Category: Popular Posts

Temptation island: Why Mykonos is Greece’s hottest holiday destination

https://www.facebook.com/845070212218971/videos/1098820070177316/

This video by Mykonos LIVE TV shows some of the popular beaches and tourist attractions that draw huge crowds to Mykonos every year

Intriguing island: It seems everybody loves Mykonos, Countless people love its atmospheric beaches, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, and happily spread the word about how fantastic everything is. And there are likely just as many who love to criticize and complain, warning anyone who will listen not to go to Mykonos because it’s overpriced, overcrowded and overly commercialized. With so much talk, whether by exuberant fans or equally enthusiastic detractors, it’s no wonder Mykonos is the most famous of all the Greek islands. Remember the expression “There is no such thing as bad publicity?” Well, Mykonos gets plenty, yet its popularity continues to soar.

I think there’s a very simple reason: Mykonos has tremendous visual appeal. Watch the two videos I’ve published in this post, and it’s easy to see why millions of people want to go there. Professional photography helps, no doubt, but similarly enticing images of the island’s breathtaking sights and scenery have appeared for many years in news and social media, travel publications, lifestyle websites, fashion and design magazines, and hit movies all around the world. Heck, I’ve been to Mykonos more than any other place in Greece, yet these videos make me feel like rushing right back.

The film at the top of this post, produced by Mykonos LIVE TV, does a great job of selling the island’s good looks. It presents fabulous views of the iconic landmarks and attractions that have made Mykonos a household name over the past five decades: beaches, bougainvillea, brilliant white buildings, charming churches and chapels, the Little Venice seafront, the photogenic pelican, the impressive Alefkandra windmills, the incredible blue skies and turquoise seas, the sensational sunsets, and much more.

[adToAppearHere]

However, there is another popular expression that applies to Mykonos: “Beauty is only skin deep.” Although the narrator of the Tripment travel website film, below, makes a point of mentioning the island’s biggest blemishes, warts and flaws, the video views of bustling beaches, streets and bars do a convincing job of selling Mykonos as an incredibly attractive, exciting, and vibrant place to vacation.

Acknowledging that the island can be extremely expensive and overcrowded during peak season (July and August), the narrator describes Mykonos as “the ideal destination to boast one’s wealth and happiness.” Still, there’s that matchless beauty and alluring aura that make people dream of taking a trip to Mykonos..

“The all-white Cycladic architecture, in combination with the blue colour of the sea and sky, creates really beautiful scenery,” the narrator notes, adding that the 25 Mykonos beaches — “quite a large number” considering the island’s small size — are all “beautiful, with golden sand and crystal-clear blue water.” They might be jam-packed with rental sunbeds and umbrellas, too, but they still look so damned inviting!

[adToAppearHere]

Despite its drawbacks, Mykonos “definitely offers a unique experience to its visitors,” the narrator says, and “whether you like it or not depends on your personal taste and style.”

Nevertheless, “the fact is that it is the liveliest destination in Greece as people here enjoy themselves 24 hours a day, non-stop.” Mykonos, he concludes, is “a destination that has made Greece famous all over the world.”

And that’s a really good thing, in my humble opinion.

Even if you can get there only briefly, whether on a cruise, a day tour or a short stopover en route to another island, Mykonos is absolutely worth seeing. There’s nowhere else like it, and that’s a good thing, too.

This clip from the Tripment travel blog dates back to 2014, but little has changed in the interim, and the video still offers an excellent overview of what it calls “the most famous and expensive destination in Greece.”

February 5, 2017
Why Naxos is setting tourism records this summer

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.

[MatchContentAd]

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

August 15, 2016
Aspects of Andros

Andros Greece Cyclades is a 3.5-minute video published June 21 by click

Andros revisited: If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you probably have seen some of the photos and posts I published following our visit to Andros in late May 2015. (If you missed them, click here for a quick link to the articles.)

I haven’t looked at any of my Andros posts or photos for a few months, but this morning discovered a newly-published video that instantly made me feel like I was right back on the island, enjoying it all over again.

Andros Greece Cyclades is a short video that Epameinondas Marmaras filmed, in part, with a drone. His camera captures many of the beautiful sights and scenes that we got to see during our holiday last year, as well as some that we just didn’t have enough time to experience for ourselves.

Take time to watch the clip to see the impressive Andros landscapes and coastal scenery. Andros isn’t one of the mainstream tourist islands of Greece, but one viewing of the video may make you wonder why more people don’t go there– and why you haven’t yet gone yourself.

