We have left the beautiful Christianna and are now on our own in Ios (pronounced E-os). We are staying at the amazing Ios Palace Hotel. This property is a Tresor Hotel. It has 60 rooms decorated minimally in the greek tradition. The hotel overlooks Mylopotas Bay, one of the most popular beaches. It is a lovely hotel that I can confidently recommend.
 |
| Ios Palace |
 |
| Our room |
 |
| balcony in our room |
The hotel offers pick up from the port. It was 9 am when we left Christianna, Captain Steve & the gang. Our room was not ready yet so we headed back out for some exploration. We found out that we could catch a bus in to town at the top of the hill from the hotel. So off we went.
 |
one of 365 churches
|
 |
| charming courtyard restaurant |
 |
| at Casa Del Mar |
We enjoyed Ios Chora (Old Town). As we had gotten used to, going in to town meant climbing lots of stairs! Also lots of churches - there are 3,000 permanent residents of Ios and 365 church! We strolled around town, enjoyed some lunch, climbed up to the top of Chora where there were 3 churches!
 |
| more stairs |
After lunch & hiking we headed back to the hotel, changed in to our swimsuits and headed to the beach - which was right in front of the hotel. We found a nice cafe right across from the beach for dinner - Casa Del Mar
 |
| Afternoon at Mylopotas |
 |
| we ordered Slovaki! |
 |
| view from Casa Del Mar |
 |
| Manganri Beach |
A wonderful day 1 in Ios. For our second day we rented a car and went off to find more great beaches and a hike or two. We drove to Manganri Beach - beautiful, isolated, clean clear water & sandy beach. The beach was almost completely deserted! There were chairs and umbrellas and maybe 5 other people on the beach. A gentleman came out from Antonio's Restaurant and told us the beach chairs were free to customers. So we camped out, and spent the morning there and then walked over to Antonio's for lunch. This was a beautiful beach stop - a bit windy, but the water was warm & clear as can be.
After lunch we set out to find the Palaiokastro ruins, located on the islands highest hill. The area is completely isolated and a castle was built here to protect the local population from frequent pirate attacks. Its a steep climb but the view is worth it!
 |
that's me circled in red
|
 |
| CS about 1/2 way |
After a lovely day exploring, swimming and hiking we headed back to the hotel to clean up and figure out dinner. Spending 3 weeks in Greece is wonderful but I was starting to want some other type of food other than greek! lol A couple we met on another island told us about a Thai restaurant that they had been to on Ios. We thought 'hmm a Thai place in Greece?' But we had seen the sign for it while we were in Chora so what the heck, let's give it a try.
The name is Thai Smile and it was fantastic! Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in Ios!
 |
| our private patio |
Monday June 10 - time to head to Naxos via the Ferry. We got a ride from Ios Palace down to the port. We arrived in time to say good bye again to our new friends on Poseidon Charters. They were getting ready to start the second week of sailing. We caught our ferry and made it to Naxos in easy time. Our hotel on this island was Nastasia Village. What a charming little place! We loved our stay here. Nastiasia Village is a completely renovated boutique hotel. It has 18 spacious & comfortable rooms with lovely patios in front of each room. The hotel is located in a quiet neighborhood within easy walking distance of St. George Beach and Naxos Old Town.
 |
| You could eat your breakfast out her or in the dinning room |
After checking it we headed out to see the unfinished temple to Apollo, one of the architectural sites on the island.
Naxos’ Temple of Apollo – Portara, a huge marble gate and the single remaining part of an unfinished temple of Apollo of 530 BC, is the island’s emblem and main landmark.
Standing on the islet of Palatia, at the entrance to Naxos harbor, it comprises four marble parts weighing about 20 tons each. Fantastic sunsets from here!
 |
| view of Naxos Town from Apollo's arch |
While we were strolling around Old Town, we saw a flyer for a
Bouzouki concert with dancers to be held that night at 9 pm. So we went and found a place for dinner then headed out to find this concert. (if you are in Naxos they have concerts at the Venetian Castle almost nightly)
Really enjoyed the concert.
Bouzouki, is long-necked plucked lute of Greece. Resembling a mandolin, the bouzouki has a round wooden body, with metal strings arranged in three or four double courses over a fretted fingerboard. The musician plucks the strings over the soundhole with a plectrum held in the right hand, while pressing on the strings on the fingerboard with the fingers of the left hand.
