DAY 7
Agios Georgios on Naxos and ferry to Milos
We spent our last moment on Naxos relaxing on island’s most popular beach, Agios Georgios. We strolled the beach until we found an unclaimed umbrella and chairs to rent.
The umbrellas are rented out by restaurants along the boardwalk, so you can order food and drinks without having to leave your lounger. Very convenient!
We had lunch and soaked in the sun until early afternoon, when it was time to leave for the ferry.
Our ferry was scheduled to depart 5:40pm, and in true Grecian style, it was late by about an hour.
About 2 1/2 hours later, we arrived to our third stop and second island of the trip, Milos. We picked up our rental car near the ferry terminal and were swiftly on our way to our hotel.
We checked into our hotel, and after a quick tour of the property headed to the hotel’s restaurant for a quick bite to eat. The hotel and grounds were beautiful — this was our “splurge” accommodation of the trip, and it was worth every penny!
Where we stayed: Artemis Deluxe Rooms
DAY 8
Catamaran tour of Milos’ coastline
We woke up to a beautiful view of the Aegean Sea and enjoyed breakfast on our balcony before setting out for the day.
For our first day on Milos, we booked a full-day boat tour of the island with Luxury Catamarans.
Our catamaran departed from Adamas on the north side of Milos and followed the coastline counterclockwise around the entire island.
Our first destination was Cape Vani, known for its multi-colored rock formations and its abandoned manganese mine.
We circled around the largest rock at the southwestern-most corner of the island and eventually reached Kleftiko, where our tour guide told us about the history of the famous cove, which was once a hideout for pirates. The cove is only accessible from the sea and the volcanic rock cliffs are dotted with small niches, making it the perfect place for stashing treasure.
The water here was especially beautiful — turquoise and crystal clear — thanks to the minerals found in the volcanic rock.
By 2pm we reached Gerakas Beach, where we dropped anchor and settled in for the longest stop of the tour.
We had a full hour set aside for swimming. I stayed on board while everyone jumped in the water and doggy-paddled their way to the beach.
The rock surrounding Gerakas Beach is very steep, making this beach accessible only by boat. A few daring individuals scaled the 45-degree sloped coastline and then one-by-one took turns running back down the steep, sandy embankment, nearly twisting an ankle every time.
While everyone was exploring the shore, the crew prepared a fantastic lunch for us on board, complete with a variety of fresh salads, stuffed grape leaves, and sardines. Staying on board had it’s perks (especially as a pregnant woman) — I was first in line for the food 🙂
After lunch we retrieved the anchor and each claimed a spot to lay down for a post-meal snooze.
The last leg of the trip was the most relaxing. We stopped briefly for one more swim in the beautiful water near Paliegos Island before continuing back toward the northern coastline of Milos.
Our tour guide pointed out a few sights along the way, including a famous rock formation that locals say looks like a bear (still not seeing it…). Just as the sun started to set, we reached the colorful fishing village of Klima washed in golden hour light — a spectacular end to one of the most memorable days of our trip.
Back in Adamas, we said our goodbyes to our fellow tourmates, thanked (and tipped) the crew, and headed to nearby Nostos Seafood Experience for dinner.
The food was good, but the view and sunset over the harbor was the real star of the show.
DAY 9
The white cliffs of Milos’ north coast and colorful fishing village of Klima
For our ninth day of the trip, we went for a driving tour of Milos’ north coast.
The temperature was much hotter on Milos than it had been in Athens and Naxos, so we tried to limit our time spent outside in the sun and kept the stops short.
The first stop of the day was at Sarakiniko Beach, which is known more for its lunar-esque landscapes and striking cliffs than the beach itself. This is one of the most popular attractions on Milos, so we made sure to visit it in the morning before it got too crowded.
We did a bit of exploring along the cliffs before seeking out a sliver of shade to shield us temporarily from the intense sun. Even though we were there before the midday heat, it was still pretty brutal out on the white rock.
We continued our drive east along the northern coast all the way to the eastern edge of the island. Given the heat, we did most of our sightseeing from the comfort of our air-conditioned car.
Once we reached the end of the route, we swung by Kivotos ton Gefseon for a snack. This place is most well-known for it’s sweets, but it also had a really nice selection of locally-made products. In retrospect, I wish I had bought some things while we were there, as our next step (Santorini) is not a great place for edible souvenirs.
After we finished our deserts, we backtracked along the same route until we reached Paralia Papafragkas.
We parked our car along the road and wandered around the rocky coastline, checking out the various unique swimming spots formed from the natural erosion of the rock.
Absolutely zapped from the heat, we decided to head back to the hotel to spend the afternoon resting.
One of the best features of our hotel was its beautiful infinity pool and private beach, and we made sure to build in some time to thoroughly enjoy the hotel amenities. We spent a few hours laying by the pool recovering from the heat and having some (virgin) cocktails.
Just as the sun was about to set, we drove to the north shore to get an up-close view of Klima, the fishing village we saw the day before on our cruise.
Klima is at the bottom of a winding road that start from the small village of Trypiti. Parking is limited, but we lucked out and found a tight spot along the road.
The drive took us a bit longer than we were expecting, but we managed to get there just in time to catch the sunset. I can imagine this area is probably packed with tourists other times of day, but there were lucky to see only a handful of other people wandering around when we visited. x
We walked up and down the small stretch of land between the small houses and the water’s edge. The brightly-colored houses and view of the fishermen’s boats floating on the water were absolutely beautiful at this time of day.
After sunset we headed to O! Hamos! Tavern, a popular restaurant in Adamas. We had to wait an hour for a table but man oh man was it worth the wait!
The ambiance sitting beneath the feels like you’re at your Grandma’s house (if your Grandma was a Greek lady who can cook a mean stew). The menus are hand-written and all of the plates, bowls, and cups are hand-thrown pottery with the name of the restaurant scrawled on the side.
We ordered the chickpea as a started and the slow-cooked piglet and lamb kleftiko with potatos for our mains. All were exceptionally delicious!
DAY 10
Fyriplaka Beach
Our last day on Milos was our most relaxed of the trip. Instead of trying to see all of the sights, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel followed by a relaxing afternoon at the beach.
Unlike the rocky north coast, the south coast of Milos is lined with beautiful sandy beaches. We chose to spend the day at Fyriplaka Beach. This is one of the most popular beaches, but with popularity comes amenities — the beach has a good supply of rentable sunbeds and umbrellas and a small beachside cafe.
For our last dinner on Milos, we headed back to O! Hamos! Tavern again. This may be the first time we’ve ever returned to a restaurant twice on the same trip. Yes, the food was that good!
This time we sampled the eggplant, veal skewers, and orange cake (a local specialty), which was delicious.
Don’t miss it…
This post is a part of a larger two-week trip around Greece. Check out the full itinerary and an overview of the trip here!
