overpopulated like so many other locations we had been throughout our Europe trip. We spent hours swimming and jumping off rocks into the deep clear waters. We swam until we couldn’t swim anymore! It was one of my favorite days we had while exploring the Greek islands and the adventure of getting there made it all the more worthwhile.
That evening we ventured up the mountain with a few beers in hand to watch the sunset over Chora. My first Greek sunset was one to remember. The sky looked as though it was on fire with all different shades of red and orange dancing on the horizon.
On our second morning, we decided to explore the north side of the island which is where the tomb of Homer resides. We traveled further into the hills. There were no other cars or quads on the road. We made it to the north of the island and were welcomed with spectacular views of the ocean. Far in the hazy distance, we got a glimpse of the neighboring island Paros.
We spent the rest of the day getting lost along the roads of Ios, stopping off at little beaches we’d spot from above. The land of Ios is vast and barren. The white sandy beaches and crystal turquoise waters are a stark contrast to the dark soil and dry shrubbery in the mountains.
Not only does Ios have incredible places to explore, but the food is beautiful! We decided to eat something other than Gyros for dinner so thanks to a quick google, we discovered a popular place to eat was Harmony – a Mexican restaurant! The restaurant was carved into the rock face at Myloptas beach and offered the perfect spot to chill out on bean bags, have a few drinks and enjoy delicious food. So that is exactly what we did.
Our last morning was spent wandering through the little streets of Chora. As I mentioned earlier Ios is a party town which means the streets are quiet and peaceful during the morning time as the party-goers have only just fallen into bed. That suited me just fine!
Every winding cobblestone street was gorgeous, lead us to a new undiscovered spot. Bouganvilla cascades down the buildings, the pinks clashing so beautifully with the blue and white of the picture-perfect town.
We had a gorgeous few days exploring the island of Ios. It was our first taste of what the Greek Islands is all about and it was better than I had expected! The next stop on our Greek Island tour was the beautiful island of Santorini.
ISLAND OF SANTORINI
Blue and white flags flutter in the breeze while the sun beats down on the grey and white cobble stone painted paths. Crisp white buildings with the iconic dome roofs are built into the cliffside and seem to pile on top of each other.
WARNING! Proceed with caution. This section of the blog includes a LARGE number of photos that will make you want to jump on the next available aeroplane and start singing Mamma Mia! You’ve been warned…
There’s something about Santorini that is completely mesmerising. Every corner you turn looks like a postcard; completely picturesque and nearly impossible to not give in to the temptation of taking a million photographs. It looked exactly like the photos I had seen as a young girl that drew me to Santorini in the first place.
FIRA – Santorini
Our time in Santorini was divided into two locations – Fira, the busy capital of Santorini and Oia for its world-famous sunsets. I had booked Air Bnb’s for both locations and our accommodation exceeded our expectations!
It was a VERY hot walk to our accommodation so we made good use of the cold spa on the rooftop. We had no idea that our accommodation had a private spa so it was a very awesome surprise!
After we cooled off, we headed into the hustling, bustling town of Fira in search of the perfect spot to watch our first Santorini sunset and to get a taste for the local food! Let’s just say, I can see why Santorini takes the cake for the world’s best sunset. I mean, look at that view! Our dinner was divine! I had moussaka and Morgan had spicy meatballs on pita bread!
The next day was spent exploring the streets of Fira. There are loads of souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, and, of course, the picturesque whitewashed houses.
We very quickly discovered how busy and hot Santorini gets during the day! At times the heat became too much so we would duck into the nearest bar for a cold beer. Not a bad solution!
Our last evening in Fira was spent watching another unbelievable sunset. We found a multilevel rooftop bar with sweeping views of the ocean, Fira and Oia, far in the distance. The sunset was unlike anything I had seen yet!
**please note that these photos are totally unedited! Incredible, right?**
OIA – Santorini
We packed up our bags and said goodbye to Fira as we made our way to Oia via local bus.
Just when I thought I couldnt be more wowed by Greece, we arrived in Oia. Oia has to be one of the most picturesque places I have ever been and as I mentioned earlier, Oia has be my ulimate dream destination since I was a young girl. I can’t even discribe the feelings we had when we arrived. Just pure happiness.
