Category: Greek Islands (page 17 of 93)

Amazing winter wonderland scenes from Greece: Part 2

January 15, 2017 / / 1 Comment
Share

Kalavrita Ski Center in Greece

There is snow as far as the eye can see along the road to Kalavrita Ski Center in the northern Peloponnese. The picture was posted to the ski resort’s Facebook page on January 6 

 

Winter wonders: This is the second set of photos I’m publishing on the blog to profile remarkable winter scenery in different regions of Greece — images that have been shared on social media after much of the nation was struck by icy cold temperatures and some surprisingly heavy snowfalls during the 2016 Christmas holidays and up to the second week of January 2017.

Part 1 of the photo feature included snow scenes from Athens, Ioannina, Corinth, Chios, Evia, Rhodes, Sparta, Mystras, Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros.

 

 

Here in Part 2 I have collected photos from Crete, Nafplio, Epidaurus, Thessaloniki, some of the Cyclades and Ionian islands, plus various locations in the Peloponnese and mainland Greece. Many of the photo captions include links to social media pages or websites where you can find countless more pictures of snowy sites in Greece. (It could be spring by the time you manage to finish looking at the photos on all of the links!)

Click on the link beneath the next photo to view the full series of pictures on page 2 of this post.

 

Winter stormclouds above Nafplio

One of my favourite Greece winter scenes is this spectacular photograph by Thanos Komninos, which captures dark, fluffy storm clouds swirling above and around the Nafplio Old Town and Acronauplia fortress, before leaving the town dusted with a layer of light snow. The photo appeared on the Nafplio Kalimera page on Facebook.

 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Longing for Lefkada

September 4, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Share

Glimpses of gorgeous sights and scenes abound in Essence of Lefkada, a 2.5-minute film by Vimeo contributor Ambanja 

 

Three looks at Lefkada: For me, the worst thing about taking a spring vacation in Greece is what happens after I return home.

First there’s the typical post-holiday depression and disappointment that dig in deeply while I try to adjust to the reality of not being in Greece anymore. This “downer” mood tends to linger for months, and looking through our holiday photos often makes it worse (which is the reason why I typically don’t publish trip reports  or write about our vacations until later in the year.)

Then, over the next five or six months, I have to endure seeing countless pictures, videos and comments that people post on social media during their own vacations in Greece.  Many are familiar sights and scenes from places we have already visited, but most show and describe bucket list destinations that I dream about seeing some time in the future.  They instantly aggravate the symptoms of my post-holiday blues, and make me wish I could hop on a plane and fly back to Greece immediately.

Which of course is what happened when I discovered the three videos I have posted here.

 

 

The first film, Essence of Lefkada, was published in July, while the two videos below were posted online in late August. All show scenes from Lefkada which, along with all the other islands in the Ionian chain, is a destination on my lengthy “must visit” list. 

Lefkada is the favourite summer holiday island for a Greek-Canadian acquaintance who kept saying “you don’t know what you’re missing,” and frequently asked when we were finally going to go there. After watching these films, I now understand why he kept urging me to bump Lefkada higher up our list.

Give them all a look and see if they leave you wishing you could be on Lefkada right now, too.

 

Summer Dream is a 4.5-minute video by Jorde Angjelovik, showing aerial views of Lefkada landscapes, beaches and coastal scenery

 

Lefkada … in beauty is a 4.5-minute film by Drone Photography, capturing views of beautiful beaches and seasides on the island’s western coast

The 7 restaurants you simply must try on Mykonos

September 4, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Share

Spilia restaurant and seaside bar Mykono

Lobster pasta and freshly-caught sea urchins are two of the signature dishes that writer Heather Warburton recommends ordering at Spilia. It was one of her seven favourite restaurants on a recent trip to Mykonos.

  

Guest post by Heather Warburton

There are many reasons to go to Mykonos—the color of the water alone, the music, and the stunning villas—but, undoubtedly, the food scene will convince you. If you intend to eat light and vegetarian, you’ll find no better place, and then again, if you’re more into feta cheese and baklava, you’ll be just fine, too.

