Greece: Athens, Santorini & Mykonos

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The Beginning:

Well, Greece was not on my radar for this year! I originally turned down the idea when my "travel bae" brought it due to a promise I made to my BF that we would go together. The idea came up again from a different friend who wanted to join a group that hopped on a 2017 summer flight deal on Emirates out of NY. I had a discussion with the BF who was cool with me going (if anything to have an idea of places to go for when we decide to go). On NYE a flight deal on AA out of ORD presented itself ($587 r/t) and the next thing ya know- I'm booked for May!

ORD & ATH:

We started our journey out of ORD at 5PM with our first stop being LHR (London) for a short layover. The first leg wasn't bad on AA (with the exception of the passengers around me that insisted on taking their shoes off which set off an unpleasant aroma for 7.5 hrs). When we touched down in London, we weren't prepared for the shenanigans going through security or the fact that our gate info wasn't displayed until roughly 45mins before boarding (meaning right at boarding time). Once we pushed through that and boarded our flight continuing on to Athens (3 hrs on BA...uncomfortable seats) but it was smooth sailing!!

We arrived in Athens, moved through the airport with ease (start to finish was without issues) pulled money out the ATM -which I always recommend doing once you land for a better exchange rate. We found a Taxi (note there is a flat fee of 38 Euros from the airport to anywhere in the City Center). Plan on using cash because CC for Taxis are hard to come by out there and Uber wasn't an option at the time. We arrived at our hotel with just enough time to clean up and change to head out to Dinner in the Sky Athens. You can read about that experience here. We concluded the evening with a walk around downtown and headed back to rest before our early morning free City Tour and flight to Santorini the next day!

The free walking tour started around 10AM but it felt really rushed. We wanted to take pictures and spend time checking things out but that wasn't much of an option. The sidewalks and roads were very pointy and rocky so WEAR COMFORTABLE shoes!! Check the weather too because it was very hot! I would strongly suggest doing the Acropolis, Parthenon, and Ancient Agora tour! We only had time for the Acropolis the morning of our flight home. We should have planned better and skipped the free walking tour due to time in Athens. Which, we ended up cutting the walking tour short because it was hot and we had to get back in time to grab our stuff and head to the airport to catch our flight to Santorini. Note about the flight: we booked a one-way on Sky Express: make sure to pay attention to baggage fees when booking. They are sticklers on it, also make sure you have proof of which baggage allowance you paid for because we almost had an issue.

Santorini:

We arrived fairly quickly (50mins flight) met our driver and headed to the Villa. The villa itself was beautiful- we shared with 8 other people. The main challenge was the distance from "town" you could walk but it's roughly 1-2miles away. You also had to deal with dogs and cats (even a horse) along the way because they are EVERYWHERE!! We found a nice spot for dinner and heard from folks in group that there was a cool club called: Two Brothers worth checking out! I didn't do the party thing because I was still adjusting to the 8 hour time change. However, the following day we did a tour of Oia and took a ton of pictures (I'm donning the pink fairy skirt and blue tank). This is where you will find the famous Blue Dome that is seen in several pictures from people who have visited. I highly suggest booking a car to take you to the locations and do a self tour. There were people from everywhere walking around and we seemed to draw a lot of attention because of being colorful and dressed to impress!

We had the chance to do a Sunset Cruise that included unlimited drinks (beer/wine/soft drinks and water) plus a buffet! I have to admit the food was great and plentiful! Due to the high number of people we ended up with two boats (the turn up and relaxation boats). We cruised side by side so interaction was still possible. I highly recommend doing this if time permits- it started at 3PM and we were back on land by 8PM (be sure to bring warm clothes for when the temperature drops). Also, if you are sensitive to rocking back and forth then take your Dramamine before boarding so it kicks in sooner than later. I have video (facebook live) and some pictures that I may add at a later date. It was mostly us turnin' up and the view was pretty much the same during the entire trip (and while posted during dinner).

I wish we would have spent more time in Santorini because two days wasn't enough and I want to add that this would be better as a trip with your significant other in my opinion.

Mykonos:

We had the pleasure of taking a Seajet from Fira to Mykonos...let me start by saying we were warned that it could get choppy out on the water but never did I expect a scene from Titanic. We were about half way through our trip when it felt as if we hit something really hard! Any sleepiness any of us had was immediately gone! It was extremely bumpy and swayed up and down for the next hour or so and several people got sick. Thankfully, I took Dramamine because I didn't want to chance it and so glad I did. So be warned...also know that when its time to board the ferry (as stated on the ticket) be there to board. They will leave you- no joke we walked over all leisurely to the crew yelling for us to hurry because they were about to leave! So...keep track of time and be present before boarding to avoid issues.

