50th Birthday Island Hopping in Greece

Our holiday kicked off at the Heathrow Terminal 5 Sofitel. It’s our favourite spot whenever we’ve got an early flight since it’s just a five-minute walk to the terminal. 

The next morning, we headed straight to the terminal to check in for our flight with British Airways and before we knew it, we were landing in sunny Mykonos! 

Getting through the airport was quick, and waiting for us was our driver, who took us to the hotel in about ten minutes. 

For the next couple of nights, we stayed at the gorgeous Theoxenia Hotel, right in Mykonos Town behind the iconic windmills. 

When we arrived, the lovely staff greeted us with the most delicious and healthy smoothie, which was a perfect start. Then, we were taken to our room, a Superior Sea View.  The views were absolutely breath-taking!

The hotel was so beautiful and relaxing, with a lovely pool and always plenty of sunbeds to enjoy. Breakfast was really nice too. You could enjoy a tasty buffet or order eggs just the way you like them.

It's like a peaceful little sanctuary right on the edge of a lively town. Mykonos Town is absolutely gorgeous, but it can get quite busy with Cruise Ships. That’s why we loved starting our mornings early with a coffee in Little Venice, where we could sit and take in the stunning sea views before all of the ships arrived and things got busier!

It was Day 3, and I was celebrating my 50th birthday! We reluctantly checked out of the Thoxenia—kind of wishing we’d booked three nights instead. Our pre-arranged transfer whisked us off to Mykonos port, where we caught the Seajets ferry over to Naxos.

The ferry was quick, taking just over an hour and before we knew it, we arrived in Naxos early in the afternoon. Once again, our pre-booked transfer was waiting to take us to our hotel, El Mar, where we’d stay for three nights. El Mar is just a twenty-minute walk outside Naxos Town and offers stunning views in the distance of the famous Portara—the massive marble doorway that’s all that’s left of an ancient, unfinished temple dedicated to Apollo.

El Mar is such a lovely family-owned hotel! The staff was incredibly friendly and made us feel right at home. We loved spending time by the pool, which was always calm and relaxing. Our room was spacious and had a huge balcony with gorgeous views of the pool and the sea

Since Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades, we thought it would be a shame not to rent a car and explore a bit. We didn’t book in advance, so it took a little time to find one, but we finally managed to rent it for €60 for 24 hours. Off we went, a bit nervous since we don’t usually drive on holiday, and I had to remind my husband a few times to stay on the right side of the road!  We drove up into the mountains, where we barely saw another vehicle, winding through adorable Greek villages. Our first stop was the picturesque village of Halki, where we sipped a cooling drink and browsed the charming boutiques. Then, we headed to the South Coast beaches, where we discovered the ruins of the old Alyko hotel from the 1960s—now an open-air street art gallery. The beaches were absolutely stunning, even if a bit windy!

Naxos has a charming old town with winding alleyways filled with adorable boutiques and restaurants. Plus, there are plenty of lively bars and spots to eat along the main strip, making it a great place to explore and enjoy!

Our wonderful 3-night stay in Naxos flew by, and before we knew it, we were hopping on the Seajets ferry to Paros for another three nights. The ferry ride was pretty quick, just over half an hour, and we enjoyed the scenic views along the way. When we arrived, our friendly driver was there waiting for us and kindly took us to our hotel, Avant Mar, nestled in the lovely town of Naoussa.

Once again, Avant Mar was such an aesthetically pleasing hotel with an absolutely stunning setting right on the beach. It was super easy to get to town, which was just a quick 5-10 minute walk, depending on the route you take. Naoussa itself is adorable, with its whitewashed alleyways lined with cute boutiques and restaurants that feel a lot like Mykonos, but without all the Cruise Ship crowds. We didn’t do much besides wandering around the village and enjoying delicious meals at the lovely tavernas, just soaking in the laid-back, beautiful vibe.

Our three nights had flown by, and it was time to head back to Mykonos for one more night before catching our flight home the next day. I decided to switch things up and booked a hotel in a different part of Mykonos, closer to Nammos Village. The Palladium Hotel was absolutely stunning, with the most beautiful sea views. Again, it had a lovely pool that wasn’t crowded at all, so it had a nice, relaxed vibe. I couldn’t help but think how great it would have been to stay two nights there!

Late afternoon, we took a walk down a pretty steep, slippery hill to Nammos Village. The place is packed with fancy designer shops and you get the vibe of luxury all around, especially being connected to Nammos Beach Club . I’m glad I went to check it out, even if I found it a bit on the pretentious side! After wandering along the gorgeous beach, we climbed up some stairs to reach the road and stumbled upon this adorable taverna called Il Mare, where we enjoyed a lovely meal. It was just a five-minute walk from our hotel, making it perfect for a relaxed evening.

After breakfast, we kicked back by the pool for a little while before heading to check out, not knowing we were about to face a bit of a delay with our flight. Our transfer picked us up and took about 15 minutes, but we ended up spending six hours waiting before our plane finally took off. Oh well, better late than never, right? Luckily, because of a technical issue, we got to fly home on a shiny new plane!

Greece is full of amazing islands, and it’s so much fun to hop on ferries and explore them. No two islands are alike, and each one has its own special charm!