I spent five days in Mykonos in early July, and these were my favorite restaurants:

♦ Scorpios

 

Scorpios Mykonos

 

Scorpios is one of the only places to succeed in being both a terrific restaurant, and a really fun party. On a charming stretch of Paraga Beach, Scorpios is a sprawling compound. There’s an indoor area that’s light and spacious, with comfortable couches and a well-designed bar. If you come early in the day (read: before noon), you might see people working on their laptops sipping a green juice. Outside there is one large bar, a deck, a beach with over 40 lounge “beds,” and finally, a restaurant.

Despite its massive size, Scorpios boasts impeccable, friendly service and an intimate vibe. Graze on tzatziki, hummus, and spicy pita chips while waiting for a table. They’ll be the best pita chips of your life. You’ll find a vegetable driven menu once seated, with Mykonian salads (tomatoes, capers, cucumbers and feta cheese), whole roasted fish with your choice of sauce, and so many others. (I loved the quinoa with raisins and the zucchini with fresh mint). Their cocktail list is particularly impressive and long, with innovative and not-overly-sweet takes on your spirit of choice.

Go for a late lunch or sunset dinner.

sunset party at Scorpios Mykonos

A sunset party scene on the Scorpios seafront

 

Please click on the link below to read about the other 6 restaurants that Heather recommends on Mykonos. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Why Naxos is setting tourism records this summer

August 15, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Share

Naxos: The Land for a Young God is a professionally-produced video that shows some of the island’s top attractions, including its gorgeous beaches, scenic mountain villages and historic monuments

 

Good press: “Naxos is breaking every record on tourist arrivals this year,” declares the headline of an article published August 12 on naxos.gr, the website for the municipality of Naxos and the Small Cyclades.

In July alone, the news report says, more than 99,000 people arrived at Naxos by ship, easily smashing the previous record of 97,498 set back in 2001. Notably, that total didn’t include passengers who arrived either on Sea Jets ferries, or on Olympic Air flights from Athens, which would have pushed the July tourist numbers far north of 100,000.  

Although I cringed slightly when I read that July saw “27% more trucks, 28% more motorcycles and 48% (!!) more cars” arrive on Naxos than than a year ago, I wasn’t surprised at all by the news that tourism is booming on Naxos. 

Two visits to the island in 2013 prompted me to call it our destination of the year and to write what has continued to be one of the most popular posts on my blog — Our Top 15 reasons to visit Naxos.  After returning for our sixth time in 2014, I got a strong sense that Naxos was at a tipping point, on the cusp of attracting wide international attention as an all-around great Greek island destination.

Sure enough, during 2015 I noticed that Naxos was being mentioned regularly by newspapers, blogs and travel guides. This year, Naxos has been an even bigger media darling, spotlighted around the world by major newspapers and travel blogs as well as the popular CNN television show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With all that good press over the past two years, it’s really no wonder that Naxos is expecting to draw record numbers of tourists this month. In fact, occupancy rates for August are virtually 100%, according to the naxos.gr report, and visitor traffic for the month should easily exceed the record numbers for July.

If you haven’t yet been to Naxos and want to see why it has become such a popular holiday destination, check out the links I have posted below to some of the reports that have appeared in news and travel media  this year alone: 

 

Naxos articles in major newspapers: 

♦ In its February 16 article The 50 best beaches in the world,  the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper ranked St George’s Beach at Naxos Town at #13 and rated it the “Best in Europe for families.” 

♦ On May 5, CNN published Naxos: Lush Greek island delivers the good life, an article by Athens-based blogger and travel writer Marissa Tejada

♦ On June 4 , the U.K.’s Daily Mail newspaper published Seeking out the summer in Naxos: Dancing waiters and empty beaches – it can only be glorious, happy Greece by Kyle Staib

♦ On July 6, the U,K.’s Telegraph newspaper published Sally Peck’s article Is Naxos the most family-friendly island in Greece? 

