'Island hopping' isn't something I became aware of, until I went on a research-spree while planning a spring vacation for my mom and myself, in Greece. The experience truly lived up to its rose-tinted definition; sailing around a cluster of islands, chilling by the sea, and reveling in sunsets. Thanks to Instagram, many such clusters are popular. Each one has a name, based on the sea or region of the sea that it lies in, and I had a hard time deciding which ones to visit. I finally picked three islands - two from the Cyclades group and one from the Ionian.
Since the two groups aren't exactly close by, our island-hopping experience involved taking a combination of flights and ferries from Athens, the Greek capital. We flew from Athens to Mykonos, then sailed between the Cyclades islands, Mykonos and Milos. From Milos, we flew to Zante (aka Zakynthos), which lies in the Ionian sea.
So totally it took us 4 nights and 5 days to cover the 3 islands. Flying into Mykonos, we didn't factor in the Greek Easter weekend. We learnt from a native passenger and his little son Nicholas that no buses would ply from the airport into town that day and that we could take a ride with them, if we pleased. By the time, my addled mom could consent, I agreed to their offer and we even reached the old town square, which is a mere 10 minutes away from the Mykonos airport. To her, it seemed that I was exactly the nimbly trusting woman she had feared that I'd grow up to be. However she realized it isn't such a bad trait, because it only took a few minutes of banter with little Nicholas, to capture her heart. To be trusting on your travels is an art, and I do have a knack for picking the right people - old people and families are all quite safe to befriend, and the bonds I have formed are beautiful.
Nicholas also gave us a brief history of his home town - something Mykonos isn't traditionally known for. Long, long ago, natives decided to defend their island from pirates by deciding to build their homes in a cluster and unite in times of need. Mykonos was poor for a long time, but owing to its aesthetics, it came under attack by tourists and has transformed into a bustling, overpriced tourist destination - which is worth all the hype.
After exploring Mykonos, we took the ferry to Milos, watching the sun set on the port of another Cyclades island enroute - Sifnos. Our flight from Milos to Zante offered a whole different perspective though. The bird's eye views of the Ionian sea and islands, will forever be etched in our memories.
DIY TIPS
THINGS TO DO IN MYKONOS (2 days) DAY 1: Arrive, check-in, and catch a sunset from Boni's windmill. You can see as far as the port of Little Venice, with windmills dotting the sea side. It's also better to avoid Little Venice in the evenings, as it is a party-hub and a popular sunset spot.
DAY 2: Visit Little Venice early in the morning, when all the party-goer crowds are still asleep :P Stroll around the centuries-old, still-functional windmills up-close, get lost in the whitewashed alley ways, and click photobomber-free vacation pictures. Take the evening ferry from the new port of Mykonos to Milos. We booked our tickets in advance here: https://www.ferryscanner.com/
THINGS TO DO IN MILOS (1.5 days)
NIGHT 1: Arrive in Adamantas port and stay the night in Adamantas. We didn't spend much time in Adamantas, but it was unbelievably picturesque, even as we made our way to the local bus stop, the next day.
DAY 2: Take the local bus from Adamantas, check into your accommodation in Plaka next morning, and request a tour, if arriving off-season like we did.
April is still not peak tourist time in Milos, so the catamaran tours were not yet running, when we visited. On the brighter side, the island was quiet and we were still able to book a local half day tour of the island. We spent the evening at two well-known beaches-Sarakiniko and Papa Fragkas and caught the sunset in the town of Plaka.
Our guides - a native father-daughter duo were the best companions we could have asked to explore the island with. Our hotel booked the tour for us, most hotels do if given enough notice by email or whatsapp. Our encounter with our guides was especially humbling, after knowing that the daughter who is a law student is also a part-time tour guide during her vacations, just so that she can keep conversing in English with tourists, as Greek law subjects are mostly taught in Greek. The island's natural history is astounding too and we were surrounded by evidence of all the volcanic activity that created the island itself. Wandering the near-lunar landscape and craters was surreal!
THINGS TO DO IN ZAKYTHOS (1.5 days)
DAY 1: Arrive, check in, and explore the old town of Zante. There is plenty to do. Of the three islands Zakynthos is my favourite. It is also where I took my mom on a real hike for the first time. The trail from Zante old town to the Bohali viepoint isn't her favourite. Google maps mislead us through a dilapidated overgrown path which wasn't in use. Although the way up was unnerving, I course corrected on the way back, by taking a detour through the nearby urban areas shown on google maps. Later that evening, we had our fill of Gyros and Greek Yogurt along the well-lit Zante promenade, before calling it a night.
DAY 2: Take a day tour of the island. We booked the "Zakynthos Island: Navagio Shipwreck Beach & Blue Caves Tour" from https://www.getyourguide.com/ and it was fantastic.
The last day of our island hopping trip was the most memorable one. We once again hopped onto a group tour, that took us to the relaxing Xigia sulfur beach, and arranged our sailing excursion on the Ionian sea. I have never sailed to bluer parts of the earth - especially where you approach the Navagio beach. The beach is only accessible by boats and the colours of the water are hard to believe. Even the massive, rusting, shipwreck, didn't feel like an eyesore in that setting.
We spent a good hour in the inviting waters, before sailing into some sea caves - their walls reflecting the electric sea blues and forming low arches above. We couldn't help but hum "Is Zindagi ke, din kitne kum hain" (life is so short), on the way back. The lyrics of our favourite Bollywood song, "Do Lafzon Ki Hai" hit different. For the first time we felt like there's very little time to experience all that this world has to offer.
Back at the pick up point of the sailing trip, our guide drove us to a platform on the island where we could see the Navagio Shipwreck from above. It didn't take my mom very long to find a Greek friend, to chastise me for wanting to sit with my legs dangling from the edge of the platform, which is famous for its breathtaking vistas, AND infamous for the number of lives lost while trying such antics. My mom remained hysterical until she dozed away on our flight out in the evening. Phew, but look at those pictures below. How could I not! ;)
PS: Happy spotting the Navagio shipwreck in the 2nd picture!
