Dreaming of Greek Islands:Mykonos

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We timed our stay in Mykonos perfectly, arriving before the hordes of weekend warriors started to make things a little more frenzied. We had long thought about getting to the Greek Islands, but other trips seemed to have always taken precedent. The Greek Islands are also one of those locations in the world where it makes absolutely no sense at all to go in any other season than summer. This is when the island, and those around it, comes alive. The sun shines brightly, the days are hot, and the carefree atmosphere sucks you up and encourages you to have a great time. Whether arriving by boat or by air, the magical blue waters of the Aegean Sea, set against the stark, almost desolate looking land is on show for all to see.

We chose to fly from Athens to Mykonos, saving ourselves some precious time, as the flight only takes about 30 minutes.  The cabin crew of Aegean Air are experienced in whipping out the drinks and snacks the moment the Dash-8 aircraft hits the skies, barely getting to the end of the plane before they must collect the rubbish and sit back in their seats ready for landing.  I did explore the option of riding the ferry to the island.  However, despite being out on the blue waters, the time taken to get there, along with the uncertainty of scheduling and possible weather issues, made the decision to fly much easier.  Whilst more expensive than the ferry, if you can afford it, it’s worth the effort.

We stayed at a hotel with the longest name I have ever seen.  The Myconian Kohili-Korali-Kyma-Kalypso Thalasso Spa Center, or once you get to know it, the Myconian K Hotel! We were incredibly pleased with our choice for several reasons.  Firstly, it had a great view.  Views on the Greek Islands are very important, and this hotel offers a view from almost any position, and we couldn’t have asked for a better view from our room, looking across to the old town Chora and it’s famous windmills.  I loved that the hotel was the “picture” of the Greek Islands, with it’s whitewashed walls and blue trims, and cubist style stone buildings.  After all, these are the dreamy photos that we peer at in glossy magazines, noting the Greek Islands as an aspirational destination.  To arrive here and see that the photos were true to their word was amazing. 

We had arrived a little early to check in so the bar and restaurant seemed to call out to us.  Overlooking the pool, it seemed like we would be letting the side down if we didn’t at least kick off our island stay with an ice cold beer.

 We also couldn’t resist taking advantage of our spa session that was included in our hotel package.  It seemed like a nice way to slowly introduce ourselves to the Greek Islands.  The Thalasso Spa was no ordinary spa.  With a variety of options to choose from, we were soon enjoying our very own session of  Thalassotherapy.  Words I have never heard before, but we were soon living the dream.  We were taken into a  semi darkened room with essential oils and candles burning. We learnt that this type of treatment centres around the use of five pools:

• essential oils
• aloe vera
• salts
• sea water
• hydro massage

In intervals of 15 minutes, we moved from pool to pool, floating unaided in the salt water pool, and on ‘pool noodles’ in the others.  After all, this was about relaxation, so that last thing you want to do is use your energy swimming and keeping yourself afloat. With only one other couple in the centre with us, this was pure relaxation.

 

The real beauty of being in the Greek Islands was still to come.  It was one of the natural occurences that we couldn’t wait to see.  The sunset over the water.  And, it didn’t disappoint.  From our vantage point inside the hotel’s magnificent restaurant ‘Windmills’, we watched our first Greek Island sunset over a glass of wine. The chef at this restaurant was also first class, allowing us to end a great day on Mykonos Island with some wonderful Mediterranean inspired food, and a whole lot of energy ready to face tomorrow.