Travel Log: Mykonos, Greece

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I recently spent a lovely vacation in Greece and Rome.  This trip was very special because we celebrated the engagement of two dear friends!  I have been wanting to visit Greece for a long time, and could not think of a better opportunity than to see the islands with our travel group made up of friends from over the world.  We visited Mykonos and Santorini on this trip, with a 10 hour layover in Athens and two days in Rome.  I am so excited to share all of these beautiful places with you, so please stay tuned in the next few weeks for more travel logs.  Please read on for photos and details of our three days in Mykonos--I included outfit details where applicable.

Crop Top: Cooperative, exact here
Pants: Zella, exact here
Shoes: Converse, exact here
Bag: Prada, exact here
Sunnies: old, currently loving this Michael Michael Kors tortoise pair



This photo was taken the afternoon we arrived in Mykonos, before we met the rest of the group.  As you can probably tell from my huge grin, I was very excited to see the whitewashed buildings and painted streets of Mykonos Town!  These streets are picturesque, and look exactly like photos and paintings that I have previously seen.  Summertime is very busy - the height of tourist season - and you would not know that there were any economic issues on the islands.  All of the shops and restaurants were open, taxis were ridiculously expensive, and there were plenty of tourists from all over the world.  Pro Tip: I definitely recommend renting either a car or a 4-wheel ATV to get around, because there are only a limited number of taxis on Mykonos and they are very expensive.  Make your reservation in advance if you can, as rates can go up within the day depending on availability.

The epic proposal was the first night.  Friends from all over the world flew into Mykonos at different times, and the plan was for everyone to meet at a restaurant called Kuzina in the Ammos hotel in the town of Ornos by 9:30pm.  One of the Easyjet flights from London was delayed, which caused our friend Michael to have to continue to entertain/distract his girlfriend Debbie while keeping in contact with the group via text.  She was probably wondering why he was walking her around for so long and why he wasn't hungry yet!  However, eventually everyone made it to the restaurant, the couple arrived, and she said yes.  I wish we had a group photo from this evening, but we were all just so excited to see each other that we completely forgot!

Shirt: Banana Republic, exact (on sale!) here

Shorts: no longer available, similar here

Sandals: Clarks, check out this similar pair, same brand

Clutch: Halogen via Nordstrom, exact (on sale!) here

Sunday should have been a beach day, but unfortunately we had to deal with a dishonest Air BnB host and switch accommodations.  I won't go into too many details, but it seemed to be a classic "bait and switch" and the villa we thought we booked in Ornos was probably never owned by this person.  However, we re-booked accommodations in Mykonos Town via Booking.com, and that was a much better experience.  Our host met us at a restaurant in the Old Port, hung out with us, and bought us lunch while we waited for the existing occupant to check out and the villa to be cleaned.  Once we got settled into our new villa, we were able to spend some time walking around the old port enjoying the rest of the afternoon.  Pro Tip: We use Air BnB a decent amount in both the US and Europe--last summer in Barcelona, 2 years ago in Munich, etc.  However, I don't feel comfortable recommending to use Air BnB in Greece at this point in time.  I don't believe they have a good handle on legitimate owners due to the fact that we had issues with both of our villas (Mykonos & Santorini).  I think the larger sites like Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. probably have a better way to ensure that owners are legitimate.

Anytime is a good time for bubbles!  This was a restaurant called "Nice & Easy" at the Old Port where we hung out for a couple of hours before checking into our Mykonos Town Villa.  Many restaurants on the Port look like this with covered seating and views of the water.  It's so lovely - and definitely conducive to relaxing and enjoying the day.  We were never rushed to order or to leave, and I love that about restaurants in Europe!  It's all about enjoying the company, the meal, and the moment.

Our rebooked villa in Mykonos Town was called "Anna's House," and you can find it on Booking.com.  It was just remodeled, and I think we were only the 3rd group to stay.  It was located up a set of whitewashed steps, just seconds away from shops and restaurants!

Dress: DVF (old), currently loving this DVF printed dress and it's on sale!

Heels: Zara (no longer available), check out this pair priced under $100

Bag: Prada, exact here

This is the view outside of Anna's House, looking down toward the water, and this photo was taken with my beautiful friend Liz as we headed to dinner Sunday evening at the Nobu Matsuhisa Restaurant in the Hotel Belvedere.  It would be so amazing to see this view every day!

MATSUHISA RESTAURANT

Poolside dining at Nobu Matsuhisa Restaurant - this restaurant is a splurge, but the food, drinks, service, ambiance, and views absolutely were worth it in my opinion.  And of course, the company!  I have photos of our meal and will save those for a Foodie Review post later.

We were out late again Sunday night, in Little Venice, so Monday we slept in and enjoyed a leisurely day walking and eating our way around Mykonos Town.  It was so much fun to wander through the narrow streets and check out all of the shops.  It really isn't possible to get lost - you can just walk until you hit some part of the port, re-orient yourself, and then pick a new route.  We even found a fruit market with some large, delicious fresh figs to enjoy as we walked!

More photos from the Old Port - the water is crystal clear and that perfect blue-green shade.

The famous Mykonos windmills: built in the 16th century and formerly used to mill wheat.  These days they are a landmark that can be seen from just about every point of Mykonos Town.

We watched a gorgeous sunset from an open area right by our villa Monday evening.  This photo doesn't do it justice, but it gives an idea.

Tuesday morning we departed for Santorini.  We took the water taxi from the Old Port to the New Port to catch the "Champion Jet," a ginormous ferry boat that speeds between Mykonos and Santorini in just about two hours.  Pro Tip: the water taxi is a great way to get from Mykonos Town to the New Port since it isn't walkable and taxis are so expensive.  The water taxi only costs 2 euros per person and departs regularly.

Not everyone in our group who was in Mykonos came to Santorini, but the majority did and we had to take a group photo on the Champion Jet.  The Champion Jet is a huge ferry with a standard class and a club class.  The club class was only a few euros more, and means you sit on the upper deck.  I think that's the only difference - there was a really nice upper outside deck that may have been only accessible for the club class but I'm not sure.  I booked our tickets through Greeka.com, which was super easy.  I walked to a tourist office in the Old Port the day before we left to pick up our tickets, in order to save time the morning of departure.

Watching the islands go by at high speed from the outdoor deck!

Finally, our lovely engaged couple.  Without these two and the surprise engagement that Michael planned, we would not have been in Greece with the group this summer.  Cheers to Michael and Debbie!  Please stay tuned for my next Travel Log on the beautiful island of Santorini, coming soon.

Have you been to Mykonos?  If so, what was your experience?  Thank you for visiting my blog today, don't forget to enter the current $500 cash giveaway, and I hope you have a great week!

Linking up with Fizz & Frosting, Michelle's Pa(i)ge, More Pieces of Me, Northwest Blonde, Sincerely Jenna Marie.