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:
Taper Time: How to Train, Eat, and Rest the Right Way
There is a reason why runners call this time of the season the “taper crazies”. It simply makes most of us go nuts because we can’t tell if we are running too little or too much, eating enough, resting enough, and we are so nervous for race day that we end up not sleeping enough. This only makes us even more crazy, since sleep is vital at this time! We are officially closing in on the first of the Fall marathons— with Chicago up next on October 13th. It’s an exciting time for some big races, but it’s important to stay strict with your taper approach in the midst of the excitement.
How Much Should I Be Running?
No matter what you feel your body is capable of, the amount of fitness gains that can be made during the last 2-3 weeks before a race are slim to none. All the work has been done at this point. The strategy I use for myself and my athletes is a full two-week taper approach where mileage and intensity is cut down gradually. By two weeks out of race day, a 25% cut in overall mileage is ideal to get the legs to start resting. Lowering intensity will naturally come from the drop in mileage, as you shouldn’t completely eliminate these workouts at this time. Instead, cut back a few reps from your track session and a few miles off of your tempo run. Keeping up with post-run strides continues to be important as this keeps good strength in the legs and helps maintain proper form.
The week before the race, mileage should be cut by 50%, with additional time spent utilizing recovery tactics. The very last speed session should be completed by Tuesday or Wednesday (at the latest), in order to get the legs rested. It's just fine to add in a few sets of strides after your easy runs later in the week, but the intense, longer workouts should be kept to a minimum on race week. It is also important to keep pace no faster than goal race pace for your speed sessions this week. The majority of mileage should be at a comfortable, easy pace and decrease each day. An easy shakeout run scheduled one or two days before the race will help keep the legs loose and well-circulated.
What/How Much Should I Eat?
You should eat exactly the same as you always eat! The worst thing to do is to try to add in different kinds of food or drastically increase carbs to “carb load” and then be sick to your stomach on race morning. The most important thing to do is eat the foods you are used to. It can be tough when traveling for races, so choose menu items at restaurants carefully and as close to your usual diet as possible. Some runners opt to bring their own snacks along when they travel, which is especially good for race morning. It is not that hard to travel with a bag of bagels, single serving packets of peanut butter, granola bars, and gels.
Along with good and adequate nutrition, it is important to keep yourself from getting sick. The extra nerves and excitement add additional stress to the body, and since you are just coming off of the most intense part of your training, your immune system is a bit weaker. The easiest way to help prevent any illness is to stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water helps to flush out any toxins and bacteria in the body that can lead to catching a cold. You may also want to add in some extra vitamin C, zinc, and glutamine to keep your immune system as strong as possible.
What Else Can I Do to Make Sure My Body is Rested Enough?
We hear the word “recovery” and we think we are doing it right, but there is more to it than lowering mileage. This concept MUST be emphasized during the last two weeks before a race. The most important part of your recovery plans should consist of extra sleep. A good idea is to start getting to bed 10-15 minutes earlier every night starting at 10 to 14 days out from race day. It’s normal (and OKAY) to not sleep well the night before the race, which is when most people are nervous and anxious, but you want to get in the extra ZzZs for several days leading up to the big day. Down time throughout each day is another good way to recover. Since you are running and strength training less, you’ll have some extra time to fit in laying around with your legs elevated. Although massage is not a permanent fix for tight and sore muscles, it helps to get a couple of sessions during your taper period for the benefit of stress-relief and decreasing lactic acid in the body.
THE DAY BEFORE
Some runners make the mistake of laying around TOO much the day before a big race. Although resting should be emphasized, you can end up doing much more than you need, and risk being all stiff come race morning. This is why it is recommended to do a shakeout run—an easy 20-30 minutes of running at a slow, recovery pace. This will keep your legs loose. Throughout the day, add in a little bit of walking and stretching in between periods of relaxing and elevating your legs. Some runners opt for visiting the expo and other race event venues the day before. If you decide to do this, try to avoid walking and standing around for hours at a time. You want to save as much energy as possible for the race!
Following these guidelines during your taper period will help you be as prepared as possible for the big day. The key is to get a handle on the things you can control—your nutrition and hydration, resting your mind and body, and get your gear in place. Try not to worry about the factors that are outside of your control—such as bad weather. Keep your mind focused on staying smart and celebrating your hard work, and race day will most likely be a great day!