Day in Mykonos Review

[SeaCBear]

For our last day on board, we were up early enough to enjoy the arrival into the port of Mykonos. Now THIS was what I expected a Greek island to look like – all white buildings with accents of blue, many bars, cafes at restaurants at the water's edge :-)

 

 

As usual, we headed up to the Horizon Terrace for our breakfast. There were quite a few people out there, no doubt because the view was quite impressive. But it was also VERY windy. All sorts of things were flying around – trays, bits of bacon, napkins… all quite entertaining. I indulged in a Mimosa with my freshly made omelette.

 

We had no excursions booked, but in the day before we arrived we thought perhaps we might enjoy a walking tour or trip to Delos or both, but everything was sold out. We usually are DIY people anyway, so that was fine. We considered walking into town, but we could see the road leading from the port to the town (we did not have to tender). It didn’t look that far, but the road was busy and had no sidewalks, and no shade. I’m fair and burn very easily, and had already had a bit too much sun in Istanbul and Venice, so we opted instead for the shuttle offered by Princess. The shuttle process was fast and efficient. They had plenty of big buses lined up, and in about 15 minutes we were in the town.

 

Mykonos is certainly very picturesque and photogenic. As in all the places we had visited on this cruise – Venice, Corfu and Istanbul, we found the main thoroughfares and streets lined with touristy shops to be quite busy, but if you took a turn onto a side street you were often on an empty street. Of course, the ‘streets’ in Mykonos (also like Venice and Corfu) were often only big enough for a couple of people to walk side by side! We watched a small truck delivering bottled water navigating these narrow, twisty streets. He didn’t quite make one turn, and side swiped both a wall and all the t-shirts displayed on it. He just backed up and tried again. Only tourists paid any attention – no doubt it happens every day.

 

We meandered through the back streets, and eventually found the famous windmills. From there we walked down the hill a very short way to the Little Venice area, and found a perfect spot overlooking the water for a glass of wine. From there we wandered around a bit more. I had seen an embroidered linen table runner with an olive motif that I quite liked in a store window. It was only 18 Euros, which I thought was a bargain. But I was by myself when I saw it as Jeff had gone off to find an ATM, and I thought Jeff might hate it, so I didn’t get it.

 

 

 

 

When walking around we saw the same table runner in another shop window and Jeff commented that he thought it was nice. Well, that’s all I needed to hear. Jeff REALLY hate to shop, and he actually seemed interested in buying something, and we both agreed we liked it! We went into the shop, and with some difficulty (as the woman in the store spoke very little English and our Greek is limited to ‘thank you’) we found it the price: 25 Euros. For a difference of 7 Euros we thought it was worth it to try and find the first store that I had seen the linens. Amazingly we were able to retrace my steps and find the store. The woman in this store had better English, and was lovely. We ended up buying the table runner, six napkins and a bread basket, all for about 60 Euros. That was our biggest purchase for this cruise.

 

 

 

 

My husband is interested in all things related to sailing and boats, so a visit to the Maritime Museum was a must. Following the directions on our iPhone GPS, we managed to walk right by the museum. We asked someone where it was, and he pointed right behind us. We had walked by it several times – it just didn’t look like a museum! It wasn’t large, and the entrance fee was only 4 Euros each, but it was housed in an old house, was well done and very interesting, and boasted an impressive collection of some very old (as in 400 BC) artifacts. What I particularly loved was the little open courtyard at the back of the museum, a nice respite from the hot crowded streets. They had lemon and orange trees out there, a lighthouse, a little lizard running around, and a nice clean washroom :-)

 

We were now ready for lunch, and I had already pre-selected a place before leaving home that I hoped we could go to. Katerina’s had good reviews on a few site, and a perfect location in Little Venice. We found it with no difficulty. Curiously, an American man outside asked if we had come to Katerina’s specifically or had just found it while wandering. I said I had specifically planned that we would have lunch there if possible. He said “OK, I’ve got a great table for you by the window. Go downstairs and tell them you’re at Table 3.” I had hoped we would be sitting outside, but Table 3 was by an open window and was really perfect. The balcony on the other side of our window looked nice too, but it would have been much more cramped to eat out there. We shared a spinach pie, the best Greek salad we’ve ever had (and we eat Greek salad quite often), and the freshest, and best ever calamari we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy. Our meal was SO delicious. When we were leaving, the American guarding the door asked if we had enjoyed that table, and we said we had very much. He handed me a card for Katerina’s and said that they would love it if we could post a review on TripAdvisor. So, the moral of the tale is, if you choose to eat at Katerina’s in Mykonos (and you should!), tell the guy at the door that you heard about the place on TripAdvisor and plan to post a review!