Bouzouki was traditionally used for dancing and entertainment at social gatherings. Since gaining a wider audience, the bouzouki has become the major popular-music instrument of Greece. (Thanks Encyclopaedia Britannica)
We enjoyed the concert, it was fun to see some traditional music and dance. Great first day in Naxos!
 |
| Agia Anna Bea |
Naxos, Day 2 - Morning shopping and strolling in old town and
Agia Anna Beach. We loved the old town of Naxos! Fun shopping, charming town and of course, lots of stairs! We wanted to go to the beach in the afternoon but decided to call a taxi rather that take the bus. This ended up being a great choice as we got the best taxi driver, Maria, who gave us a bunch of tips when we told her we were renting a car the next day. She outlined a route for us on a map that would take us to 5 small towns inland. But for this day - it was relax at the beach time!
After a lovely afternoon at the beach, back to the hotel for a shower then out to dinner in Old Town. So many little restaurants to choose from. Almost all of the tables are outside. Lovely
Naxos - Day 3 - Rental Car & we are off to explore the interior of Naxos! Based on Taxi Driver Maria's instructions we were off to find And Sagri to see the ruins of the Temple of Dimitra, then the small towns of Chalki, Filoti, Aperanthos & Kouros. This was going to be an all day adventure. A note about renting a car - its helpful to have an International Drivers License - you can get one at AAA.
 |
| Kontosouvli Pork |
 |
| Giannis Taverna |
I was challenging driving, but we were greatly rewarded for our efforts at lunch time. We were in Chalki and smelled something amazing. We followed our noses to Giannis Taverna and found pork roasting on a spit. Well we were sold based on the smells! It was outside seating as 96% of all restaurants here are. We got one of the last two tables available. We asked our server what was roasting on the spit and she said it was Kontosouvli Pork. We order one plate of that and one salad and we shared both. OMG sooooooo good! We enjoyed our lunch and the rest of our afternoon exploration of the small towns.
I mentioned above that driving was a bit of a challenge. Signage is not that great in Greece. We were hot and tired at the end of our driving adventure and decided to go back to Agia Anna before returning the car. We got to the beach just fine, but trying to find our way back to the hotel was crazy. It was only 15 minutes away from the beach and I felt fairly confident in the route but we must have taken a wrong turn because it took us over an hour to get back to the hotel - ugh! Time for a lite bite and then bed!
Day 3 - Naxos in the morning - Ferry to Paros in the late afternoon. In the morning we went back to Old Town to purchase a couple of souvenirs that we had been looking at. We arranged for the lovely Maria to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the port to catch our ferry -- On to Paros!
Paros will be the final chapter in the Greek Adventure - I hope you'll come back and read the finish of this fabulous trip
Until next time, Safe Travels
Susan
The name is Thai Smile and it was fantastic! Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in Ios!
Monday June 10 - time to head to Naxos via the Ferry. We got a ride from Ios Palace down to the port. We arrived in time to say good bye again to our new friends on Poseidon Charters. They were getting ready to start the second week of sailing. We caught our ferry and made it to Naxos in easy time. Our hotel on this island was Nastasia Village. What a charming little place! We loved our stay here. Nastiasia Village is a completely renovated boutique hotel. It has 18 spacious & comfortable rooms with lovely patios in front of each room. The hotel is located in a quiet neighborhood within easy walking distance of St. George Beach and Naxos Old Town. 
Naxos’ Temple of Apollo – Portara, a huge marble gate and the single remaining part of an unfinished temple of Apollo of 530 BC, is the island’s emblem and main landmark.
Standing on the islet of Palatia, at the entrance to Naxos harbor, it comprises four marble parts weighing about 20 tons each. Fantastic sunsets from here!
I mentioned above that driving was a bit of a challenge. Signage is not that great in Greece. We were hot and tired at the end of our driving adventure and decided to go back to Agia Anna before returning the car. We got to the beach just fine, but trying to find our way back to the hotel was crazy. It was only 15 minutes away from the beach and I felt fairly confident in the route but we must have taken a wrong turn because it took us over an hour to get back to the hotel - ugh! Time for a lite bite and then bed!
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to share travel tips, please feel free to share in your comments, I'd love to hear from you.