Travel Diaries: Mykonos

Mykonos town

Dreamy Mykonos, a blue-meets-white paradise. Homeware shops with stairways decorated in evil-eye crochet cushions and wicker lampshades, mini designer stores from Louis Vuitton to Balenciaga, chic cocktail bars flaunting pink bougainvillea, jewellery boutiques and adorable bakeries- all these with white-wash exteriors and blue accents, rim a maze of cobblestone lanes set out to explore.

Little Venice, Caprice Bar

If you're wandering around the town, a short walk towards the seafront will lead you to Little Venice where bars and restaurants line its rocky waters. Following a friend's recommendation we found Caprice, popular for its fresh fruit cocktails (the melon and passionfruit dacquarais are a must) and outdoor patio with views of the island's infamous windmills. 

Ornos

Ornos is where we were based during our stay, in a villa named Blue Daisy. I'd highly recommend this cute little cycladic house which sleeps four and is part of the villa complex 'Mimoza', just a few minutes walk from the beach and the bus stops into town. Ornos has a string of tavernas with tables and seating areas spilling out onto its sandy bay. These are more low-key places to have drinks and dinner in contrast to the bustling town at night. Our favourites were Kuzina which is an extension of the 5* boutique hotel Ammos, and Pasaji which had the dreamiest bohemian patterned sunbeds.

Buddha Bar Beach

Nestled away in the cliffs of Ornos is Santa Marina hotel's Buddha Bar Beach. This impressive luxury resort and villa complex has a helicopter pad on the premises and has played host to A-listers including Ariana Grande. We'd booked a week in advance so had one of the best sea-view tables, overlooking the resort's private beach area and an impressive collection of luxury yachts. I'd highly recommend trying White Princess, a gin-based cocktail with lemongrass and passion fruit, served with a delicious creamy vanilla-foam topping. For mains, we chose fish dishes which were also amazing, I had salmon with a jalapeno sauce and Josh chose black sea bass. 

Remezzo

Remezzo is a glamorous, gourmet restaurant sat by the harbour of Chora. This glitzy taverna was probably my favourite of the holiday due to its Greek ambience, enhanced by a panoramic view of Mykonos town. As the sun set over the water-front, the scene became even more picturesque as the lights from tavernas and bars in the distance reflected their colours into its glittering waters. The service was first-class, the waiters were extremely attentive and willingly offered great recommendations. After sunset, live entertainment was provided by a female singer who elegantly walked around the tables during the set. The food is traditional and beautifully presented - my seafood risotto look too pretty to eat, served in an oyster shell with saffron and zucchini flowers. Remezzo also has an enticing cocktail menu, I had Pink Sea which was lemongrass and grapefruit bitters as well as Chilly Tommy's Margarita made with chilli peppers and served with twirling smoke.

Avra Restaurant

This courtyard hide-away has a ceiling drenched in pink and white flowers, making it one of the most popular tavernas in the centre of town. Tucked away on a busy lane, you feel as if you have stumbled upon a secret garden. Avra Restaurant is a must if you're looking for an intimate and romantic setting but I would advise pre-booking a day or so in advance if you want a table outside.

Scorpios

With a backdrop of Paraga beach's aqua blue waters, this trendy beach club has been a hot-spot for DJ and house music events for several years. Their Sunday event Sneaky Sundays is one of their most popular lively nights and it was here we also spotted Leigh-Ann from Little Mix and her footballer boyfriend Andre Grain stepping off a boat to join the party.

Alemagou

Alemagou is located on a little cove near Ftelia beach. Likened to a Bedoin style camp, its laid-back vibes and tranquility is what makes this place particularly special with various boho and tribal-feel quirks from tee-pee tents to live lounge music. We came here one afternoon by quad, after deciding to not partake in a 3 hour wait for 'Kikis Tavern' (an extremely high in demand day-time restaurant which only seats 20 people, in a remote area overlooking Agios Sostis Beach). However, this was a blessing in disguise as on reflection Alemagou was one of my favourites from the holiday. 