 

 

At this point we were hot, and the streets of Mykonos were really crowded, so we walked back to the shuttle bus stop. We were looking forward to getting back on board and enjoying our last afternoon.

 

I'm sorry we didn't get to Delos - we'll have to go next time. My husband was concerned that I would look like a lobster if I walked around in full sun for two hours, even with a hat and sunscreen, and he's probably right :-)

 

Please note: all of my photos of Mykonos can be viewed on Flickr. To see all photos from this cruise, please click on the link below in my signature.

Edited June 1, 2014 by SeaCBear

[SeaCBear]

[cleobella]

Thanks for sharing, would love to see a picture of your table runner!

[SeaCBear]

Oh! No problem - we just put in on the table last night. I'll take a photo and post it shortly!

Thanks for sharing, would love to see a picture of your table runner!

 

Thanks!

[SeaCBear]

Here are a couple of photos of the table runner, and also the matching bread basket. We also bought six matching placemats, but we wouldn't use the placemats at the same time as the table runner I don't think. That might me too much.

 

I still need to give them a little pressing. :)

 

I think they're linen, and very pretty. They did have other designs.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing, would love to see a picture of your table runner!

[js4rq]

Wow how beautiful is Mykonos!! :D

 

How long did it take you to walk to the windmills??

 

Cheers! :cool:

[SeaCBear]

Mykonos IS beautiful. I would love to visit when it's a little less crowded but that's just the way it is with beautiful places in the world, especially those that get cruise ships!

 

We sort of ambled along to the windmills from where the bus dropped us off, but if you just walked straight there I would estimate it wouldn't take longer than 15 minutes, possibly 20.

 

Wow how beautiful is Mykonos!! :D

 

How long did it take you to walk to the windmills??

 

Cheers! :cool:

[T.O.cruisers]

Loving your reviews. I'll be visiting some of the same ports in October. I'm hoping for warm sunny days and less crowds. Thanks.

[wnycruisefam66]

Thanks for the pictures! I'll be there in a few weeks!

[Smiles3usa]

Thanks for sharing!

 

I think your table runners are nice too!

[Gordo]

Thanks for posting your day in Mykonos. We are starting to plan our ports of call and what you shared was very helpful. And the pictures are gorgeous.

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Thank you for the wonderful review! We plan on DIY when we were in Mykonos.

 

I have a question regarding the iPhone.

 

We are thinking of making one of ours international just the month we will be gone. Can you use the google maps/map that comes with the phone just like you would at home? We also are big Yelp and TripAdvisor people (like you , it sounds :)) will those work abroad?

 

Say we are in Mykonos and want to find a good restaurant near by, can we just pull up Yelp?

 

We would NOT be using our iPhones to call home/e-mail/etc, we WOULD be using them for the map feature and Yelp/Trip Advisor

 

Thank you in advance :)

[SeaCBear]

Hi CruisingGatorGirl - I'm not sure I understand what you mean by making your phone international - do you mean you will purchase a data roaming package for Europe?

 

To use apps like Yelp or TripAdvisor on the fly, when you're walking around in Mykonos for example, you will need a data roaming package. For us, here in Canada, a data roaming package for Europe is very expensive, but it may not be with your provider. But I'm not sure it's really necessary. You have a number of other options.

 

You could buy a Wifi packaage on board the ship and then use TripAdvisor or Yelp etc. before you head off the ship.

 

Or, and this is what we did, you can get Apps like MapsWithMe, or OffMaps2 (there are many that are similar) - and download the maps you need to your iPhone before you leave home (like Mykonos).

 

Or yes you can use Google Maps. I used Google Maps in Venice. I loaded my presaved map of Venice on to my iPhone while on board the ship, using the Wifi package we had. Once we were in Venice, Google maps showed me where I was at all time, and if we were heading in the right direction (we often were not :) ). My husband preferred using MapsWithMe or OffMaps2.

 

Once you have the maps on your phone, when you're walking around in a port the iPhone's GPS will know where you are when you're looking at the map - you don't need data roaming or Wifi for this.

 

I hope this all makes sense!

 

 

Thank you for the wonderful review! We plan on DIY when we were in Mykonos.

 

I have a question regarding the iPhone.

 

We are thinking of making one of ours international just the month we will be gone. Can you use the google maps/map that comes with the phone just like you would at home? We also are big Yelp and TripAdvisor people (like you , it sounds :)) will those work abroad?

 

Say we are in Mykonos and want to find a good restaurant near by, can we just pull up Yelp?

