Greek Island Hopping - with children!

Greak island hopping is a once in a lifetime experience and sat firmly on my bucket list! There are a whopping 6000 + islands in Greece as a whole stretching from the Ionian sea to the Aegean sea, so we were totally spoilt for choice when deciding which to include on our visit. The experience of Greek Ports and boarding ferries is one we will never forget. No country handles organised chaos like Greece does :-) After much a debate and my daughter begging to visit the islands that hosted the film crews of Mamma Mia, we decided that we should start on the mainland in the ancient city of Athens, then hop on our first ferry to the trendy island of Mykanos (I was desperate to see Mykanos Town), then another ferry to the unique volcanic island of Santorini followed by our last hop to the island of Crete, from where we would fly home. Athens: the capital of Greece. Athens was once a powerful civilization and empire. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple. The Acropolis Museum, along with the National Archaeological Museum, preserves sculptures, vases, jewellery and more from ancient times. We were fully prepared for moans and groans from the kids whilst we dragged them around the ancient sites, but to our surprise they were both fairly awestruck by the sight of the Acropolis towering about the city. If you have had enough of sightseeing, you can drive for 30 minutes or catch a taxi and be at the beach. I wasn’t expecting much of the beach, but was very pleasantly surprised to find some great beach bars and beach clubs with nice sandy beaches and warm sea. 2 days is more than enough in Athens with kids and we were ready to leave for the port on our 3rd morning there. Mykanos: A favourite haunt of celebrities and the rich with it’s exclusive hotels, luxury beach clubs and wild party scene … and you can see why. Mykanos oozes ‘cool’ vibes, but I wouldn’t say it’s the prettiest of the islands to explore and not so child friendly as other neighbouring islands such as Paros or Naxos. However, we had a wonderful 4 days here enjoying the pool and local beaches. A visit to Mykanos Town was an absolute highlight, with it’s white washed buildings, small and narrow winding and cobbled alleyways bursting with fabulous restaurants and shops and a seat at one of the waterside bars in Little Venice to watch the sunset – it offers a memorable visit that we will never forget. Another hop on the ferry from Mykanos took us south to the unique island of Santorini. Santorini: I was extremely excited about this island and learning more about its history. A natural wonder of the world, the famous volcanic eruption thousands of years ago gave this island her current crescent shape. The rare natural beauty of Santorini, the breathtaking caldera, the awesome views that you just don’t get bored of and the extraordinary black volcanic beaches are all simply stunning. We decided to stay in the capital Fira, situated on the Western edge of the island overlooking the Caldera. It’s a bustling town with plenty of restaurants boasting awesome view of the Caldera by day and by night. Upon recommendation, we took the bus to Oia to watch the legendary sunset one evening Stunning Oia is carved out of Santorini's cliffs—a panorama of white buildings dotted with colourful rooftops and pretty churches set against the deep blue sea. If you are feeling up to the challenge, you can take the 278 steps (to be precise!) down to the beautiful Ammoudi Bay where you will find the most gorgeous little port and it’s handful of top notch restaurants serving the fresh daily catch! Beware though, it’s still 278 steps to walk back up of course with a full belly of food and wine! Not for the faint hearted, but we still speak today of our climb back up with huge smiles on our faces. It was well worth every step. If you fancy throwing in a bit of history, take a bus, taxi or excursion to Akrotiri, a prehistoric settlement in Santorini which is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. The site is named after the nearby village, while the historical name is unknown. The period of occupation ranges from 4th millennium BC (Neolithic) to 16th century BC (Bronze Age). In pre-history, it was a well connected Minoan port town with a thriving economy. The site was abandoned around 16th century BC due to an eruption of the volcano on the island. However, even today, excavations continue to reveal artefacts and treasures from this unique prehistoric settlement. We were sad to say goodbye to Santorini, it was special, but we were looking forward to reaching our next destination on the ferry, the island of Crete. Crete: is the largest island in Greece, and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, you can admire the remnants of brilliant civilizations, explore glorious beaches, impressive mountainscapes, fertile valleys and steep gorges, and become part of the island’s rich gastronomic culture. There are many great resorts on the island of Crete, but we chose to base ourselves in the small fishing village of Elounda. Elounda is a seaside town on Crete’s north western coast. It’s an up-and-coming retreat that revolves around a colourful harbour and the main square just next door. The place is packed with authentic Greek tavernas and friendly bars – it also comes with a sandy beach that looks out to the intriguing Spinalonga Island that was once famously used as a leprosy colony (ever read The Island by Victoria Hislop?) If you want more action, the town of Agios Nikolaos is just 15 minutes’ drive away. We spent the week here in Crete enjoying the beaches, relaxing and local cuisine before flying home direct to the UK.