Scoot 787 Dreamliner to Athens & Greek islands: Mykonos and Santorini

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

For someone used to booking with major hotel groups like Starwood, Hilton or Hyatt, finding a hotel on Greek islands such as Mykonos (And Santorini) can be a confusing and intimidating process.

For a start, major international hotel chains are largely absent from these islands, and the choices you have are from a mindbogglingly long list of mainly small, independent hotels, many of which are family run. Prices ranged from inexpensive/budget places to top end hotels, and everything in between.

What location? How do you judge quality? Apart from recommendations from friends and forums like SQTalk, online sites like TripAdvisor and Booking.com came in very handy with reviews and ratings.

In the absence of other information, we had to rely on reviews and ratings on these sites to determine which hotel to pick. TripAdvisor and Booking.com user ratings are not always reliable. While some reviewers are seasoned travellers, other reviewers don't travel much, and clearly have no basis for comparison when they give either positive or negative reviews. So you have to read between the lines sometimes and apply your own judgement. And it helps when a hotel has a very large number of reviews, where it becomes harder to game the system with biased reviews.

We booked our hotels on the Scoot website, which has a tie-in with Booking.com, and counterchecked the Booking.com ratings and reviews with those on TripAdvisor before making a decision. Our budget for a Mykonos hotel was in the moderate range, and we were looking for a place which offered good value.

For Mykonos, we booked Hotel Tagoo, which had a great location near Mykonos old town, and which had very positive reviews on both Booking.com and TripAdvisor.

And in this case, with Hotel Tagoo, we struck jackpot...this was a superb hotel: a wonderful family run property in a great location that I would have no hesitation recommending to anyone visiting Mykonos.

Before arriving at Mykonos, we had contacted the hotel and they arranged a complimentary car pick-up from the port to the hotel.

[yflyer]

Hotel Tagoo on Mykonos is a small, traditionally styled hotel located on a hill with a sea view, about 700m from Mykonos old town.



It has a pool and bar overlooking the sea, with wonderful views both by day...



...and by night...





The reception building...





There is a small dining room where a complimentary breakfast is served...

[banoffi]

I'm staying tuned for more! Acropolis and the Parthenon look amazing, something my son, who's quite a history buff, would enjoy i'm sure!

Many thanks also for the insight into flying Scootbiz Long haul. I've contemplated getting on these flights so many times, but in the end, I usually cave and buy a Y ticket on a full-service airline instead as the prices are comparable to scootbiz.

Will check back later to read more about your Greek adventure. Thanks for sharing!

[yflyer]

I'm staying tuned for more! Acropolis and the Parthenon look amazing, something my son, who's quite a history buff, would enjoy i'm sure!

Many thanks also for the insight into flying Scootbiz Long haul. I've contemplated getting on these flights so many times, but in the end, I usually cave and buy a Y ticket on a full-service airline instead as the prices are comparable to scootbiz.

Will check back later to read more about your Greek adventure. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, banoffi! Yes, the Acropolis and other archaeological sites around Athens would be must-see places for history buffs!

Many thanks also for the insight into flying Scootbiz Long haul. I've contemplated getting on these flights so many times, but in the end, I usually cave and buy a Y ticket on a full-service airline instead as the prices are comparable to scootbiz.

Between ScootBiz and Y, if the prices are comparable, I would be quite tempted to pick ScootBiz!

[yflyer]

We were upgraded to a superior room, on one of the upper levels of the terraced hotel building set on a hill close the the old town.



Our room had a balcony and sea view.



The room itself was not large, but it was new and spotlessly clean, and came with complimentary wifi, air-conditioning and a wall mounted LCD TV (Which we never turned on during our stay.)



The sparkling clean bathroom came with a shower stall...



...and a very nice stone sink...

[yflyer]

What made the hotel really special were the family team running the place, with Anna handling the front office, and her husband Yanni assisting with car transfers among other tasks and responsibilities, and Jimmy helping with guests at the reception. Their hotel has a tagline "Come as a Stranger - Leave as a Friend". In a large chain, this would be nothing but meaningless corporate-speak, but here it was really the case.

Everyone here, from Anna, Yanni and the family, right down to the housekeeping staff, were genuinely warm and welcoming. Anna had great tips on what to do, and made our stay feel quite special. This hotel gets travellers from all over, including many repeat customers...and that is the real test of how good a hotel property is: their repeat business. If we ever head back to Mykonos, we would head straight back to Hotel Tagoo.



Note that there are several other Tagoo's on Mykonos. This is the one. The room rates on their own website are slightly better than those on Booking.com.

[yflyer]

Our first activity on the island was to take a stroll down from the hotel to the Mykonos old port and old town. This was a short 10 min downhill walk from the hotel (Although the return walk back up to the hotel is a gentle uphill stroll...)...

The old port...





