Category: Greek Islands beaches

  • 2012 Greek holiday trip report: Mykonos Part 3

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    Remezzo area of Mykonos Town

    All quiet on the northern front: Even though it was a gorgeous morning, very few people were out and about when I walked past the Remezzo area of Mykonos Town at 10 a.m.

     

     

    [Editor’s Note: This is the latest instalment in a series of reports on my 2012 vacation. Those of you who have already read Part 1 and Part 2 may want to go back and take another look through those posts — I have added several videoclips to each part.]

     

     

    Thursday May 17

     

    Sounds of silence: My fourth day on Mykonos started off with brilliant sunshine and plenty of peace and quiet.

    The breakfast room at Hotel Tagoo was almost empty, with just a handful of guests showing up during the time I was there. It seemed like most people were sleeping in to recover from either a late night on the town or too much fun at the beaches the day before.  Two guests who did make it down for breakfast told me that a friend of theirs from Mykonos would be taking them on an early afternoon driving tour around part of the island. They had room for a fourth person, and invited me to tag along. They planned to visit some beaches I had not seen in a few years, plus at least one I had never been to before, so I jumped at the opportunity to join them.

    Since I had a few hours to fill before the island drive about, but didn’t feel like laying in the sun by the pool, I took a walk into town. The streets were surprisingly quiet and empty with practically no vehicular traffic and pedestrians. It was incredibly serene — and almost surreal  — hearing only birdsong and sound of my shoes on the pavement. I didn’t expect that, at 10 a.m., I would have most of the Tagoo area and much of Mykonos Town all to myself. A cruise ship was docked at Tourlos, so I fully expected to run into groups of tourists wandering around, but the parking area next to the Old Port (where the cruise ship shuttle buses drop passengers off) was eerily quiet. I passed fewer than a dozen people during my 10-minute walk between the port and Taxi Square.

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  • Solitude & scenery at Stelida beach on Naxos

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    Hohlakas beach Naxos

    A view of Stelida beach, also known as Hohlakas beach (right), and St George’s Bay (upper left) on Naxos

     

     

    Hohlakas beach Naxos

    This sweeping view from a slope on Stelida mountain takes in Hohlakas beach (right) and Naxos Town on the far side of St George’s Bay

     

     

     Stelida mountain

    Naxos port quay view of 151-meter-tall Stelida mountain. Construction of the Dream View Hotel is visible halfway up the mountainside.

     

     

    Hohlakas beach Naxos

    This Google satellite image shows Hohlakas beach (circled) and the Stelida district of Naxos on the southwest side of St George’s Bay, directly opposite Naxos Town. The island’s popular Agios Prokopios beach stands out at lower left.

     

     

    Scruffy and secluded: Greece is abundant in beaches, and many Greek islands are justifiably world-famous for their beautiful beaches and stunning coastal scenery.

    One of them is Naxos, which boasts a variety of excellent beaches that cater to specific traveller tastes and needs. For instance, families enjoy St George’s beach next to Naxos Town as well as Agia Anna on the island’s southwest coast. Windsurfers flock to Mikri Vigla and to St George’s, which also attracts scores of sailboat and catamaran enthusiasts. The long sandy strand at Agios Prokopios and the grassy dunes at Plaka are popular with sunbathers — especially travellers who like to tan au naturel. And people who prefer secluded quiet coves or isolated coastal swimming spots can find those in spades.

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Mykonos road sign

    This sign near the north (Remezzo area) entrance to the Mykonos Town center points the way to the island’s most famous beaches

     

  • Warming up with some Naxos beach memories

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    Agios Prokopios beach Naxos

    Looking across the brilliant turquoise sea as waves softly break against the sand at Agios Prokopios beach on Naxos

     

    Feeling the chill: Clouds. Wind. Rain. That pretty much sums up the dreary, depressing weather we’ve been experiencing here in Toronto since late October, when Hurricane Sandy started moving out of the Caribbean on its way to wallop the USA’s eastern seaboard. We were supposed to see a mix of sun and clouds on Sunday, Monday and again today, but the sunshine didn’t last for more than a few minutes. So you can imagine how envious I felt this morning when a friend in Athens bragged about being on her way to the beach because it was a balmy 29 degrees (Celsius).

    At the time, I was sorting through photos from our visits to Naxos in 2005 and 2006, looking at pictures of some of the island’s beautiful beaches. Just out of curiosity, I checked the weather for Naxos. The island wasn’t getting the same blast of heat as Athens, but the temperature was still a summery 24 C.  Meanwhile, we were shivering with a high of only 2 C.

