Travel

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

August 21, 2017

My mom recently traveled to Greece and given she is a great writer, I asked her to share her 24 hours in Mykonos!

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

I spent 24 hours in Mykonos. We arose in the wee hours of the morning and took a ferry from Athens.  And were at sea for over 4 hours. We probably should have flown. If you take the Blue Starr Ferry, be sure you purchase reserved seating. It’s the difference between business class airline seating and sitting at the food court in a mall. We ate, slept, and stared out at the Aegean Sea – from which being a product of the California school system, I did not know was part of the Mediterranean Sea.

When we arrived in Mykonos we just got happy. It looks exactly the way you think it does. Everything is white and blue and bright. I mean bright. Shades are not optional. You need them to protect your eyes. I thought LA was bright. But Mykonos is BRIGHT. We went straight to our hotel to drop off our things and shower. We stayed at the Hotel Carbonaki, a lovely little boutique hotel in the middle of town, but off a quiet side street.  The owners were kind and helpful. They gave us tips and recommendations for our visit.  So we were off to see this beautiful gem of an island. BF wanted a snack and I wanted coffee, so we walked into Yogurt Berry. It is set up like Yogurtland and branded like Pinkberry. I had a cafe Americana with the yummiest milk made into a cream on top.

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

We walked the narrow walkways, which are not actually cobblestone. They are like flagstone painted over with white square-like shapes. Much easier to walk on in cute sandals than cobblestone.  The buildings are painted bright white to reflect the sun and keep the buildings cool. I wore bright yellow shorts with a flowy white tee-shirt. Mykonos is for bold and beautiful colors. Not pastels. Nothing muted. We talked to Greeks, we explored the art galleries, we window shopped. Everything is close and clean and lovely.

We dined at Eva’s Garden for dinner. The staff here was very nice. Eva’s Garden is hidden away from the crowds. And the food is excellent. We dined on an open patio upstairs.  I had spaghetti and mussels while BF had meatballs. They gave us complimentary Mastika brandy for dessert. Mastika is a Greek liqueur that has an herbal taste. Like a mix of pine and anise. It was quite good.  Later we lounged by the hot tub before bed. We didn’t get in it because it was not heated. It was a warm midsummer night, but still. We slept with the windows open. There were no screens, and there were no mosquitos or other bugs either. There was no need for a/c overnight – just during the day. The days were hot, but not oppressively. The highs were around 81 and the about 70 at night.

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

I noticed lots of stray cats in Mykonos. They appeared to be well fed.

After you have had your fill of walking throughout the city center, the best way to get around Mykonos is via a scooter. It is a small island and you want to be free and feel the ocean breeze on your face. So the next day we made our own protein drinks. (I am a vegetarian, so we brought vegan protein powder with us). Then we rented a quad bike to see the rest of the island. After riding around and taking in the architecture and people and layout of the island, our first stop was Paradise Beach. This is THE party spot. Like literally from early evening, all night until dawn the next day. We only had 24 hours and didn’t want to be wasted so we skipped the party (Maybe next time!). But we wanted to check it out anyway. DJ’s come from all over the world come here. Afrojack, Tiesto, Velix, Kid Angelo, Hed Kandi remixes….you get the idea. So we got there in the afternoon and it was already packed with people of all ages. Lots of cocktails pouring. Lots of yachts docked. Sven Väth was scheduled to be there that tonight.

Next, we rode to Ano Mera. It’s a small village with lots of little shops. We stared out at the sea as we rode along. People were kitesurfing. Something I’ve always wanted to try. Next, we rode on to Agia Anna beach and finally Kalafatis Beach. We were hungry and parking was free. So we stopped and had lunch at Thalassa Taverna at the Aphrodite Beach Hotel. It is difficult to describe how beautiful this beach is. Photos I don’t think do it justice. Downtempo lounge music played in the background, while we had a casual lunch and sipped wine. I had rocket salad (arugula) with black eyed peas and a creamy white cheese. BF had some octopus. I noticed a few kids here running around happy. But they don’t even know they are in paradise.

24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom! 24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom! 24 Hours in Mykonos Written By Guest Blogger, My mom!

We made a few more stops at different beach coves and huge homes. The contrast of the white and brown rocks and dry brush and occasional green shrubs is visually spectacular. And the weather is perfect. Our last stop was high up on a mountainside to see an old abandoned lighthouse. With of course the views that go with it.

As for riding on a quad bike ladies, here are a few tips: Sit squarely in the seat with your feet flat, and use your heals to support yourself.

When we got back to our hotel we showered and lounged by the pool until our driver came and took us to the ferry to head back to Athens. And from there we headed to Istanbul!

Written by Maya Brown – find her on  Instagram + Twitter

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