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Meanwhile, you can view my first posts here at the BLOG page.
Milos Highlights
We arrive in Adamas, the primary port city of Milos, on a Thursday afternoon via high speed ferry from Santorini. The ride was not too bumpy, but an anti nausea remedy is still a good idea. In the US, you can ask your doctor for a prescription for scopolamine patches when you know you’re going to travel and are prone to motion sickness. I know these work for me, thanks to my friend Brenda, who shared one with me when we were on a cruise a few years back. Other options are Dramamine, wrist pressure-point bracelets, or Travelgum, an anti-nausea gum (which I’ve not yet tried).
We had a transfer from our hotel to the Santorini ferry port, which took about 30 minutes. The ferry port is bustling, but easy to navigate. The ferryhopper app that had our boarding passes directed me to a Seajet office to print our passes, easily done. We snagged a cafe table and waited for our ferry to show. The ferryhopper app is pretty handy. It even shows you the location of your ferry and if it is late.
Soon we’re hustled onto the ferry, directed to our seats, and enjoy a 2 hour ride across the sea.
After the throngs of Santorini, Milos is a welcome respite. The main port of Adamas is more of a fishing town than the Mediterranean resort that is Santorini. We are immediately more relaxed, recognizing this is more our vibe. Our driver awaits and whisks us to Pollonia, an even smaller, quaint harbor about 30 minutes away.
We walk along the harbor side, shopping for a restaurant for dinner. There are several to choose from and all have haborside seating. And by harbor side, I mean 5 feet from the water. Our first dinner is at Noma’s, along with the 25 or so cats milling about. Yes, Greece loves their cats apparently. They are everywhere! Athens alone is home to some 1,000,000 cats, many of which are feral. So if you’re thinking about petting one, be forewarned.
Our second day on Milos we got up early and rode the local bus into Adamas, where we boarded a sailing vessel for an all day excursion. Since the only bus into Adamas was at 7:15 AM we got in with enough time to search for a bakery for a coffee and a treat. We found a great one, just don’t ask me to pronounce the name.
The sailing tour company we chose was Polco, since they had a semi-private, small group offering. Only 11 guests and 2 crew for a full day on the sea. It was perfect for us. If you want more of a party vibe, they also offer larger vessels with many more guests. I’m sure those are fun, too.
Our first stop was in a beautiful cove where several of us dove in, including me. Of course our sailing crew fed us well at every stop. The water was brisk but not too cold.
Our final stop was the pirate coves of Kleptikos (which means group of thieves). Lots of opportunities for cliff jumping and riding the dinghy into tiny caves to explore. It was so fun and we made great friends of the other travelers as well, especially 2 young women from LA.
On the long ride back to Adamas, we had a bit rougher waters. The crew had installed hammocks for us, so I rode one – Almost like a roller coaster, rocking and rolling out along the sea. It was great fun. But we were glad to get back to port, where our new friends gave us a lift to the famous Oh!Hamos restaurant. This little restaurant has a rich history and you must have a meal if you’re ever on Milos. The menu is handwritten in several languages. We enjoyed a nice meal and left our marks on a couple chairs, as is the custom. Maybe you can find them if you travel to Milos!
Our last full day on Milos, we were able to rent a car in Pollonia at the last minute. It turned out they could rent it to us for €40, but required we return the car at Adamas. This was ideal for us, since now we wouldn’t need to pay for another transfer (typically €30-50). So we hopped in the car and hit the road. Tom remembered easily how to drive a manual transmission. Although some of the road signage left us a bit confused.
By the way, Milos has SO many beaches, 80+!
We ventured to a beach to meet our friends from LA, although they opted to take a rope and ladder down to the “untended” Tsigrado beach. We opted to go to the nearby Fyriplaka Beach, which had sun beds you could rent for €10 each and a refreshment stand. The water was lovely and the beach was a soft golden sand. The young ladies from LA joined us and we all enjoyed relaxing here for a couple of hours before they had to leave to catch their ferry to Athens.
Tom & I next ventured to the stunning and unique beach of Sarakiniko. It’s sometimes called a moon landing site, it’s unlike any place I’ve ever been. If you ever visit Milos, this beach is a must see. The day we were there it was very windy, so not as many visitors, which is just fine by us. The rocks truly seem otherworldly.
Back in Pollonia, we dine at another harbor side restaurant, Rifaki, another family run place, enjoying another fabulous meal. But I had heard about a bakery in Pollonia that has a chocolate pie that is amazing, so I talked Tom into walking there for dessert. Strangely, the bakery didn’t open until 6PM, but we arrived just after and got the most decadent dessert ever. That chocolate pie was delicious! All of the bakery creations seems like works of art. There were pies, cakes, souvlaki, all sorts of jams, savories all beautifully crafted.
Next up is the even quieter island of Amorgos.
Oh Julianne sounds like you are having the best time ever! Your pictures are fantastic and I long for the day I can go to Greece. Keep up the good work of blogging ….it kinda makes me feel like I am there? haha
Hello my dears! What an amazing and beautiful trip you are having so far…and we are pretending that we are there with you via the excellent narration and pictures! No doubt you will have many more awesome adventures and photos to share with us on the next leg of your journey! The weather looks perfect, and we would trade you the rain here in a minute! Be safe and have so much fun! We love and miss you…and wish we could be there too! Rory and Dan 🙂
Hello my dears! What an amazing and beautiful trip you are having so far…and we are pretending that we are there with you via the excellent narration and pictures! No doubt you will have many more awesome adventures and photos to share with us on the next leg of your journey! The weather looks perfect, and we would trade you the rain here in a minute! Be safe and have so much fun! We love and miss you…and wish we could be there too! Rory and Dan 🙂
Well, I must say the Greek Islands seem to fulfill all that you wanted — so beautiful! And getting into the not-so-visited spots is a great idea. You look happy and well-fed 🙂 Love getting the pictures; I can put myself there with you, but sounds like you prefer each other’s company most of the time! I’m with Enrique on the weather – very short, cool fall here. The rains have arrived so enjoy all the blue sky and sunshine.
Kee p up the adventure…love you, Margie