This past September has been such a blur to me, within the span of 3 weeks, we flew to Greece twice and visited five different islands. The first trip involved three islands: Mykonos, Milos, and Santorini. The second trip brought us to Ios and Paros – two other islands I wanted to visit for so long. There were so many other Greek islands I wanted to visit (Syros, Tinos), but time wouldn’t allow us. Easyjet stops all flights to Greece by the end of September citing low season concerns so even if I wanted to go, there were no more flights.
IOS
Hotels we stayed at: Levantes Ios Boutique hotel (I loved this place and we got upgraded to a Junior Suite because it was low season!), Ios Palace & Spa (very close to the beach, this hotel boasts three swimming pools!).
There are two main beaches on Ios, Mylopotas Beach which is closer to Chora (the main town in Ios) and Maganari Beach (farther away, about 30 minutes drive from Mylopotas). However, Felix and I decided that we’ve seen a lot of beaches already in Milos and Mykonos. We were hoping to discover something new, and that’s when we decided we wanted to discover Flat Rock Bay & Never Bay. Each of these places took us 1 day to explore, just because Never Bay is further away from town and Flat Rock bay was difficult to find.
Instructions on how to find: Flat Rock Bay & Never Bay
When we got to Ios, we took a bus from the port to Chora town and rented a scooter (€20/day during low season) from Anemos Moto Rentals which had a shop near the bus stop. We couldn’t fit two luggages on the scooter so the owner offered to drop our luggage at our hotel and pick it up on the day we returned our bikes. Talk about awesome customer service!
If you’re not busy hanging out at the beach or exploring Never Bay and Flat Rock Bay, then head to Chora town and explore the winding streets. This place comes alive in the morning and at night and is quite quiet throughout the day. I guess it’s due to the fact they know tourists are at the beach in the day time and at night they are in town looking for food. If you’re looking for a place to watch the sunset, head to the 3 churches on top of the hill (see in the photo?) or watch the sunset from the road heading up to Teatro Odysseas Elytis
Other points of interest to visit is the Agia Irini church located near the port. It is a beautiful church that offers great views over the bay and great for photos in the morning and at sunset.
We also stayed at another hotel, Ios Palace & Spa which is located right next to Mylopotas Beach (1 minute walk!). Their breakfasts were delicious and the hotel is huge! It is situated on a cliff but don’t worry about carrying your suitcase up and down, they help send the luggage to your room and there are two elevators in the whole hotel. I chose this hotel because they boast having three swimming pools which was really nice if you wanted some privacy.
PAROS
Our next stop was Paros! I debated heavily between Naxos and Paros but chose Paros instead because I wanted to drive a boat in Greece and Paros was the perfect place to rent one! Did you know in Greece you don’t need a license? As long as you drive one of those 30hps, then you’re totally fine. To get to Paros we booked a ferry through Seajets for 28.50pp. The duration of the trip lasted around one hour. When we got to Paros, we stayed at a hotel right next to the port and moved to another boutique hotel the next day. Right by the port are numerous rental shops, we rented a 125cc scooter from Sakatis Rentals for €15/day + €6 gas enough for two days.
Hotels we stayed at: Hotel Oasis (one minute walking distance from the port!) and Mythic Exclusive Retreat (amazing sunsets at this adults only exclusive hotel- we loved out stay here!)
The most popular towns to explore in Paros are Naousa and Lefkes village. Both are very charming and beautiful to explore. Naousa is located right by the sea and includes numerous seafood restaurant options. If you explore further, there are streets within Naousa that are bursting with bougainvillea flowers waiting for you to explore. We were in a rush so we just popped in for a takeaway from a local souvlaki shop Souvlakia KARGAS which turned out to be quite good!
We also rented a boat from The Sailors Ride for €80/4 hours + €10/fuel. We had planned on exploring the Blue Lagoon and Antiparos; however, due to the strong winds, we were unable to make it to Antiparos and decided to explore the Blue Lagoon and the south coast of Paros instead. Nonetheless, the Blue Lagoon was amazing and the waters were sooooo blue! Highly recommended that you take a boat out to explore the blue waters over there! If you’re coming during high season remember to book ahead of time, no credit cards needed!
Our favorite stay in Paros and throughout the whole Greece trip was at Mythic Exclusive Retreat (adults only). I decided to splurge a little bit more to stay in one of the Junior Suites and I was very happy I made the decision! If you’re making the booking via hotels.com, a free bottle of wine is included with your stay as well as port/airport transfers. Also, everyone is entitled a welcome drink which can be used after 7PM to watch the sunset. There are also two cats and two kittens that roam around the property and they are super friendly. Breakfast is included with your stay and is a la carte format (used to be buffet style before COVID). Service is slower than usual but you really get to take your time and just enjoy your surroundings. Once we checked in, we didn’t leave the property and spent the whole day relaxing and enjoying the view. I highly recommend this hotel!
I hope that with this information I made you really excited and well prepared for a trip to the amazing island of Ios & Paros. It is definitely one of my favorite islands of the Cyclades. Do you have more tips, or did you like the blog? Leave something in the comments below.