Nammos

Nammos' beauty is undeniable; an elegant and trendy destination on Psarou Beach with its own bar, outdoor restaurant, shops and various other luxurious amenities including yacht services and private cabanas. Described as 'a playground for the rich and famous', this sounded more than accurate as we were quoted 130 euros for two sunbeds! Declining these, we sat in the bar for iced coffees, followed by a wander round the grounds with pistachio and chocolate icecreams. 

Paraportiani Church

The Church of Panagia Paraportiani watches over the neighbourhood of Kastro, and is the most well-known out of the 400 churches across the island. A conglomeration of five chapels (four at the base and one built on top with a dome), its unusual structure looks almost igloo-like, making it a photographer’s dream. Panagia translates as ‘Our Lady’ whilst Paraportiani is derived from the meaning of ‘small door', as it once stood next to the gates of a medieval stone wall encircling the town. Nearby Little Venice, this was a great pit stop for us before heading home to get ready for dinner on our last evening.

Brunch Diaries: Elan Cafe

Rose and peony embellished walls have been cropping up all over my Instagram feed lately- a backdrop amongst velvet pastel pink chairs, marble tables and lucky charm lattes. Belonging to a 2-chain coffee shop that goes by the name of Elan café, Hannah and I were keen to see if it lived up to the hype. 

The two branches are located at Knightsbridge and Mayfair. We chose the former (based on which looked most impressive on the Instagram place tag).

The interior was reminiscent of a Paris cafe in spring. A window of pretty little pastries and cakes with another glass cabinet of rainbow coloured salads greets you at the entrance. Behind a turquoise ‘elan’ bicycle is a wall of brass clipboards with coffee quotes and shelves lined with ditsy china teapots, whilst a cherry blossom tree veils over the coffee machines and counters.

We were shown to a table and stepped further into this pink interior-design dream. Pastel pink seats and bar stools with rose gold finishes are complimented with forest green suede sofas and their infamous peony and rose flower embellishments. White marble tables, patterned mosaic floors, towering gold arched mirrors and a neon sign that reads ‘adventure awaits but first coffee’ are some other Instagram-worthy features.

 

Arriving at around 10:40 we were surprised to see the café was almost full. And one of the downsides is the drinking and eating space which is rather…cramped. With rows of tables centimetres apart, it can feel slightly awkward, especially if you try to subtly eye up what your neighbours have ordered! 

For drinks, I opted for their Spanish latte which I’d read as a recommendation. It was delicious but a costly £7.50, which sets you up for the menu’s consistent high-end prices. Hannah ordered a vanilla ice latte which for its size and simplicity, was arguably overpriced at £6.20.

Onto the food, I ordered the avocado on rye with poached eggs and feta and Hannah chose the acai bowl. The food was tasty but again the price point was a little overboard for what you could find elsewhere. Our bill came out at £18 each which we did gasp at initially- Hannah’s QOTD was ‘I paid £18 for a banana!’ But on reflection we agreed we didn't regret the visit as we thoroughly enjoyed our pretty surroundings.

Overall, if you are going for Instagram opportunites, courtesy of the fancy interior design and flower décor, it’s worth a visit. However, if you are looking for a low-key brunch and aren’t bothered about any visual aesthetics, you can find a better price elsewhere. For Saturday visits it seemed best to arrive at around 10:30 latest (so really a breakfast not brunch). The sneaky PR grab is definitely from the main rose and peony feature wall but this is situated right at the back of the cafe and is obscured by tables (some have managed to secure tables here but I'd imagine you have to be an 'influencer' of some sort as it's a really popular place at the moment and they don't take bookings).

We left at around 11:30 and there was already a queue outside- and by the afternoon we saw it was halfway down the street on their Instagram story! Unless you are an early-bird, it might be best to try this one out on weekdays.

