Things To Do In Daytime For Sunsets, Evenings And Of Course The Awesome Nightlife
When a couple of friends and I were planning our trip to Greece, we needed to coordinate getting together once we arrived, since we were all getting there on different days.
They wanted to plan out an exact time and place to meet, but I would have none of it. That’s because, as I told them, “finding me in the Greek Islands is EASY!” I then proceeded to tell them where I would be at certain times of the day or night and if they showed up then and there, they would see me.
And that proved to be the case.
So with that in mind, here’s my routine for each of the three islands in the Cyclades. And if I’m in Greece, then I’ll see you at these places!
MYKONOS
Mornings – There are none. I usually don’t wake up until sometime around noon. I then shake off the cobwebs from the previous day and night and take a bus to Paradise Beach. There, I go to the cafeteria next to Paradise Beach Bar – it has the freshest Greek salad in all of Greece, probably because it has its own garden – and sit at a table in the near-empty space. Then I take a power nap, splash around in the water, take a power nap…
Afternoons – My afternoons are spent on Paradise Beach. I’ll go to all three bars there (they are right next to each other) and wind up spending most of my time at the Tropicana Beach Bar. I’m there until close to sunset, often dancing on the bar. This is a wild beach party scene, one of the best in the world, and it picks up the pace late afternoon and goes until sunset.
Sunset – I like to be back in town to have a drink or two at Caprice Bar for sunset, tho what’s happening on Paradise Beach can (and often does) cause me to abandon this plan.
Evenings – Power nap!
Nights – I usually stir around 9-9:30 and head out to dinner at about 10. My goal is to be at Skandinavian Bar by 11, 11:30 at the latest. I spend my time there bouncing between the two downstairs bars and outside between them. On occasion, I go upstairs to the small disco. Of course, there’s other bars to explore and I follow the noise. I do like popping into Caprice Bar and when they are playing the Greek music, Mykonos Bar.
IOS
Here it’s really easy to find me – and everyone else on on the island for that matter – because there are really only three things to do on Ios.
Mornings – Ha, there ARE no mornings in Ios!
Afternoons – Again, sometime around noon, I’ll get up and here walk down the hill to the Far Out Cafe. I’ll grab some lunch there, lay on the beach (power nap!), swim, play around, talk to anyone in my vicinity, go scouting for available girls and try not to get trampled by people going to the bar. At about 4 I’ll join them at the bar.
Sunset – When the beach party starts to fade like the sun, I’ll take the bus up the hill into town.
Evenings – Power nap! Dinner at some point, tho this may just be a sandwich. You don’t go to Ios for a fine culinary experience. Here. food is merely a daily survival exercise.
Nights – At 11, everyone gathers in the town square with a couple of beers. This is where you hope to meet the girl you were working earlier in the day at the Far Out. If not, then it’s proceed to Blue Note. I also, somewhat rather foolishly, always pop into the Flame Bar; this is not a gay bar but one that serves shots (lots of shots) with some kind of flame on top of them. I’ll then stagger around the small town going in and out of the bars and if I’m feeling particularly frisky, will wind up at the Scorpion Nightclub. Usually, things are a blur by that point.
SANTORINI
Mornings – Ahh, Thira! Here I actually do get up in the mornings (well, at 10 or 11), to smell the fresh air and savor every precious moment on this island. I’ll then walk over to the caldera and soak in that fantastic view (by the way, I always stay in Fira or the neighboring Fira Stephanie). When I was lucky enough to stay at a friend’s house, then my friend and I would take a basket of fruit, bananas (great for hangovers, by the way!) and bread and cheese out to the deck.
Afternoons – My day starts in the town square where I get a crepe to go from the great crape place. I then get on my moped and head either to Kamari Beach or sometimes to Perissa Beach. More often, tho, I’ll head to Amoudi Harbor where I’ll have lunch at one of the tavernas, always picking a chair that, if I rock back too far, will have me splashing into the water next to the small fishing boats. I’ll then swim in the small harbor – oh that’s sooooo nice! – lay down on the rocks for, you guessed it, a power nap, and swim in the water. When I’m feeling bold, I’ll swim over to the big rock and jump off it.
Another activity that I do a few times is to walk up the path between Fira and Firastefani and just admire the view. I’ll sometimes hike the trail to the huge rock formation that looks like a female breast, but since you have to jump up to actually stand on it, and if you miss you’ll be tumbling down about 500 feet of a sheer cliff, I’ve never stood on top of it.
I also ride mopeds all over the island, mostly on the road from Fira to Oia. I have also visited the volcano and swam in the “hot springs” (once is pretty much enough) and ridden a donkey up those steps.
Sunsets – Tropical Bar in Fira. No discussions. And no Oia, either; click here why I do NOT go to Oia for sunset.
Evenings – It’s hard to pull myself away from the Tropical Bar after the sun has disappeared into the sea, but eventually I’ll go to dinner. Since I’m so pumped up, I just walk around the town, occasionally even going into shops, buying time until it’s time to go out for the night.
Nights – Tropical Bar at 11, and sometimes I’m there all night. That being said, I usually wind up at Two Brothers Bar, an for good reason – the place ROCKS! When I meet girls, well, they like to dance so we’ll go to the Koo Club.
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