Ever since I watched the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with a few of my girl friends many years ago, I’ve been dreaming of going to the Greek islands. I don’t care what you think of the movie title, it rocks! I absolutely adored that movie and I’ve been dreaming of visiting Mykonos and Santorini since. I’ve been to Greece before, specifically Athens, as well as Sparta and Rhodes for weddings, but truth be told they didn’t truly captivate me.

When my friend proposed I go to Greece with her this summer, I knew my wish was finally coming true.

Mykonos:

This island happens to be one of the most popular visitor spots. And it’s by no accident. Not only are the beaches beautiful, but it’s a trendy place and actually has a wonderful history to it.  Mykonos is believed to have been named after the grandson of Apollo, Mykons. According to mythology, Mykonos is where Zeus and Titan fought.

The party never ends in Mykonos. Seriously. And it starts late, really late. Unfortunately we realized that a little late the first night when we naively decided to head back to the hotel around 1:30AM just as people were on their way out to the bars and clubs. We made sure not to repeat the same mistake twice on the second night. In Mykonos, parties are scattered around the coast and people start drinking at midday. Not only are people unbelievably fashionable, they’re free spirited as well. In every sense of the word.

The more “romantic” area, if one may call it that, was the Little Venice area where the villas all seem to be perched over the water.

What we learned the hard way so you don’t have to:

• Bring a pair of trendy flats; the roads are all cobblestone streets and definitely not made for heels. And there’s a lot of walking and dancing to do so you better be comfortable.
• Take a power nap in the afternoon so you can head out real late for dinner and partying.
• Bring a light jacket; it’s windy as hell! Mykonos is part of a group of islands known as the Cyclades and it’s nicknamed “The island of winds”. Enough said.

 

Santorini:

Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200km southeast of Greece’s mainland. The name refers to its main island, Thira (prehistoric Thera). Originally it used to be a single island but after an enormous volcanic eruption in 1628 BC, it became a circular archipelago where Thira, Therasia, and Aspronosi form the edge with the rest flooded by the sea. In the center of the lagoon the islands Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni are located. This volcanic eruption is one of the largest ones recorded in history. How cool is that.

What we learned the hard way so you don’t have to:

• Santorini is a very quiet and romantic island. There’s no need to go for longer than 2 days, honestly. Even if you’re a couple and crazy in love.
• Make sure you rent a car that’s small yet sturdy. The roads are extremely dangerous! They’re all supposedly two ways but with barely enough space for one car, and extremely sinuous, overlooking beautiful yet scary cliffs. We almost cried our first night trying to reach our hotel in the pitch dark.
• Try to find a quiet place to enjoy the sunset, far from the maddening crowd of tourists. Some places charge ridiculous prices for a table to enjoy the sunset. Grab a nice bottle of wine and find a remote place to enjoy in peace. You won’t regret it.
• The beaches really aren’t that nice. Nothing like Mykonos. Blame it on the volcano which turned the beaches into a collection of black pebbles.

I can’t wait to go back and visit more islands. The great climate, natural diversity, wonderful history, and tasty Greek cuisine make it one of my favorite places to visit. Efharisto Greece, efharisto.