Santorini should be on everyone’s bucket list. An island filled with history, amazing food and wine, and of course the most beautiful views in the world! Read this blog article to learn about our week-long trip, including our full itinerary—where we stayed, what we ate, and what we did.
Read moreMykonos Travel Guide
Traveling to the Greek Islands has been on my bucket list for at least ten years now, and I’m so happy I chose Mykonos and Santorini for my first time (yes, I’ll definitely be going back to Greece again and again to visit the other amazing islands!). Both of these islands were quite different so I’m dedicating this blog post to Mykonos and saving Santorini for its own.
When my husband and I travel, we like to do plenty of research so we can guarantee to hit all the right spots and have zero regrets. We did tons of sightseeing, enjoyed the spectacular beaches, and ate a ton of authentic Mediterranean food, of course! Keep reading to get the full view of where we stayed, what we did, and where we ate. You can view my Instagram Mykonos highlights here.
Mykonos Beach at Royal Myconian Resort
Where to fly into:
We spent a couple of days in Athens so we took one of many 30-minute day flights from there. Even if you aren’t planning on visiting Athens, I recommend this route anyway! There’s only one airport—Mykonos Airport (JMK) and it’s pretty small so can get busy during the high season. Our resort arranged a private transport, which I recommend setting up ahead of time, rather than having to wait for taxi service.
Where to stay:
We stayed at the Royal Myconian Imperial Resort, which was on one end of the island (about a 25 minute drive). The reason we chose this location rather than staying close to the town was because it was a quieter area and the resort has its own beach, which was a 1-2 minute walk down a small hill with resort beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, and food/drink service.
Royal Myconian Imperial Resort
I fell in love with this resort from the moment I arrived. The views from the lobby and walk to our room were spectacular and the staff was incredibly helpful throughout our entire stay. Since we chose a room with private pool, we were located on the very first floor—the lobby is at the very top so this felt like a million steps down to the room! Thankfully I’m all about staying active so this was a bonus for me to get in my steps for the day. HA! The room was beautiful, updated, and private. BUT, I will admit we ended up not using the pool at all because it felt like 30 degrees (we are from Miami, so this was brutal for us!). Next time I’ll opt for a room sans-pool, higher up with a better view.
Where to eat:
My husband and I are big foodies, so eating at the best restaurants is usually at the top of the list when we travel. Here are the five we dined at:
SISHU SUSHI BAR: Luckily, this was right in our hotel at the pool level. I will never forget the sushi we had here. Absolutely delicious! We shared several dishes and I cannot remember a single one I didn’t like.
CELEBRITIES SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: Also located in our hotel, this was a fancier fine dining experience with live romantic music and excellent service. I had a seafood and carrot soup as a starter and the shrimp, grilled and prepared table-side, for my entree. Check out my Instagram highlights for videos!
LA MAISON DE KATRIN: This spot was located in an ally in Mykonos town and is family owned—a twist on Greek cuisine with French gourmet cooking. This was a more casual, noisy restaurant but worth it! I took a break from the traditional Mediterranean food and ordered pasta that did not disappoint!
MATSUHISA MYKONOS: More sushi! It’s my favorite cuisine so I can never have enough. This restaurant is located in the Belvedere Hotel (in Mykonos town) and has a sexier vibe. The food was excellent as well. We stayed at the hotel bar after dinner to have a couple of cocktails, too. Highly recommend!
180º SUNSET BAR: This is a MUST if you visit Mykonos. You need to reserve ahead of time in the area you want to dine. Most seats require a minimum spend per person. We chose the Private Deck front row cushions for 200 euros pp. It was well worth the money because you can view the sunset without anyone blocking you, but you are sitting on cushions on the floor to eat which wasn’t comfortable. Oh yeah—the main reason to come is for the sunset, so make sure you reserve 6:30-7pm the latest (we went in September). The food wasn’t anything special—typical mediterranean but not the best we had.
What to do:
MYKONOS TOWN: We spend about a half-day walking around. There are tons of shops, restaurants, bars, and of course great photo ops! Don’t miss out on all of the kitties—they are everywhere and very cute and friendly! A trip to see the windmills is also something to put on your list. It’s an old town, but has a lot of character.
BEACH CLUB: There are a few beach clubs to choose from in Mykonos, but since we did not want to be in a party atmosphere, we chose a more private option—PRINCIPOTE BEACH CLUB. Two cushioned chairs with umbrellas was 160 euros for the day and it came with food and cocktail service and towels. A must-try cocktail is the “peppy skino” — cucumber-infused gin, mastiha, fresh cucumber, lime juice, and pink pepper—I was sipping on this all day! Instead of eating lunch right on the beach, we walked over to their restaurant and had one of our favorite lunches on our trip—hummus, pita, potatoes, calamari, and Greek wine.
The five nights and four full days was a perfect length for us, since we like to have a couple of days of beach and pool relaxing in the mix. Make sure you check out my Instagram highlights for full details and videos of our trip! You can always send me an email with any questions you have before planning your Mykonos vacation. Stay tuned for a blog post on Santorini next!