Our accommodation was perfect! We didnt expect to have such a gorgeous view but in saying that, it’s Oia and everywhere is beautiful!
We arrived in the late afternoon, quickly got dressed and headed up to the rooftop of our Air Bnb to watch the sunset. It was incredible. We had the entire rooftop to ourselves. We sat in bean bags, enjoyed some beers and soaked up the atmosphere. It was a real “pinch me”moment.
As we had previously enjoyed getting up to explore towns or beaches at sunrise, we figured that Oia of places that this should be no different!
Our next three mornings were spent getting lost as we weaved through narrow grey and white cobblestoned painted paths, lined with white buildings and houses throwing a dash of pastel blue or vibrant pinks as you wander past painted doorways and blooming bouganvilla. We watched the sky turn all shades of purple as the sun rose and cast a striking morning light across the whitewashed houses and the sleepy town came bursting to life. What better way to explore a place than when nobody else is around?
After watching the sunrise on our second morning in Oia, we were making our way back to our accommodation when we were stopped by a young woman. She introduced herself as Alex and was a fashion photographer based in Canada. Alex explained she was in Oia for work, trying to extend her portfolio into weddings and couples. She asked us if we had some free time to do a small photoshoot with her. We were a bit hesitant at first as we had rolled out of bed an hour earlier, put on the same clothes from the night before and gone out the door. I hadn’t brushed my hair or put a lick of makeup on and Morgs still had his bed hair!! Nevertheless, we thought we would be mad to turn the opportunity down!
We spent the next hour going to the most dreamy locations in Oia taking what are now our engagement photos! Alex was incredible and made us feel so comfortable!
We are so grateful for the incredible opportunity. As I’ve mentioned, Oia had always been at the top of my bucket list, so being in Oia and having these photos taken means more to us than we can put into words. Alex truly captured “us”.
The time we spent wandering the streets of Oia in the early mornings as well as our very unexpected photoshoot has been one of the highlights of this entire trip. Special memories in a very special place!
During the days, once the sun had risen and the streets were bustling once again, we would escape to the luxury of an airconditioned room where we would nap and relax and wait for the crowds to subdue.
The crowds would hit an all-time high from 10 am onwards once the cruise ships had arrived and unloaded the hundreds of tourists all fighting for the same photograph. It was at times, totally unbearable. We were packed like sardines, trying to navigate our way through the streets that we had had to ourselves only hours prior. I am very grateful we had the experience of seeing Oia in the early hours of the morning because in all honesty, if I had only seen Oia jam-packed with tourists, I wouldn’t have enjoyed my time there anywhere near as much.
Once the hoards of tourists started trickling back to their cruise ships, we would reemerge in search of none other than a Gyros. Oia had the best gyros we tasted during our entire stay in Greece! We ate at least one per day apart from one day where ate them twice.. oops!
One afternoon we ventured to Amoudi Bay, a gorgeous seaside village located below the towering whitewashed houses of Oia. It is easily (or not so easily) accessed by foot – only 278+ steps that are far wider than average. The hike down is relatively easy but the hike up… well that a different story! Either way, it is worth a visit. There has gorgeous turquoise water, deliciously fresh seafood resturants and, incredible cliff jumping!
Once our bellies were full, we would spend the afternoon wandering around Oia untill the sun slowly started to drop in the sky. At this point we would head in the opposite direction to the tourists who were all on their way to Oia Castle or a rooftop bar for sunset. We had heard reccomenations to get to Oia Castle 1.5 hours before sunset to secure a spot.. We are not about that life so we were more than happy to head to our air bnb rooftop for our own private sunset view!
Oia is a place that oozes beauty and surpassed expectations. We created some incredible memories and it’s a place that I’ll always hold deep in my heart.
ISLAND OF MILOS:
Milos is the unspoilt and lesser-known Greek island and is made up of unique landscapes, smooth white rock with mountains of solid lava and of course, gorgeous whitewashed towns.
But before I dive into our lovely time on Milos, are you ready for a good story? Maybe a bit of a laugh? At the time I was not laughing but now I can look back and laugh.. a wee bit.