Rather than one major beach in Mykonos, there are many different beaches spread out over the island, each quite different from one another...and there is a tiny stretch of beach in the old port.



The most popular beaches such as Psarou and Platys Gialos were on a different part of the island...



...but there was still a lot to see even on the tiny strip of beach by the old town...



We had a simple, but very satisfying, lunch at one of the restaurants lining the waterfront...





...before heading into the maze-like old town for a walk around...



"You will get lost...", they said, and we did, but that was part of the fun...just wandering around the winding streets...



...this was towards the end of the main summer tourist season, and it was still busy, but it wasn't jam packed the way it would have been at peak season...



Of course this entire town is geared wholly to tourists and visitors...



...but what a picturesque place it is...

[yflyer]

We strolled through Little Venice...



...not far from the famous windmills of Mykonos...



...a popular spot to watch the sun set.

[yflyer]

At the height of the peak summer tourist season in Mykonos, it can feel as if the whole of Europe and the Northern hemisphere has descended on the island's beaches, to either tan under the sun, in row after row of umbrella-sheltered beach recliners, or to party the night away.

Mrs yflyer and I weren't the beach-going or partying sort, so that wasn't on our agenda, but I didn't want to come all the way to Mykonos and not visit the beaches.

Early the next morning, I decided to head out for a long run to Psarou and Platys Gialos beaches, famous beaches which were about 6km away on the south of Mykonos, where many of the popular beaches were.

I began at the hotel...



...and jogged briskly down to the old port...



...and then through the narrow, twisting streets of the old town...



...which was completely deserted in the early morning, save for residents and workers, who were starting their today and preparing for yet another day of the tourist onslaught, which would last till the tourist season ended around October.



Outside the old town, the place became more real, with modern architecture and the usual town shops and offices...



...and even further south, as I climbed the hills out of town, more of Mykonos' natural beauty could be observed...rolling hills dotted with vacation homes, churches and open fields...

[yflyer]

Jogging in Mykonos, or travelling by rented ATV (All terrain vehicle), scooter, or car, is quite straightforward in Mykonos, as the road network is fairly simple, and is not busy outside the main town centre...



...there are also regular bus services connecting the different beaches with the town centre...



Soon, Platys Gialos and Psarou beaches came into view...



Psarou beach was set far down a secluded hillside, down a winding road...



Psarou is the most exclusive beach on Mykonos, popular with celebrities and the ultra-wealthy...

I was neither, but still found my way down the winding road to take a look...



The area surrounding the beach itself is built-up end-to-end with top-end resorts, F&B and other beach facilities...and as N_Architect wrote when I asked for advice on the trip, each recliner/umbrella on the beach could cost you tens of Euros (or more) to rent at the height of summer...



Of course, at that hour in the morning, almost no-one was there. The beach was deserted. The most obvious ways to the beachfront was through the hotels and bars, all of which were closed, but I eventually found a path and an unlocked side gate to the beachfront...



...and I let myself in through the gate...



...and stepped onto a beautiful beach with smooth, large grained sand, like small pebbles, and crystal clear blue water...



A beautiful beach with perfect sand and water.



The beachfront was just packed end-to-end with row upon row of beach umbrellas and recliners...

.

This concept of a beach vacation, where you sit in the sun for hours, is, I think, a very European/Western thing.



Perhaps this was a function of supply and demand...at peak summer season, this was where everyone wanted to be...and the hotels and businesses there had to make hay while the sun shone, so to speak...so packed the beach with beach chairs and umbrellas to the maximum extent possible.

To me, this looked way too congested. Was this really someone's idea of how to spend summer on Mykonos? Perhaps these were cultural differences. As nice as the beach was, I couldn't help thinking that I would not enjoy a day there surrounded by so many people. A very different kind of beach, for those with a very different idea of what constituted an ideal summer beach vacation.

[yflyer]

I jogged back up the hillside and headed to the next beach just east of Psarou...this was Platys Gialos beach, one of the most popular beaches on Mykonos...



...again a beautiful beach, but fairly tightly packed with beach loungers...





...some of which were set up right at the waterfront...





...unlike Psarou, there were already some people lounging on the beach here...



Some very obvious signs of late night partying through the summer season...



The sand and water were beautiful, though...



I was so distracted taking photos with my iPhone that I didn't see a gentle wave coming and got my shoes completely soaked in the cool water...



The 6km jog back to the hotel would have to be done in soaking wet shoes...

This is the view heading back towards Mykonos old town and the old part, as I retraced my steps along the same gentle rolling hills back to the hotel.



Total distance that day, about 13 km, starting from Hotel Tagoo, through the old town and then south across the hills to Psarou and Platys Gialos beaches on the southern coast of Mykonos island, and back again...

[yflyer]

I returned to the Tagoo just in time for a late breakfast in the hotel...this is a complimentary breakfast provided for all guests.



This was a Mediterranean breakfast spread, with Greek yogurt, cold cuts, salads, bread/pastries, and a few hot dishes...