 

We would NOT be using our iPhones to call home/e-mail/etc, we WOULD be using them for the map feature and Yelp/Trip Advisor

 

Thank you in advance :)

[Chairsin]

Was thinking of deciding when we arrive in Mykonos next Tuesday the 10th about going to Delos. We have been to Mykonos twice before --- once it was too hot to go to Delos and last fall we decided to wander around town and take a taxi tour of The island with fellow shipmates.Anyway, good thing I checked the port schedule --- there is a monstrous Celebrity ship in port that day arriving an hour before us. So I went ahead and booked the local Delos tour company for a guided tour. Thanks for the heads up about the boats selling out --- it had not even occurred to me and we would have been disappointed if we missed it. Perhaps third time is a charm.

 

 

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[MillbrookMom]

Thanks for posting the lovely photos....Greece is on my "must do" cruise list.

[LEtue]

Thanks for posting and your pictures of Mykonos are beautiful!

 

I am definitely planning to go over to Delos for a few hours before touring the downtown area and can't wait to enjoy this port :D

[Keith1010]

Excellent review and photos.

 

Keith

[SeaCBear]

Thanks everyone for the very kind comments.

 

And for those of you who will be visiting Mykonos on an upcoming cruise, enjoy! It really is a lovely place lots of nice restaurants, good shopping and beautiful views. Wish I was there now!

[CruisingGatorGirl]

Hi CruisingGatorGirl - I'm not sure I understand what you mean by making your phone international - do you mean you will purchase a data roaming package for Europe?

 

To use apps like Yelp or TripAdvisor on the fly, when you're walking around in Mykonos for example, you will need a data roaming package. For us, here in Canada, a data roaming package for Europe is very expensive, but it may not be with your provider. But I'm not sure it's really necessary. You have a number of other options.

 

You could buy a Wifi packaage on board the ship and then use TripAdvisor or Yelp etc. before you head off the ship.

 

Or, and this is what we did, you can get Apps like MapsWithMe, or OffMaps2 (there are many that are similar) - and download the maps you need to your iPhone before you leave home (like Mykonos).

 

Or yes you can use Google Maps. I used Google Maps in Venice. I loaded my presaved map of Venice on to my iPhone while on board the ship, using the Wifi package we had. Once we were in Venice, Google maps showed me where I was at all time, and if we were heading in the right direction (we often were not :) ). My husband preferred using MapsWithMe or OffMaps2.

 

Once you have the maps on your phone, when you're walking around in a port the iPhone's GPS will know where you are when you're looking at the map - you don't need data roaming or Wifi for this.

 

I hope this all makes sense!

 

 

This was VERY helpful, thank you!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Scarlet and grey]

Thanks for posting! We will be there on the sillouhette this October. We normally are DIY and couldn't find much to do, excerpt walk around and eat....reading your review makes me excited to do just that! I'll look for that restaurant, sounds lovely.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Scarlet and grey

[tmackel]

Thank you so much for your review and picture. I now have a good idea of what to do and buy. ;)

[willow surfside]

Would you mind sharing the tour company you are using for the Delos tour.

 

Was thinking of deciding when we arrive in Mykonos next Tuesday the 10th about going to Delos. We have been to Mykonos twice before --- once it was too hot to go to Delos and last fall we decided to wander around town and take a taxi tour of The island with fellow shipmates.Anyway, good thing I checked the port schedule --- there is a monstrous Celebrity ship in port that day arriving an hour before us. So I went ahead and booked the local Delos tour company for a guided tour. Thanks for the heads up about the boats selling out --- it had not even occurred to me and we would have been disappointed if we missed it. Perhaps third time is a charm.

 

 

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[Chairsin]

We just returned from our trip and I am happy to report we finally made it to Delos. The company is called Delos Tours. I booked on line and was told to show up 1/2 an hour before the boat's 10AM departure to pay for and pick up the tickets. As our ship did not arrive until 9 and the first shuttle bus to town was reserved for Seabourn's ship tours, once we were dropped at the edge of town we had to run around to the far side of down where the tour boats depart for Delos. We arrived 10 minutes before departure but our spot was held. The boat -- filled with both those on tours and those who planned to tour Delos on their own-- took about 1/2 hour to get there. We were then given our entry tickets by our guide and bypassed the hoards waiting to get in. There were about 20 of us in the group--- more than I would have preferred-- but I was very glad to have guide as without her it would have been difficult to understand the ruins. Even on this relatively cool partly cloudy day it was hot and she was always trying to find us a shady spot when she went into a lengthy dissertation of a particular subject. At about 12 we had a free half hour to wander on our own and visit the museum until we rebounded the boat for the return trip.I cannot reiterate enough what others have also stated -- wear sturdy shoes and a brimmed hat, slather the sunscreen lotion and carry twice the water you think you will need.

 

 

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[Ewoodspark]

-- but I was very glad to have a guide as without her it would have been difficult to understand the ruins.

 

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Wow, sounds REALLY exciting !!