Travel Diaries: Greece, Kos

Kos Town

The lively capital is brimming with shops, bars and a great nightlife buzz. A string of tavernas run along the harbour front, where you can eat dinner and drink wine with views overlooking the twinkling marina. My favourite restaurant in town was Select, which has a stunning setting through an archway in the town square, and tables sheltered by a bright fuchsia canopy of Bougainvillea.

The Roman Odeon

Greek and Roman ruins can be stumbled upon throughout the island. We were heading into town one morning and passed by this Roman Odeon restored by the Italians. The theatre held seating for 750 spectators opposite the Roman Agora and visitors are free to climb to the top as well as wander through its accompanying catacombs. I thought it was odd that a ‘bird’ was erratically circling one of these cave-like rooms but upon questioning this with Josh on the way out, the greek lady manning the door shouted back “it is not a bird! it is a bat!"- embarrassing blonde moment for me.

 Mylos Beach Bar

This one was the hidden gem of the holiday- Mylos beach bar. Sitting on the outskirts of the central town, it isn't easy to spot as it requires driving through some deserted tracks (we happened to find it when I was browsing the Kos place tag on Instagram and used trusty Google Maps). But this is one of the perks as it ties in with its hidden paradise, secluded vibes.
Characterised by a disused windmill, the bar has extremely lush surroundings looking out onto a white sandy beach - also sun beds were free to use for customers! I really liked the bohemian style of the bar with crochet parasols and a quirky tree-house theme, with trees incorporated into the shelter and made use of with suspended hammocks and chairs. We returned for drinks that night and caught the start of one of their beach parties, headlined by a popular resident house DJ. The windmill had also been set up to emit strobe lights which beamed right across the beach and lit up the sky in dazzling colours. The pathway that weaves through the bar was lit with candles in brown paper-like bags to accompany other quirky patterned lanterns. And their hibiscus G & T is one of the tastiest cocktails I've ever had. We didn't stay too long as Josh couldn't drink, which may be a downside to the quad for some, but the journey back was spent whizzing through the main roads and lit up streets- which was really fun.

Zia

Zia requires heading up into the island's mountainous regions. Along the way, we passed one of the traditional byzantine churches of Kos. I really love the intricacy of Greek architecture and especially chapels like these with the traditional blue domed roof. The atmosphere there was extremely tranquil which was a nice change to the lively capital.

Cloaked by forests and springs, Zia is known as the pretty mountain village. Despite becoming increasingly popular for tourists on excursions, it still retains an old charm with cobblestone pavements and sugar cube houses. The shops here are more unusual, selling traditional soaps, local honey, ceramics and an array of hand-made rugs and bags. Resisting my trinket-hoarding tendencies, I limited myself to buying one of the bags, which was made with a cream crochet-style fabric and embellished with turquoise and amber coloured beads. This was definitely one of the most stunning villages I've ever seen and I'd highly recommend a visit.

Oromedon

Zia’s backdrop of soaring Mount Dikaios is particularly spectacular- known to the ancients as Oromedon, Orion or Dikaion, it is the highest mountain on the island. This leads me to my favourite find of our holiday, Oromedon Restaurant, where we reserved a table for the following night. Our experience here was truly special. The traditional Greek taverna is perched high in the mountains with ornamental vines of Bougainvillea draping over its roofing and whitewash walls. Next to the entrance is an accompanying shop selling pottery and other ornaments by a decorative wheelbarrow- it looked like a doll-house scene!

We chose to sit on the open higher tier of the restaurant, which had a flawless view of the sun setting behind the Aegan sea. The sunset amongst peachy-pink wispy skies, forest trees and the cliff faces of Mount Dikios sets an idyllic scene- unsurprisingly the site is a popular spot for marriage proposals! I enjoyed a halloumi starter and my favourite traditional spaghetti napolitan for main course with apple pie for dessert. All the food was delicious and freshly prepared, they even had to delay serving the pie as it was still piping hot from the oven. Bar a dessert cameo in a picture of Josh & I at our table, I ate all my courses before taking photos (blogging sin).