June 21, 2016
Photo highlights from our trip to the Peloponnese and Hydra

The fascinating fortress town of Monemvasia, where we spent three days and nights in early June

Amazing experience: I only need one word to describe our first-ever visit to Greece’s Peloponnese region and Hydra island this month: Wow!

We weren’t even halfway through our holiday when we noted that the trip was shaping up as one of our best vacation experiences ever in Greece. Now that we’re back home, recalling all the places and sights we encountered and sorting through our photos, we’ve agreed that it was our favourite trip of all.

The Argolida and Laconia districts of the Peloponnese far exceeded our high expectations, while a spur-of-the-moment trip to Hydra impressed us immensely as well. The sights and scenery everywhere we went were simply amazing.

[adToAppearHere]

We enjoyed exhilarating views of sparkling turquoise seas and mountains extending as far as the eye could see. We roamed around charming villages and towns, visited historic archaeological sites, and walked dozens of kilometers along scenic coastal paths. We saw vast groves of olive trees, thousands of citrus trees laden with fruit, and dozens of picturesque churches, chapels and monasteries. We explored ancient castles, even spending three nights in a fortress town and swimming in the sea below its formidable stone walls. And we drank good wine and dined on delicious traditional and contemporary Greek cuisine.

I will tell you more about our trip in detailed posts to come, but will launch my 2016 trip report with a series of photos showing some highlight sights and scenes from our travels.

Please click on the link below to view the pictures on page 2.

The Monastery of Elona, which clings to the face of a cliff on Mount Parnon, was a breathtaking sight during our drive from Nafplio to Monemvasia

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

June 20, 2016
Mykonos: Amazing for all ages

Best of Mykonos ♥ – Greece 2016 is a short but sweet personal travel film that spotlights some of the gorgeous sights and scenery a couple and their young son enjoyed during a visit to Mykonos this spring

Age appropriate: Here’s a newly published video I’m sharing on the blog primarily for any parents out there who might be wondering: Should we take our kids to Mykonos?

Concerned by its well-established reputation as a “party island,” readers regularly ask me if Mykonos is suitable for families with toddlers, young kids and teens. These parents say they would love to visit the island, but they’re worried about exposing their kids to the drunken debauchery, street brawls and public sex they’ve heard about or seen on television shows like the What Happens in Kavos series on Britain’s Channel 4 several years ago.

Although Mykonos is justifiably famous for its adult-oriented attractions of restaurants, shopping and nightlife, the island does have attractions and activities suitable for people of all ages — and its popular party scene can easily be avoided.

[adToAppearHere]

True, Mykonos has a few beaches where celebrations can sometimes turn wild, crazy and salacious — Paradise, Super Paradise, Paraga and Psarou among them — but the parties usually don’t start until 4 p.m. That means mornings and early afternoons are ideal for families to enjoy the sun, sand, sea and sensational scenery at each of these picturesque beaches. Moreover, there’s plenty of “non-party” beaches that are perfect to take kids, including Platis Gialos, Ornos, Agios Stefanos, Kalo Livadi, Kalafatis, Agia Anna/Kalafatis and Agios Ioannis, some of which offer a variety of water sports activities in which children can participate.

And unless they take the kids on a midnight (or later) stroll through the labyrinthine streets of Mykonos Town, parents probably won’t even notice the night-time party scene at the dozens of bars and clubs scattered throughout the town center. (Families can avoid peak party season altogether — and peak crowds and prices — by travelling to Mykonos in late April, May, the first half of June or during September and early October.)

Getting back to the video, you’ll join the Pfeifer family — Vanessa and Ben, and their young boy, Vincent — as they experience picture postcard-perfect places like the Little Venice seafront and the charming lanes of Mykonos Town, as well as the impressive coastal scenery and stunning turquoise sea at Agios Ioannis (better known to many people around the world as “The Shirley Valentine beach”).

Ben is a professional photographer with Fotostudio Lichtecht in Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany, and his skills are on full display in the video as he captures beautiful scenes and images from around the island and at their accommodations, the luxurious Mykonos Grand Hotel at Agios Ioannis– one of the island’s top resorts.

The video is only three and a half minutes long, so it offers a rather quick glimpse of Mykonos. But besides highlighting some of its most popular attractions, I think it shows parents that Mykonos is a place their kids will be able to enjoy, too.

