Mykonos Part One: Tourist traps and Mykonos Town
After a 6 hour ferry ride from Athens with spotty cell service and terrible TV, I finally made it to Mykonos! When I got off of the boat I was in LOVE. A van picked me up and took me to my hotel with a couple of other guests. I stayed at the Kamari HotelIt is situated conveniently in between Mykonos Town, walking distance to the beach and has a bus stop basically at it’s door step. The hotel staff were very friendly and insisted on carrying my luggage to my room for me. The room was gorgeous, it had a spacious open layout, two queen beds and one twin. The cool thing about Greece is that the rooms only utilize electricity when your room key is plugged into the wall mount near the door….very green of them! The room also had its own balcony and a huge bathroom and full shower….a rare find in Europe, especially on a budget.
Once I got situated in my room, I ran, not walked down to the beach! I was so excited to be here…it was BEAUTIFUL! The water was so clear and the beach wasn’t overly crowded. I decided to head to one of the ocean front restaurants to grab a drink and take in the scenery. Unfortunately, I ended up Yefsi Restaurant, a tourist trap. I asked for a glass of water but the waiter brought a large bottle of Voss water and before I could say no, he had opened it and poured it into my glass. I knew it was going to cost a fortune and that immediately made me uncomfortable and I wanted to leave. I did not order a drink because they were at least 30 euros and the food was way over priced for what it was. I decided to order one of the cheapest things I could find, a Greek salad….which by the way, has no lettuce in Greece. It was good but definitely not worth the what I paid. Most restaurants have staff standing outside trying to convince you to come to in. They also have a menu outside with the selections and prices. Take your time and decide where you want to eat. Don’t feel pressured into purchasing things you don’t want while abroad. I ended up taking my expensive water bottle with me and using it to make my mixed drinks later in the evening! Not everywhere in Greece is like this and a majority of the restaurants and staff are reasonable priced and super friendly.
After I left the restaurant, I walked to the corner store near my hotel for some sunscreen. To my surprise they had vodka, I picked some up along with a bottle of orange Fanta (its juice, not Soda in Greece) to save myself some money! The lady at the counter was super helpful she set me up with a bus map and exchanged my money for bus fare. The bus conveniently stopped in front of the hotel. The buses in Greece are very nice, the equivalent of a charter bus in the United States. I caught the bus to Mykonos Town and started exploring! The town was everything I ever hoped it would be. The ally ways were white with pops of blues and reds accented with beautiful pink flowers. I definitely fell hard and fast!
My absolute favorite store was Anamnesis. When I travel, I want to find unique souvenirs, and this store has one of a kind souvenirs designed by local artists! The staff was so friendly and I left with a ton of goodies for myself…and my family, but mostly me. This is not an Ad, I am just so impressed with their art and how different they are from other cookie cutter souvenir shops! I wish they had an online shop…but it’s just more motivation to go back one day!
So I ended up at one more tourist trap, but that’s ok, I wanted one margarita at Little Venice! For 18 Euros and sun burned legs, I was living my best life. Bucket list: Check! Definitely my favorite spot to ever have a margarita!
GIVE ME ALL OF THE DOORS AND ALLEYWAYS TO THE OCEAN….ALL OF THEM.
Also, give me all of the whitewashed architecture. It’s so beautiful and contrasts the deep blue sky so well.
Mykonos was hands down my favorite experience. Everything about it was beautiful! From the beaches to the building to the people. I made a few friends and I may have even priced out real estate! Mykonos definitely stole my heart.