STYLE Links:
Tips for Eating Out at Restaurants
If only we all were gourmet chefs or at least have the time to create amazing dishes for every single meal of the day, we would probably always eat at home. The eating culture has shifted tremendously over the past few decades, with dining out increasing from 18% of daily intake to 33%. Most of us know how unhealthy many restaurant choices are, especially in the fast food world, but we continue to consume it more than we should. Even the “healthier” items on the menu such as salads and vegetable dishes are loaded with calories from the extra fat and sugar added to the cooking process to make them taste much better than home-cooked meals. The highly processed and fat or sugar-laden foods are what cause eating addiction, which is a reason why more people continue to crave restaurant meals.
Studies have indicated that increased intake of foods eaten away from home is linked to a higher body mass index and poorer diet quality. Diet quality in these cases was described as the amount of fruit, vegetable, and processed food consumption. Most studies showed that women tend to make healthier foods choices at restaurants than men by choosing more fruits and vegetables with their meals. Unfortunately, even choosing these healthy foods does not equate to overall fewer calories and fat. By no means should these facts about restaurants keep you from going out for date night or an enjoyable evening with friends. There are several ways to stick with your diet while eating out without too much sacrifice.
Prepare
If you are truly trying to stick to your healthy diet and have the opportunity to choose the restaurant when going out for a social occasion, it is best to take some time to research a few different places with a wide range of menu items. If the restaurant is already chosen, you can still look up the menu ahead of time and select a few dish options that fall into the healthy category. If the choices still seem high in calories, you can plan to eat much lighter meals throughout the day leading up to your outing to compensate. If you are willing to forgo an entree at the restaurant and instead order an appetizer as your main dish, then you will most likely save about half of the calories as long as you carefully choose a healthier option. To make sure that you are satisfied come meal’s end, have a small snack at home beforehand such as a few crackers and cheese, yogurt with nuts, or a protein shake.
Control Portions
This is probably the most difficult task for most people, yet the lack of this task is the reason why most Americans are overweight. At restaurants it is very easy to consume too many calories even with their smallest available portions, so the easiest way to downsize those calories is to choose low calorie foods to begin with. Unfortunately, side dishes such as potatoes, rice, and pasta do not fall into this category, unless you can be satisfied with only a couple of forkfuls worth. Vegetables and salads are the best choices, but it is important to keep in mind that most restaurants will cook the veggies in oil and butter to enhance the taste so they are not as low-calorie as you would think.
Eating out will usually include many more courses than you would typically have at home. Bread will be served, followed by an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. If you choose to have the bread, simply pick just one piece out of the basket and limit the amount of butter or oil you use. Share an appetizer and dessert with your party rather than trying to portion out an entire one on your own. The highest calorie items that are best to stay away from are fried foods, fatty meats, cream-based soups and pastas, and those delicious-looking baked desserts. Opt for small portions of lean meats and fish, vegetable side dishes, and fruit for dessert.
Choose Intuitively
The best advice is to always think before you eat anything. If you truly do not care for something, do not waste your calorie bank on it. Most people end up eating whatever food is on their plate. If you crave meat more than the carb-loaded side dishes, then make sure to order your steak with green vegetables as a side so that you are not tempted to eat potatoes or rice. For those who have an extreme sweet tooth and look forward to dessert more than anything, it’s best to skip the bread, have a small appetizer as your main dish, and indulge in the dessert that you truly enjoy most.
Eat Slowly
You may have read before that eating alone without any distractions such as company, the computer, or television is a smarter way to keep track of portions and eat less overall. Conversing over meals causes us to not pay attention to how much we are eating or drinking. Teaching ourselves to eat our meals as slowly as possible takes some training. Some steps to practice are cutting food into smaller bite-sized pieces, savor the flavors of your food by chewing more times, putting down utensils in between bites, and eating with your non-dominant hand.
Beverages Count
Whether you are into alcoholic beverages or sodas, calories can add up tremendously. A glass of wine equates to around 130 calories, so if you share a bottle with your significant other, you are adding about 300 to 350 calories to your meal. Light beer and hard liquor are lower calorie choices with about 100 and 70 calories per serving respectively. The drinks to watch out for are mixed cocktails and specialty beverage items. Some are mixed with soda adding double the calories, while others can get into the 700-calorie range if you choose a cream-based or sweetened one such as a margarita, pina colada, or a long island iced tea. If possible, stick to just one serving of your favorite lower-calorie drink and have two sips of water for every sip of other beverage you have.
When on a diet, going out to eat should not be eliminated. There are ways to be able to enjoy your time out with family or friends while sticking with your healthy meal plan. If you go off a bit more than you would have liked, do not be hard on yourself. One night of “bad” eating will not ruin all of the progress you have made. What is an issue with most people’s diets is dining out several times a week. Unfortunately, as much as we try to make the healthiest choices at restaurants, it is important to remember that we truly do not know exactly how the food is cooked, and most are cooked with butter, oil, extra sugar and salt to create those delicious flavors. Enjoy yourself as you dine, keeping these simple tips in mind, so that you can guarantee you will not undo all of that hard work you have put into getting and staying healthy.
Sources
Rebecca A. Seguin, Anju Aggarwal, Francoise Vermeylen, and Adam Drewnowski, Consumption Frequency of Foods Away from Home Linked with Higher Body Mass Index and Lower Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Journal, Sept 2019