♦ On July 7, Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, profiled Naxos in the article Hellenic Happiness: Explore Greece’s beauty in these often-overlooked regions by Elizabeth Warkentin.

 

Naxos on television:

♦ On May 8, CNN released the Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown episode The Greek Islands, which was filmed on Naxos

 

Naxos profiles on travel and lifestyle blogs:

♦ Why Naxos is the best of the Greek islands, published on Compass & Fork.

♦ Trip in Greece: Les Cyclades — Naxos published January 14 2016 by Days of Camille

♦ Naxos Island, Greece post published April 17 2016 by welltraveledwife.com

♦ The local guide to Naxos, Greece post published June 1 2016 by Bon Traveler

♦ Naxos: The quietly traditional heart of the Cyclades, a guest article by Mike Andrew that I published here on MyGreeceTravelBlog in March.

 

More scenes from Naxos in a 3.5-minute video by Eleni Giorgiafandis 

Mykonos party events during September & autumn 2016

August 9, 2016 / / 23 Comments
Share

Cavo Paradiso Mykonos

Cavo Paradiso, the premier night party venue on Mykonos, will present major DJ events until September 23 this year

 

Late summer lineups: For weeks I’ve been receiving daily email requests for details of September party events on Mykonos, but haven’t been able to give anyone any information because nothing had been announced. Until today (August 9), that is, when Cavo Paradiso updated its summer 2016 DJ lineup to show events scheduled up to the middle of September (the club traditionally ends its season around mid month).

Cavo will be holding 13 parties in September, with the last set for September 23.

See page 2 of this post for more details of the events taking place at Cavo, as well as to see flyers for parties being presented at other clubs and bars.

 

 

I will be adding other September parties to this post, as well as events taking place in early October, once dates have been announced, so keep checking back for updates. Bear in mind that many clubs do not announce events until as little as 24 to 48 hours before they are scheduled to take place, and some events are not advertised at all.

Click here to see a list of live jazz, rock, Greek and other music shows taking place on Mykonos during September.

And click here if you would like to see party events that have taken place during other months of 2016.

 

Scorpios Mykonos party events on Thursdays in September 2016

This is the schedule for events being held on Thursdays this month at Scorpios

 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Aspects of Astypalea

August 5, 2016 / / 2 Comments
Share

The Astypalea experience 2016 is a delightful 2-minute video by Marion Marema and Daniel Kempf-Seifried

 

All about Astypalea: In my post The allure of Astypalea last November, I shared an enjoyable short video that Eva Rodriguez and Ignasi Llobet had created following their visit to the butterfly-shaped island in the Dodecanese chain.

I just found another wonderful Astypalea film that I simply have to share — and this one is accompanied by a superb travel blog post packed with dozens of gorgeous photos and lots of helpful information about the island. 

The video, The Astypalea experience 2016, was published and posted on Vimeo this past June by Marion Marema and Daniel Kempf-Seifried of Marion & Daniel Photography + Films.  Running just under 2 minutes, it shows a variety of beautiful sights and scenes that will give you a solid impression of what the island has to offer. But since the video is so short, it’s almost a tease — it will definitely leave you wanting to see more.

Happily, you can — Marian and Daniel have published an extensive collection of marvellous Astypalea photos on their travel blog, Marian & Daniel: Geschichten von Unterwegs. 

 

 

Their blog post is entitled Astypalea – Der Schmetterling in der Aegaeis (Astypalea — The butterfly in the Aegean),  and it’s essentially a mini-travel guide that I think should be required reading for anyone planning to visit the island. 

The blog post explains how travellers can get to Astypalea, and its long gallery of beautiful photos takes viewers on a scenic tour of Chora (the main town) and its impressive Venetian castle, as well as other parts of the island.

The text is written in German; however, you can read it in English or other languages by using Google Translate or other programs.

Where to find live jazz, rock and Greek music on Mykonos

August 5, 2016 / / 2 Comments
Share

Vocalist and saxophonist Giuseppe Fabris makes frequent live appearances in Mykonos, including Tuesday and Friday nights this summer at Vinos wine bar. Check out the video (above) to watch him perform to the backdrop of a magnificent Mykonos sunset.

