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.

Pottery run to Capula - Day 2

After a productive first day and a morning visit to the nuevo mercado in Pátzcuaro, we had another day in Capula ahead of us. On the agenda was meeting with one of our partners to see what he had available. Then Judy and I both had specific orders to pick up from different artisans. And we always do a lap or two of the main drag where all the stands are set up, just in case we see something we want to bring home with us.

When the town is set up for a full festival we tend to park on the very west end of Avenida Vasco de Quiroga, in front of the Mercado de Artesania. Then we make the walk to see who and what we need to see. On our way in we stopped to pick up some snacks from this guy. One package of pistachios, one package of candied pecans, and a small package of chocopiedras for $200 MXN (little less than $11). Maybe not a screaming bargain, but good to have the snacks on hand and buy local.

Then a stroll through the familiar set up with assorted stands on either side of the street.

As we got closer to the center of town we made the turns to get off onto the back street and visit our partner at his home / workshop (the one on the left with the older fellow posted out front keeping an eye on things).

Our pick up here was relatively small. Every partner we work with is a family business. And sadly a few of them have had health-related setbacks in the past couple of years. When they are down a pair of hands their production dips. Most obviously there is one less person who is able to paint, but also the rest of the family is of course spending time caring for the member who is ill and needs support -- e.g., doctor appointments or hospitalization off in Morelia, nevermind all the general household chores and such. The good news here is the mother-in-law who was hospitalized with a serious scare is home and looking incredibly well. She'll be back to work soon and they told us they have recently recruited a couple of cousins into the operation. So we expect our October pick up from them to be back to normal.

While they packed everything up for us we backtracked toward the church where people were getting set up for the evening's festivities. What festivities you ask - check out the town's videos on Facebook, like this one.

Since we were also close to the main food hall and hungry, we stopped for some tacos dorados. Simple papas y queso with some salsa verde. And the accompaniment of local músicos. We had also picked up a delicious family-size agua de sabor (limón y pepino). $40 for the agua, $50 for the tacos (4 pzas), and $10 for the músicos. Lunch and entertainment for $100 MXN.

Energized by the pitstop, we were ready to head back to Pátzcuaro. But first, after passing by the 'exit' for the town of Cuanajo dozens of times over the years, I decided today was the day we had time to go check it out. The town is reknowned in Mexico (and maybe beyond) for artisanal furniture. Some absolute master carpenters and furniture makers here. We have seen their work at the major festivals and tianguis in Pátzcuaro and Uruapan. But we have never stopped through the town to actually check it out first hand. First thing I can say is that it was a pretty little detour. Lovely weather, beautiful landscape. What's not to like?

What got our attention to stop was this sign:

Which was in front of this unassuming house:

Unfortunately, no pictures allowed inside. But I tell you their stuff is spectacular. Some absolutely amazing pieces. Rocking chairs (single, double, hasta un triple). Salas decoradas y tejidas. Handmade benches, tables, and chairs. All with gorgeous hand-painted details and hand-woven seat cushions. Beautiful. We are not currently in the market for new furniture. Nor do we have a casa campestre to furnish. But at some point in my life I'm getting either a rocker (silla mesadora) or one of the 'triple' benches. In the meantime, I have these nice pics showing the vista from just inside the showroom. If you're in the area and want to stop by, it's Galeria de Liliana.

Pleased with my decision to stop in Cuanajo, we went back to the hotel in Pátzcuaro for some rest. Watched a bit of the Capula parade via their Facebook livestream ...

Then grabbed dinner at Obsidiana Manjares, which until fairly recently was La Surtidora Argentina. Changed their name and freshened up the interior a bit. But menu is pretty much exactly the same. Cool and cloudy / rainy, so we ate inside. Got a few of the standards. Loaded baked potato, choripan, and a house salad. Good wrap up to another solid day out in Michoacán.