Mykonos is consider the "Party Island" and by that they literally do start partying at 4PM. They have day parties and we attended one on Paradise Beach at the Tropicana. They had dancers on tables, a guy in a thong, a DJ who played pretty good music (considering we were the only brown faces there totaling about 20 people). The drinks were high priced and not strong at all. I brought my flask and added to my drinks- I had one mixed drink (it was almost $20 USD and then switched to Smirnoff Ice because it was more like $10). In retrospect I should have just ordered Diet Coke and added my own vodka. Anyways, I ordered a gyro and it was about $5 and delicious so clearly they make their money from drinks. The overall ambiance/vibe was real chill and we all ended up leaving by 9PM. The next day we spent exploring the "downtown" area which was about a 15min bus ride. We were lucky enough to have a bus stop right in front of our hotel (called: Petasos Beach Resort and Spa). It was a great spot that included a full breakfast, next door to a small store where you could grab snacks, and an office where you could rent an ATV to get around the Island. We had an awesome view overlooking the ocean and the pools. The room itself was decent for two people, clean and we had a balcony. I would stay there again on a future visit and recommend.

Conclusion:

My overall opinion is that Greece is the perfect trip to take with your significant other for a romantic and relaxing get away. I enjoyed Santorini for the scenery and city life of Athens. Mykonos is great for partying, and spending with no real budget. You can do a "friends" trip at just about any location because really- a place is what you make of it with who you are with right? I will be back and maybe spend a little more time in Santorini relaxing and hop over to Zakynthos for the beaches, Symi which supposedly has the best food and harbors, Skopelos (the setting for the film Mamma Mia) or Andros for hiking!

Know B4 You Go:

ATHENS:

Buy your alcohol at Duty free in the US (or point of departure) it's expensive in Greece
Athens airport a decent size with food options (high priced). Use the ATM there to withdraw money if you're planning on getting cash.
Many Taxi's don't take Credit Cards! Uber is not an option: Outlawed in Greece April 2018
There is currently (as of May 2018) a flat fee of 39 Euros To/From the airport and City Center.
Communication was somewhat of a barrier with Taxi drivers. We usually referred to the printout of our location or pull up the picture.
There is a free walking tour of Athens (we did some of it but bailed half-way through due to the heat and feeling rushed by the guide.
Do the Acropolis Tour which included many Historic sites (20-30 Euros).
The prices are pretty moderate- a cup of coffee was around $1,50 or 2,00 which translated to Starbuck prices
We stayed one night at the Best Western (Hotel Pythagorion) right in the city. It wasn't the best but for one night it was acceptable. They were nice and it included breakfast and was about $105USD.
Food was great- Chicken in just about every dish- seasoned pretty good. You got potato or fries with just about every dish unless otherwise stated.
Bottle water was cheap everywhere and hotel water okay for brushing teeth.

Santorini and Mykonos:

Santorini was a short flight from Athens (not even 50mins) small airport. Mykonos was a ferry ride (Super Jet) from Santorini- about 3 hours and it was ROUGH that day!
Do not drink the water/or brush teeth with water out the sink (Santorini).
Small island no Uber (on any of the islands). Arrange transportation through your hotel/airbnb host.
We booked Transportation through the Villa we stayed at in Santorini they arranged a drop off at Oia so we could sight see and shop. I'm not going to recommend the Villa due to the distance away from everything. Pick wisely when planning your lodging, there were many options.
Roads are narrow-very narrow and riding in a bus/car could be nerve wreaking as we squeezed past other vehicles.
There is a bus that takes you into "town" in Mykonos. We were lucky enough to have the bus stop right in front of our hotel. Tickets were 1,80 Euro each way and usually 15mins from our location
Drinks were weak in Mykonos and very expensive (think NY prices and water down). You can buy alcohol on the island but it's expensive (everywhere).
Mykonos was the most expensive out of the three locations we visited. Santorini 2nd and Athens being the most reasonable-it may be due to the other two being Islands with seasonal activity.
Mykonos was a "party" Island (Paradise Beach)- if that's your thing then you may want to stay two or three days there. Santorini is more for relaxation and probably better to visit AFTER Mykonos.
Be sure to get Crepes and Chocolate covered waffles while in Mykonos. Check out the spot where the bus drops you off at in the downtown area of Mykonos. It's literally next to where you purchase bus tickets and board. I don't remember the name but the Crepes with alcohol was bomb (according to my friend). The coffee was good too and we added alcohol for an extra 2,00 Euro.

Restaurants Recommended by friends:

Plaka Neighborhood Restaurants (Athens)
360 Cocktail Bar- View of Acropolis (Athens)
Dirty Blond Loft :Dance and Night club (Athens)
PK (Palea Kameni) Cocktail Bar (Fira, Santorini)
Two Brothers: Night Club (Santorini)
Pure Night Club (Santorini)
Souvlaki Story Restaurant (Mykonos)
Tropicana Bar (Mykonos): This is where we did the day party.

Be sure to check out my blog: "General Travel Tips" for info on how to prepare for any trip!