 

Sun, sea & sax: Although most people associate Mykonos with frenzied beach parties and a vibrant dusk-to-dawn club and bar scene boasting music by top Greek and international DJs, musical entertainment on the island isn’t limited to dance, house, techno and hip hop.

Visitors can enjoy live jazz, rock and Greek music, too, at performances presented by some of the island’s bars and restaurants on a regular basis during the summer tourist season.

 

 

I post promotional flyers for many of these events in my directory of Mykonos party events for 2016,  but I’m launching this separate list of “alternative” music shows and performances since many people think that article is devoted only to DJ appearances at dance and party venues.

Please click at the bottom of this post to turn to page 2, you’ll find flyers for jazz, rock, Greek and other music events taking place during August 2016. 

 

Dionisis Sxoinas appearance at 4711 nightclub Mykonos

Located in Mykonos Town, 4711 is a live Greek music venue open nightly during the summer. Some of the club’s regular feature entertainers include Dionisis Sxoinas as well as  the duo Nancy Alexiadi and Tilemachos Zeis.

 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Seeking a VIP clubbing, dining and luxury villa vacation on Mykonos? Book it here!

August 1, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Share

Mykonos nightclub logos

Enjoy the ultimate Mykonos clubbing and entertainment experience with exclusive VIP table and bottle service at the island’s top nightclubs and beach venues, including Guzel, Toy Room Club, Astra, VOID, Charlie, Rock N’ Roll, Bonbonniere, Kalua, Nammos, Scorpios and more 

 

It’s no surprise that Mykonos is one of the top luxury destinations in Europe. The island boasts everything one could desire for the ultimate VIP summer vacation experience:

♦ an impressive variety of gorgeous beaches, many of which boast some of the top beach restaurants, bars and clubs in the Mediterranean; 

♦ dozens of fine dining and award-winning gourmet restaurants;

♦ picturesque shopping streets lined with boutiques presenting exclusive luxury brands and styles from the world’s leading fashion, jewellery and eyewear designers;

♦ art galleries and special exhibitions showcasing works by Greek and internationally-acclaimed artists;

♦ unforgettable day, evening and night parties and special entertainment events at world-famous beaches, including legendary Paradise, Super Paradise, Paraga and Psarou;

♦ some of the best summer nightlife in Europe at a host of iconic bars and exclusive nightclubs in the heart of charming Mykonos Town;

♦ a wide range of exquisite and luxuriously-appointed private villas; plus

♦ luxury vehicle rentals and yacht charters, and private helicopter and jet charter services.

If you’re looking to treat yourself to the ultimate Mykonos VIP experience, or simply want to make the dream vacation of a lifetime a reality, you can now book your nightclub and restaurant tables and villa accommodations right here. MyGreeceTravelBlog is partnering with Concierge VIP Mykonos — the island’s leading luxury concierge service — to offer special VIP table reservations for the summer’s most exclusive nightclubs and beach parties, and to arrange private villa accommodations and luxury transportation services.

Villas can be selected from a portfolio of 40 different luxury properties, including Villa Gina (shown below and on page 2 of this post; other villas will be profiled here on MyGreeceTravelBlog from time to time). And reservations can be made for exclusive VIP tables at leading nightclubs and beach party venues (though a minimum spend — ranging from US $1,000 to $5,000 — will be required, depending upon the particular event and venue being booked.)

For further details and to make reservations or inquiries, please click on the image below or contact us at: [email protected]

VIPServicesV2

 

Villa Gina in Mykonos Town

Situated on a hillside right in Mykonos Town, Villa Gina is an elegant 2-bedroom house with a separate 1-bedroom guest apartment. 

 

Villa Gina in Mykonos Town

Villa Gina offers fabulous views of the town, the harbour and Old Port areas, the sea and the sunset

 

Please click on the link below to see more of Villa Gina on page 2 of this post.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Pages: 1 2

Older posts Newer posts

This site is secured by Comodo Secure

Book a Ferry in Greece