It’s no secret that Greece stole my heart long ago.
Something about that particular shade of blue water, found only there, the bright fuchsia bougainvillea that line the white-washed buildings and the winding, black-and-white cobbled streets that seem to stretch on for forever are captivating. There’s nowhere on Earth quite like it.
Without fail—when I return home, my dreams are always Greek-inspired for weeks after. I spend countless hours looking up apartments for rent and trying to finagle a way to return—this time permanently.
I’ve been so blessed to visit Greece multiple times in this life, and each time I am more amazed than the last that such a breathtaking place exists. Each time, there are new hidden gems to uncover, new people here to fall devastatingly in love with it as I have, and new adventures to be had.
This trip was easily the best visit yet. I don’t know how a place can be exempt from feeling stagnant and continue to lure me in like a siren calls to sailors to the sea—but Greece continues to call me back—and each time the urge to resist becomes harder than the last.
So often I’m left scrambling to try to convey the magic of what I’ve experienced, and fall painfully short every time, but thanks to the magic that is Brooke Phillips, I can share a small piece of the magic with you. No one can quite capture the true feeling of a place like she can. I hope, through her eyes that you too can share in a small taste of the magic that was our Greek Islands trip.
crete
Our adventure began on the beautiful island of Crete. Our home base was in Heraklion—named after Hercules, as the island is believed to be his birthplace.
We enjoyed one of our most incredible meals on the first night at a local tavern. The food was incredible, the hosts amazing, and it seemed like the desserts and spirits (all on the house) were endless.
The following day, we toured the island with our animated and lovable local guide, Ed. He learned our names within an hour of meeting us, although he took some liberties. Our youngest traveler, Layla, was dubbed “cheater” because she had a penchant for googling the correct answers to his many trivia questions. Despite working together with previous clients and communicating for over a year, he refused to call me Mandy, instead I was “A-man-dah!" which became my nickname for the rest of the tour. Angela, was “principal,” Symphony, “Stephanie” and on and on it went. I think we all agreed that if we had even an ounce of Ed’s energy, we would’ve never needed coffee again.
Ed taught us the Greek concept of “siga, siga” which means, slowly, slowly. It’s the idea that life doesn’t need to be rushed—you can and should stop and smell the roses and enjoy the beautiful moment while you’re in it.
Together, he took us to an olive oil factory, where we sampled oil in the style of a wine tasting and got the chance to purchase local products direct from the farmers. From there, we visited a mountaintop village where we ate grapes off the vine, sipped coffee and toured a local Greek Orthodox church. Afterward he took us into the ravine to a working farm near some old retired windmills that we hiked to and were rewarded with an amazing views. Afterward, we visited a lovely restaurant where we had lunch overlooking the valley. On the way home, we stopped at a beautiful lookout and shared local wine together.
Pictured below you can see our guide Ed climbing a wild grape vine with the energy of Maria von Trapp’s “The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music!” He was certainly the life of the party and he won our hearts when at the end of the day he gave us all samples of locally grown oregano and olive oil.
It was quite an amazing way to experience Crete.
paros
From Crete we made our way via ferry to the neighboring island of Paros.
Everyone agreed that Paros was our favorite of all the islands we visited. It had an untouched feeling that the other islands lacked—probably due to it’s lack of cruise ships. It wasn’t over run by tourists and it had a charming quality that made you feel like it was your own little hidden gem that no one else knew about.
We stayed at a really amazing resort by the sea and were greeted every morning to the beautiful sights of the local ships sailing in and out of the harbour.
Our first full day on the island was a relaxing one. We spent the morning swimming in the ocean, relaxing by the pool and getting spa treatments. That afternoon, our guide Agvi, took us to the neighboring port of Naoussa—famous for it’s instagrammable streets, boat lined harbor, and fresh octopus that can purchased directly from the fishermen each day.
We spent some time at the port shopping, eating gelato, and soaking in the beautiful harbor.
Following our time in Naoussa we headed across the harbor to Petra Farm. Our host, Alkis, toured us through the mountainside of his family-run sustainable farm.
He explained that it was only three generations ago that his grandfather was forced to flee with his family from Cyprus and start over completely on Paros. The small plot of land he purchased was the very land we stood on.
Alkis upholds his grandfather’s vision—tenderly working the farm, battling the arid soil, feeding the chickens and goats, and harvesting local produce—grapes, olives, capers, oregano, and lavender—whose quality outshines many other commercial farmers.
After our tour, Alkis lovingly welcomed us into his family home to feast like kings on the local products and wine they produce. Littered throughout the house were family photos, baby pictures, and heirlooms that highlighted just how amazingly they have thrived as a family despite the odds.
The following day we chartered a boat and spent the day sailing to the neighboring islands of Despotiko and Antiparos.
The water was the most amazing shade of blue, and saltier than our oceans in America—or at least that’s how it seemed.
We each secretly put songs onto a running playlist and we spent the afternoon guessing who had contributed which song. Angela and Brian treated us to a rap battle, and Hannah and Tammy spent the morning braiding just about everyone’s hair so it wouldn’t blow away.
We ate, we drank, we swam til we were spent, and we took turns seeing who could swim the deepest on one breath.
Our captain, an Italian transplant, brought his two young sons on board and the highlight of the day was when the oldest wrote a love note to Layla, communicating solely in hearts and emojis, to which she heartlessly responded, “Well, that’s sweet, but I’m taken.”
santorini
From Paros we made our way to the stunning island of Santorini where we stayed on the iconic cliffside town of Oia (pronounced EE-yah).
Unlike Paros, Santorini was swelling with tourists and cruise ship visitors during the day, but once night fell and they crept back to the ships, we had the place to ourselves.
If you’ve never been to Santorini, it’s definitely a must-see. The white cave houses cling to the cliffside and set a stunning view of the Caldera.
Oia is not for the faint of heart or the clumsy—it’s countless stairs are slippery and never-ending. You are rewarded for your efforts though with some of the most breathtaking scenery on the face of the planet.
We stayed in an amazing hotel with unobstructed views of the volcanic crater and watched as the boats glided in and out of the Caldera each morning.
On our final day in Santorini, we took a tour with local guide, Eugenia, to some of the lesser-known parts of the islands.
We started with a visit to Akrotiri—a recently uncovered ancient city found beneath the volcanic ash that buried the city centuries ago. Akrotiri is believed to be the lost city of Atlantis, and there is quite a bit of mounting evidence to corroborate that theory. Unlike it’s famous sister-city, Pompeii, the residents of Akrotiri successfully fled before the eruption took place, and left behind some pretty amazing archeological finds—indoor plumbing, mattresses, and some very intricate mosaic artwork.
From Akrotiri, we visited the lowest and highest point in Santorini—a black sandy beach at the waters edge, and the highest peak overlooking the island below.
Our final stop was the village of Pyrgos, where our host Eugenia lived. The magic of Pyrgos was in it’s untouched nature. Here local men and women gathered to gossip, feed cats, and go about their daily lives far from the tour busses and tourists of neighboring villages. Here life stands still, and it was arguably one of the most peaceful and serene places we visited on the whole island.
This was a trip for the books, and none of us were quite ready to say goodbye. Sadly, the time had come, and we were forced to say our goodbyes and start the long journey home.
I think I speak for us all when I say—we’ll be back!