A decent spread, as long as you didn't try and compare it with the huge buffet breakfasts you get at hotels in Asia. In any case there was a lot to feast on in the city for lunch and dinner, so a lighter breakfast wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In any case, breakfast here was a very peaceful and relaxing way to start the day...

[yflyer]

"What's for lunch?", I asked Mrs yflyer as we were finishing up our breakfast...

As regulars on SQTalk will know, Mrs yflyer has a very well developed food radar...she is like the human equivalent of AWACS for identifying and tracking the edible...go to any country, and she will find something delicious and direct you there...

"There is this place, Kiki's Tavern, by the beach. Let's go there!" she replied.

I checked out Google Maps...Kiki's was at Agios Sostis beach, near the northern tip of Mykonos. Quite far off!

"Err...ok...but how do we get there?"

We asked Anna at the reception...

"Kiki's? That is a great place", she replied, "...but you need to go early...by 12.30pm. They open at 1pm, and there is always a queue. If you don't go by 12.30pm, you won't get a table till 2pm."

"If you take a taxi, that would be quite expensive, and you would need to call for one and that would take time, especially getting back after lunch. I suggest you rent an ATV and drive there yourself...there is a rental nearby, and we can arrange it for you."

ATV? This was a small all-terrain vehicle that was a popular rental in Mykonos. I had ridden one before when we were on vacation on Kangaroo Island near Adelaide...but that was on dirt trails in the countryside. Not on unfamiliar Greek island roads amidst other traffic!

But that was the most feasible way...and Mrs yflyer was really keen on eating there.

And so we headed out...



The rental process was quick (Driver's license required)...and the on the spot lessons on how to drive even quicker...

"Do you want crash helmets?" the rental owner asked?

"Yes we do..."

The rental owner probably sighed an internal sigh of relief. That meant we were the cautious type. Many folks on the island rode without helmets...



"This is how you start and stop...this is the brake, this is the accelerator...the petrol station is up the hill, go fill up there..."...and with a pat on the back, we were off into Greek traffic...

To say it was hair-raising at first would be putting it mildly. We needed Google Maps to guide us to Agios Sostis Beach 7km way, but of course there was no mount on the handlebars to place my iPhone, so Mrs yflyer, my intrepid pillion rider, had to hold the iPhone in one hand and direct me, while hanging onto me for her dear life with her other hand...

The first couple of wrong turns put us right in the middle of Mykonos town traffic...among buses, cars, motorcycles, in an underpowered ATV whose steering and road performance I had only become acquainted with 5 minutes prior...

Thankfully Mykonos traffic is used to visitors risking life and limb to get from one place to another, and we were tolerated as a necessary part of life during peak season...

Eventually we turned off the main roads onto far quieter roads leading north towards Agios Sostis...and we could begin to relax and enjoy the stunning island scenery, with the sun and the wind behind us...



...and the beaches on this part of the island were stunning...huge expanses of clear sand and water...and not a beach chair or umbrella in sight! Now we were talking!



"Thanks for choosing this place, I now have a very different impression of beaches on Mykonos than if I had only seen the touristy beaches like Psarou or Platys Gialos....the quieter beaches on the other parts of the island are beautiful...", I told Mrs yflyer.

While I parked the ATV, Mrs yflyer walked on ahead to the restaurant to secure our place in the queue.

I parked the ATV on a slope leading down to the waterfront, and placed rocks behind the wheel to prevent it from sliding down...



...and headed down to the beach towards Kiki's.

[yflyer]

There was already a small crowd waiting outside Kiki's when we got there just after 12.30pm...



...although no queue was visible, there was already a sequence, and Mrs yflyer knew who was ahead of her, an Italian lady working in London who was here with her boyfriend on holiday...

We had arrived at around 12.35pm, just in time to secure a table when Kiki's opened at 1pm. Other diners continued to arrive, and about 5 queue places later, the guests were told that their table would only be available from 2pm onwards.

But waiting was part of the daily routine here, and guests who were waiting could go for a swim at the small beach alcove below, although at least one guest had to stay outside the restaurant to secure the place.

The beach was a short walk down the hill from the restaurant...





...and some other diners did take the opportunity to go for a swim while waiting for Kiki's to open...



At the stroke of 1pm, the restaurant was opened, and we were welcomed in, in exactly the sequence we had arrived...somehow our host could remember exactly who was where in the sequence...

We were shown to our table in the breezy, semi-open restaurant by the sea...



What a beautiful place to have lunch...

[yflyer]

The sunlight streaming in through the trees and thatched roof played on the menu card...



Grilled items were a speciality...both seafood and their grilled pork chops...





We placed our orders, and Mrs yflyer also headed to the rear of the restaurant to pick out salads from a large salad selection at the counter.

Before long, the chef at the grill was busy preparing everyone's orders...