Tag: #luxurytravel #familytravel #yachting #greece #greekislands #europe #adventureswithmom #incredibleplaces #havekidswilltravel #europe

If there is a perfect place, the Greek Islands may just be it! From the crystal clear, turquoise-hued water to the utterly unblemished, white plaster architecture everything is so beautiful and so perfect that it barely seems real. However, beyond the idyllic surface, Greece is incredibly rich with history, culture, art, dining, shopping and more.

 

 

We started and finished our trip in Athens. As a big city Athens is not as picturesque as the islands, but it more than makes up for it with history. It is amazing to see a modern city that has built up around some of antiquity’s masterpieces.

A highlight for us was seeing a traditional Greek music and dance show in the ancient theater, Odeon of Herodes, at The Acropolis.

From Athens we boarded the M/Y O’ceanos and were swept away.

 

The first stop in our weeklong dream was the Temple of Poseidon  in Sounion. Built in the 5th century B.C. this ancient sacred structure overlooks the azure sea on three sides. Poseidon’s Temple is one of those places that makes your heart skip a beat. It’s incredible to stand on the stones that were put in place by the hands of man thousands of years ago while gazing into the same sea that the great leader, Pericles, looked upon.

 

That night we docked at the island of Poros, with streets of marble.

 

Each morning we would set sail early, dock at a swimming spot and then head to an island…

Swimming in the Aegean…

Swimming off of a yacht may have been one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. We jumped off the top deck and dropped about 30 feet into the crystal clear water. We flew down the inflatable water slide. We swam through caves in Melos. We snorkeled. We ate fresh sea urchins. And we PLAYED!

 

 

That water though…

 

Caves…

 

Playing…

 

FRESH Sea Urchins…

 

The Islands…

Mykonos: hip, beautiful, great restaurants, great shopping and lots of parties…

 

 

Paros: Beautiful fishing village, picturesque, and great shopping. This might have been my favorite island. It was so quaint and lovely…

 

 

Santorini: beautiful, crowded, well-known and a great place to  watch a sunset. In Santorini you can’t help but feel like you may have stumbled upon the lost city of Atlantis (but it seems like 1/2 of the world might’ve too). We opted to drive up to Fira rather than take a donkey or fight the cruise ship crowds for the cable car…

 

 

 

Milos: The port area is lovely, but you will definitely want grab a taxi and head up to the city center. Small windy streets give way to lovely churches and breathtaking vistas. We spent most of our time in Milos swimming in caves, which you should definitely do if you’re there (there are plenty of day trips from the surrounding islands). Swimming through these caves is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done, it was eerie and amazing. Part of me expected Cyclops or the Sirens to appear at any minute…

 

 

Hydrea: There are no cars or bikes allowed in Hydrea. Transportation is either by donkey or walking.

 

 

Sailing back to Athens…

 

Thanks to the amazing crew this trip was perfection…

 

Stay tuned for the video.