June 2, 2016
On our way to …. Nafplio!

Nafplio-Greece Timelapse is a 3:45-minute film by Stefanos Kyriazis

Next stop Nafplio: It’s holiday time at long last, and my partner and I are now on our way back to Greece to explore part of a region we have never visited before — the eastern Peloponnese.

Our first destination will be Nafplio, the former capital of Greece, which is often described as one of the most beautiful towns in the entire country. We have heard so many good things about Nafplio, and the many impressive attractions nearby, that we figured it was high time we checked it out for ourselves.

I’ll post photos from Nafplio if I’m in a blogging mood while we’re there. In the meantime, I’m sharing this Stefanos Kyriazis timelapse film of Nafplio so readers who aren’t familiar with the town can see what it looks like.

More on Nafplio to follow!

[adToAppearHere]

May 29, 2016
Enchanting views of Naxos

Naxos: The island that will enchant you is a mesmerizing 4-minute area film by Naxos Times

Here’s an intriguing video of Naxos that’s unlike any I’ve seen before. Released just this week by Naxos Times, the 4-minute film features breathtaking aerial views of Naxos Town as well as Cape Agios Prokopios in the Stelida district of the island’s northwest coast.

What’s unusual is that the film captures Naxos in the golden light of daybreak and sunset, when the seas are smooth as glass and barely a soul is in sight anywhere in the town. There’s an eerie and almost haunting, mysterious atmosphere to the video, but that’s what makes it even more captivating and fascinating.

May 28, 2016
The bewitching but dangerous beauty of Santorini’s Red Beach

Santorini’s Red Beach is seen in an image from EscapeGreece.com

[Editor’s Update: If you plan to visit Santorini in 2018, please beware that Red Beach is officially closed to the public. Click here to read about a landslide that occurred on Red Beach in April 2018 and led island authorities to re-issue warnings that the beach is off limits because it’s too dangerous to visit.]

Rockfall risk: Since Santorini enjoys a worldwide reputation for superlative natural scenery, it’s not surprising that the island’s remarkable Red Beach regularly garners glowing accolades from international travel publications and leading lifestyle websites — along with ample attention on social media, where thousands of people have posted selfies that they shot on and near the colourful coastal attraction.

During my routine online work and research, I frequently find articles in which travel magazines and websites declare Red Beach to be one of the world’s “best,” “most beautiful,” “most unusual” or “most colourful” beaches, and recommend it as a “must-see” for anyone visiting Santorini. Photos of the distinctive strand, which is also known as Red Sand Beach, appear even more often on websites and social media pages dedicated to travel in Greece, and in particular for hotels and tour companies operating on Santorini.

[adToAppearHere]

What the articles, posts and photo captions rarely mention, however, is that Red Beach is a veritably perilous place to sunbathe, swim or stroll. In recent years, there have been several significant rockfalls and landslides from the crimson-coloured bluffs that rise behind the narrow strip of scarlet-tinged pebbles and stones, and geological experts believe it’s possible that more cliff sections could collapse onto the beach at any time. (There are anecdotal claims that two beachgoers were killed by a landslide a few years ago, but I couldn’t find any news reports confirming the fatalities or date of the accident.)

Red Beach is seen on a sunny April afternoon in a photo by TripAdvisor review contributor Chris B

During peak season in past years, sunbeds have been available for rent, as seen in this photo from the Santorini Hotels Facebook page

In April, Facebook member Cecil Ramirez captured this photo of the imposing red stone cliffs that tower above Red Beach

Major rockfalls have occurred at Red Beach several times in the past decade. Two of the larger landslides are clearly visible in this photo shared on Facebook by Daena K Nicholas

Red Beach has been “closed” since August 2013 because of fears more landslides could occur, and since stones and boulders loosen and plunge from the cliffs on occasion. But warning signs like this one, shown in a Facebook photo by Jc Male, have not deterred thousands of people from going to the beach.

Sunbathers sit near the foot of one of the larger landslides, seen in a Facebook photo by Daniel Dias da Silva. Fences were installed to keep people from climbing the cliffs and landslip rubble because that could trigger further collapses of the rock face.

The safest way to see Red Beach is from the sea or from a distance on a hilltop vantage point like this one captured in a Facebook photo by Nikky Dudek

Please click on the link below to continue reading about Red Beach on page 2 of this post, where you can view videos and dozens more photos of this singular Santorini beach.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

May 10, 2016