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  • 2012 Greek holiday trip report: Mykonos Part 2

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    Tourlos new port area of Mykonos

    Mid-morning view from Hotel Tagoo of the Mykonos New Port at Tourlos …

     

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    Norwegian Jade cruise ship

    … where  the 2,400-passenger Norwegian Jade is docked for the day

     

     

     

     Here’s a videoclip showing the morning views from Hotel Tagoo

     

     

    Wednesday May 16

     

    I awoke to an absolutely gorgeous Mykonos morning. Sunny skies and warm temperatures promised perfect weather for a beach day. From the terrace outside the hotel breakfast room, I could see four cruise ships including the Norwegian Jade docked at the New Port and the Azamara Quest, Windstar Wind Spirit, and Seabourn Quest, all anchored near the Old Port. I made plans to hit the beach for the afternoon then spend the evening in Mykonos Town where, I assumed, the streets would be lively and teeming with tourists from the cruise ships.

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  • Greece holiday pic of the day

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    Sapsila beach and bay Patmos

    Houses on the hillside above Sapsila beach and bay on Patmos

     

  • Meow! My Greek Island cat photo collection is today’s featured album on Webshots.com!

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    cats in Samos Greece

    Photo features: There are more than 692 million photos in hundreds of thousands of separate albums on Webshots.com, and today my “Cats and kittens in the Greek Islands” collection from 2009 was named Featured Album of the day! I have a second Webshots album of cats and kittens from 2011 which I published in an April 21 2012 post, and I am currently compiling a third from pics I took during my trip to Greece in May. I’ll post a link to that album once it’s ready for viewing.

    My photos have been enjoying a good week on Webshots. On June 17, my pictures of Kolimbithres beach on Paros, which I had featured in the blog only one day earlier, were named Member’s Choice Beach Album.

    Unfortunately, the company that owned Webshots decided to shut down the photo album website effective December 1 2012, so my albums are no longer available for viewing on that site. I have recreated them on the mygreecetravelblog.com Facebook page, however, so you can now view them there — even if you don’t have a Facebook account. To access the albums, click on the link provided under each photo below.

     

    cats near Gagou Beach, Samos

    This photo of two cats near Gagou Beach on Samos island is among dozens of cat and kitten pictures in my Cats in Greece #1 album on the mygreecetravelblog.com Facebook page.

     

    Kolimbithres beach Paros

    Dozens more photos of the beach and surrounding Kolimbithres area can be viewed in my Paros 2012: Kolimbithres Beach album on the mygreecetravelblog.com Facebook page.

     

  • Beach & coastal scenery on Ithaca, Kefalonia & Lefkada islands

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    Porto Katsiki on Lefkada island

    Soaring cliffs provide a breathtaking backdrop to the brilliant blue sea and soft white sand beach at Porto Katsiki on Lefkada island. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Eyes on the Ionians:  We haven’t yet travelled to the Ionian group of islands off the west coast of mainland Greece, but I’m hopeful we’ll finally get there during one of our holidays in the next several years.

    There are 11 islands in the Ionian archipelago, with the largest being Zakynthos, Ithaca, Corfu, Kefalonia, Lefkada and Paxoi. As you’d expect from Greek islands, the Ionians boast spectacular scenery — verdant valleys, charming towns and traditional Greek fishing villages, enthralling coastal caves and grottoes, fascinating underground lakes, and beguiling white sand beaches along brilliant cerulean seas.

    Franc Malečkar has captured some of that fabulous scenery in the travel photos which he has kindly permitted me to publish below.

     

    coastline near Asos on Kefalonia

    The magnificent coastline near the Asos peninsula on Kefalonia. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    near Asos village on Kefalonia

    Overlooking the Asos peninsula on Kefalonia. A picturesque traditional village, also named Asos, is nestled around a bay on the neck of the peninsula. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Asos peninsula on Kefalonia

    Another view of the Asos peninsula on Kefalonia’s northwest coast. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Kioni village on Ithaca

    The harbourside at Kioni village on Ithaca. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    a valley near Valsamata on Kefalonia

    A lush green valley near Valsamata on Kefalonia. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Melissani underground lake on Lefkada

    Tourist boats explore the Melissani underground lake on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Melissani underground lake on Lefkada

    Another view of tourist boats in the Melissani underground lake. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Kathisma beach Lefkada

    Sunset view from Kathisma beach at Ag. Nikitas on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Mikro Gialos Lefkada

    Tree-covered mountainsides near Mikro Gialos on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Mikro Gialos beach Lefkada

    Mikro Gialos is a very popular family beach on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Porto Katsiki Lefkada

    The coastline near Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Porto Katsiki beach Lefkada

    Tour boat passengers enjoy a swim in the gorgeous warm turquoise water at Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkada

    A swimmer at Porto Katsiki beach on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Vasiliki village on Lefkada

    The tranquil harbour at Vasiliki village on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Myrtos beach  Kefalonia

    Looking way down on Myrtos beach on Kefalonia. Photo by Franc Malečkar.

     

    Pefkoulia beach on Lefkada

    Pefkoulia beach on Lefkada. Photo by Franc Malečkar.