Category: Cyclades islands

  • A music video trip to Mykonos

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     Mykonos is the latest YouTube music video release by Greek singer/entertainer Dionysis Sxoinas

     

    Mykonos highlights: Scenes from one of my favourite Greek islands brought back fond memories when I watched the music video for Mykonos, a new song by Greek entertainer Dionysis Sxoinas.  The video takes viewers on a virtual tour of Mykonos Town, including the Little Venice seafront and the trademark Mykonos windmills, as well as to a gorgeous seaview infinity pool at a private hilltop villa. If you’ve never been to Mykonos before, have a look at the 3.5-minute clip. It will give you an excellent impression of what picturesque Mykonos Town looks like — the camera follows model Alexandra Nikolaou while she strolls down some of the narrow streets and lanes in the heart of the scenic Cycladic town.

     

  • Mykonos food and drink 2013: Where we ate

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    L'Ile Bistrot Cafe in Mykonos

    New this year, L’île Bistrot-Café at 3 Kampani Street quickly became our favourite hangout in Mykonos Town for a coffee, drink or light meal. This photo is from the L’île Bistrot-Café Facebook page.

     

     

    Repeat and first-time visits: A short holiday on Mykonos this past spring gave us an opportunity to dine at eight different restaurants, including a brand-new café in Mykonos Town, four other spots we had never been to before, our favourite beach taverna, plus two places to which I was eager to pay repeat visits after being highly impressed with them last year.

    If you have been a regular reader of the blog, you might recall my restaurant report for 2012, in which I recounted my good experiences at more than a dozen different places. I specifically noted that I didn’t have a single disappointing meal during that holiday, and found restaurant service, overall, to be quite good.

    I was anxious to see how Mykonos restaurants would compare this year — and hopeful, of course, that we would enjoy every restaurant and meal. 

    Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen.

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  • Pics of the day: Hilltop views of Mykonos Town

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    A view of Mykonos Town and the Mykonos Old Port area

    Above and below are two views of Mykonos Town and the Mykonos Old Port area, as seen from a hilltop vantage point to the northeast of the island’s Tagoo district. Click on each image to view full-size photos.

     

    A view of Mykonos Town, the Mykonos Old Port area, and the island's Tagoo district

     

     

  • Pic of the day: Exploring Delos island

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    Tourists walk a path below the Temple of Isis (center left) while other Delos island visitors climb stairs to the summit of Mt Kynthos (upper left)

    Tourists walk a hillside path on Delos island (foreground) while other visitors climb steps to the top of Mt Kynthos (upper left). The monument near the center of the photo is the Temple of Isis. Click on the photo to view a full-size picture.

     

  • Pic of the day: Tholaria’s Agioi Anargiroi church

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    Agioi Anargiroi church in Tholaria

    The tall belltower and big blue dome of Agioi Anargiroi church is a landmark attraction at Tholaria village on Amorgos

     

  • Mild to wild watersports in the Cyclades

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    tubing at Mylopotas beach

    Thrillseekers take a wild tube ride at Mylopotas beach on Ios

     

     

    Take the tube: Going for a swim in the sea is the time-honoured traditional way to cool off and seek some relief from the searing summer sun in Greece. Activities on the water can help beat the heat, too, with tube rides and sports like kitesurfing and wakeboarding offering a wet ‘n’ wild workout for people seeking a much more active and exciting adventure.

    But if you’re too timid to skim across the sea under sail or motor power, you can still have a blast watching a novice try one of the sports for the first time, observing experienced participants honing their skills, or seeing a professional make even the most difficult maneuvers look almost effortless.

    Windsurfing, canoeing, sea kayaking, sailing, and stand up paddle boarding (SUP) are among the mainstream watersports offered at beaches on some of the islands in the Cyclades (as well as in other island groups and many places along the coast of the Greek mainland).

    For people seeking more speed and excitement, alternative activities include jet skiing, waterskiing, wakeboarding, water tubing and banana boat rides. In some locations, kite surfing is available for enthusiasts eager to experience the thrills and adrenalin rush of an extreme water sport.

     

    A kitesurfer skims across the choppy sea off Agios Prokopios beach at Naxos on May 23 2013

    Mountains on nearby Paros island provide a backdrop to this kitesurfer skimming the choppy surf off Agios Prokopios beach on Naxos

     

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  • 3 fun ways to cool off at a beach in Greece

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    It takes skill and strength, but kitesurfing lets you zip across the water and even catch some quality air time, as these enthusiasts demonstrate in a video I shot at Agios Prokopios beach on Naxos on May 23.

     

     

    Tube rides offer speed and splash and the risk of an unexpected dip in the sea, as these riders discovered at Mylopotas beach on Ios. I shot this clip on May 21.

     

     

    For people who prefer to stay close to shore and keep their feet on the ground, jumping and wading in big waves — like these at Agios Prokopios beach in Naxos this past May — can be just as fun and exciting. I shot this clip on May 23.

     

  • Pic of the day: The Gialos port area of Ios

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    Looking down on the Gialos port and harbour area of Ios island from the footpath to Chora village

    Part of the Gialos port and harbour area of Ios, as seen from a vantage point on the footpath to Chora. Click the photo to see a full-size image.