Photo post (mostly) of a catamaran tour in Milos, Greece (April 2023)

Milos was an interesting island to visit. Definitely different than the others we had just passed through (Naxos, Paros, and Mykonos). The sense I came away with is that you need a few days to really do it well and comfortably. I personally would aim to stay near Pollonia, which struck me as having the best overall vibes. Definitely a vacation spot with beaches and small hotels and holiday apartments. But it also had a least a couple / few streets with some restaurants and coffee shops. I would also want to have a car rental to get around. Or, more precisely, probably a 4x4 rental to access some of the more remote parts of the island. We stayed in Adamantas, which was logistically convenient but a little less charming.

We were not in Milos very long, but had a full schedule to cover a lot of ground. Arrived by ferry at 8pm and went immediately to dinner at Mikros Apoplous. It's well-reviewed and I was happy with my meal, but I played it simple with salad and beer. My colleagues, however, were more adventurous with some kind of seafood dish which disappointed.

Packed it up right after dinner because we had an early bell to answer for a 6-7 hour catamaran ride around the island, with Milos Adventures.

As you can see in the stream of photos below, it was cloudy. Not too cool, as I recall. Maybe mid 60s. The scenery was in turns dramatic, serene, spectacular. Braver souls hopped off for some swimming and cave exploration. I kept my butt on the boat. Overall an experience I recommend. Just dress for the weather. Or visit Milos later in the season. Or both.

Mykonos, Greece: Scenes from a visit in April 2023 - Part II

I mention in my first post about visiting Mykonos that I really didn't know much about the island beyond its reputation as a 'party island', or a place for luxury vacations. While our tour did include some of the more typically glamourous aspects of a visit to Mykonos -- the catamaran cruise, visiting 5* hotels with spectaculuar pools and common areas -- we also spent a good 1/2 day seeing some elements of 'the other side' of Mykonos.

One partner we work with operates a multi-faceted business that offers (1) mountain bike tours around parts of the 'inland' areas of the island and (2) organic food and wine experiences. The base is Mykonos Vioma Organic Farm. When you look at its position on the island you can see it is about as far from the town (west coast) and the party beaches (southern coast) as possible.

Our day started with a pick up at the hotel and then a little visit to the farm while they got our bikes ready for the ride. We spent some time saying hello to the animals.

I did not snap any pics during the ride. Our guide, though, was taking pictures every 30 seconds. She did not love my 'no pictures' policy. Hard for her to understand that I could enjoy an experience without taking a selfie every 100m. My colleagues had no issues with her paparazzi mindset. And while dodging her lens I enjoyed the ride through little village back lanes and a stop in Ano Mera for a quick view of a semi-famous monastery. I thought I had some pics from that stop but cannot find them. We had a little snack in Ano Mera before the more challenging leg of the tour, which was to ride up to Fokos Beach in the northeast of the island. Again, we were there in late April, so pre-season. But there was virtually no traffic of any kind. A couple of SUVs maybe passed us in either direction. And another family on bikes, I think. Otherwise we had the landscape to ourselves.

Just a natural, chill little beach still undeveloped. Our guide told us one of the homes up on the hill belongs to a famous Greek singer. I forgot the name. Apparently this part of the island is not as desirable as others because the northerly winds can be fierce. But on a calm day like when we visited it was pretty tranquil. Spent maybe 30-45 minutes resting there and taking it all in before heading back to the farm. We wrapped things up trying some local products and wine ... which I failed to capture very well.

All in all a nice day getting a different, less common view of the Mykonos experience.

Some shots from two days of site visits in Mykonos, Greece (April 2023)

Working my way through pictures and notes of semi-recent trips I am posting about and today's entry will be brief but very visual. Part of what we do on our market trips is to get to know the various properties we partner with (or, might partner with, in some cases when we're checking out a new hotel). Accommodations are a very important part of one's experience in Mykonos. So we spent a good chunk of two days visiting a number of partners. Had some beautiful weather for it. As with most of my posts from this Greece trip, my camera instincts were inconsistent. But I have enough to give a good flavor of the exercise.

First stop was Harmony Boutique Hotel. Very solid option. Walkable to town. Nice rooms. Decent pool area.

Apparently I only have this one shot from our stop at Ilio Maris. Pool area with strong scenery off in the background.

Similarly, just one shot from the Myconian Korali, which if I remember correctly was still very much in the process of getting ready to open for the season. So we were trailing the manager and taking in a lot of info rather than stopping and snapping. And it's part of a compound with Myconian Kyma and Myconian Naia. Felt big.

Grabbed a few from Bill & Coo, which I remember being very sharp and polished.

Up until this point all of the hotels we had visited were beautiful. I'd be quite happy staying at any of them. But Anax was a wow to walk around. Just oozed contemporary luxury with every detail.

Next in my photoroll was Mykonos Grand. I remember the sales director who walked us around here. She was a hoot. Old pro. Very nice. And the property is cool. Winning combination of contemporary and retro chic. Some big villa-esque options there if you're traveling with extended family or friends. Resorty with some old school charm.

Last one in my photos was Mykonos No5. This one was an outlier in terms of location. Seems like the area is still developing as there was evidence of construction off in a few directions. Couldn't quite say if it was just getting started or had been abandoned. Maybe some of both.

Staff was very nice. Rooms are great. Strong pool area. And they fixed us a nice drink while we waited for a taxi. One thing I noted, though, was given its position the sunset would be going down behind you. Felt the chill of being in the shade during out visit in late April. Very nice, but would be lower down my personal list of places to stay just based on its location.