We had a ferry booked from Santorini to Milos, the final greek island of our trip. We arrived an hour before departure as instructed. The ferry terminal was heaving with no structure whatsoever! Anyway, over the last few days, the wind had picked up which meant our ferry had been delayed which was fine. Well, it continued to get more and more delayed. Again, no worries, a little frustrating but everyone was in the same boat (yes, the pun was intended). Finally, we were told to line up at the ferry terminal. Hundreds of people came out of restaurants, bars, and shops and made their way to the ferry terminal. We were all stood in a large crowd while a very small ferry was docked. Morgan and I started to wonder how we would all get on the ferry. The dockworkers very vaguely told people what was going on but really, nobody knew what was happening. We finally managed to get an answer from the dockworkers who said we needed to get to the front of the line now otherwise we would miss our ferry. Remember how I said no structure? Yes. These hundreds of people were for 3 different ferries, all piled into one area. Before I knew it, Morgan had his bag on top of his head pushing through the crowd to get to the front. Little old me, however, was struggling to get anywhere (people weren’t very happy to let us through) and we got separated. Here I was thinking Morgan was going to make it onto the ferry and I’d be left behind!! After a near on panic attack and a few tears, I made it to the front and we got on the ferry just in time.
Now, this is where the fun begins. The ferry is already 2 hours behind schedule and keen to make up time. The sea was incredibly rough but we set out anyway. Now, I was prepared and had already taken one of my sea legs tablets.. oh how I wish I knew what was in store for me, maybe I wouldn’t have been too bothered if I’d been left behind. About 10 minutes into the ferry journey, roughly 8 people were vomiting. And it just got worse. Bad to the point where they were going through sick bags by the box load! Before long I started to feel a wee bit off however I was determined. I popped another sealegs and tried to think “happy thoughts”. Well, before long I too was at the back of the boat, my head in a sick bag and Morgan alternating between rubbing my back and changing my sick bag. What a champ! We still had another 45 minutes of the awful ferry ride.
To make matters worse, we were told we weren’t going to Milos. Instead, they dropped us off at another port where we had to wait another hour to be picked up by a ferry that would continue our journey to Milos. Morgan and I had previously wondered how they made up time if they were delayed. Turns out, they just drop you off on other islands!!
We were stuck for another hour waiting for our ferry. By this stage, I was defeated by seasickness and the drowsy side effects of the sealegs had kicked in in full force. I curled up on a concrete bench and tried to keep my eyes open. It was a losing battle.
We finally made it to Milos, 5 hours later than originally planned. We finally made it to our Air BnB and crashed as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
Our first full day on Milos was amazing! We booked a boat tour that took us around the islands of Milos, stopping off at the incredible Kleftiko! It was a very windy day which was unfortunate but we met a great crowd of people from all over the world!!
Kleftiko is known for being an old pirates hideout, and there are caves and grottos everywhere you turn We took a boat ride into the grotto and got the opportunity to swim inside! We spent hours swimming in the stunning turquoise water, sunbathing on the front of the yacht and eating delicious greek food provided by our tour guide.
On our final full day in Milos, we decided what better way to explore the island than renting a quad bike? Renting quads had been one of our favorite ways of exploring the island of Ios and Hvar.
We set out early in the morning and drove around the island finding gorgeous little seaside towns and cruising the open roads. Unfortunetly, the wind continued to get up so we didn’t spend much time laying on the beaches!
We spent our last evening in Greece the best way we know how, with gorgeous fresh greek food, beer and watching the sun set one last time.
Milos still feels a little unexplored to us. It is a gorgeous island and totally underrated! We will be back to explore it some more!
We had the most unbelieveable time exploring the Greek islands of Ios, Santorini and Milos. It totally exceeded all expectations and really was a dream come true. We createdd some of the best memories of our lives and we left with our hearts feeling very full. We will be back and we can’t wait!
Wonderful written as usual and the photos are just amazing Han. You sure are building some great memories together, have fun and stay safe ♥️♥️
Thanks Ma! You’ll have to get to Greece at some point!
Wow great post Han. As hard as it is to post your experiences onto the blog it will be a wonderful recall of some life defining moments for you both. The commentary is great and the photos are just sensational. Looking forward to us featuring in your final trip post from London in 6 weeks or so. Love you both. Keep safe……
Thanks Dad! Yes, it sure will be great to look back on! Bring on Christmas time and having the fam together again!