Milos, Greece: Beaches & Eats
BEACH ANYONE?
Heading to the beaches of the Greek islands? Be careful you don’t choose Hydra, as it only has one sandy beach, Mandraki. The rest are all pebbles. Maybe try Milos? There are 70 sandy beauties here.
RIGHT: Delicious Portokalopita, a traditional Greek orange cake soaked in cinnamon syrup.
FIRIPLAKA BEACH
This is one beach where you’ll want to wade way out in the shallow waters (take your phone). Looking back at the shore, you’ll see this picture-perfect image of rows of umbrellas at the base of a towering cliff face. Situated on the island’s remote south coast, it’s an organised beach which means it has a little cafe on the end that serves ice-cold beer and they never run out. That’s as organised as you need to be.
ACHIVADOLIMNI BEACH
If you’re heading for a bit of a sunset trip with some Mykonos beats and you’re feeling a little hippy-dippy, then head to Karma Beach Bar overlooking the entrance to the port. It’s not Mykonos but it has cold beer and chilled beats. Maybe it’s actually better than Mykonos.
@karmabeachmilos
SARAKINIKO
Early birds, definitely catch the worm. The worm in this instance is the white lunar landscape of Sarakiniko, with no humans in sight. Even with our early start, there were a few irritating drone Instagrammers, zooming overhead. So when I say early, I mean early! You must jump off the edge into the water and scream. Even though it's probably only a 4 or so meters drop, it feels like you screaming down a 60m tunnel. Fun and magical!
TSIGRADO
Hang on for your life as you let yourself shimmy down a rope ladder to land on a tiny stretch of sand. There’s enough sea in front of you to swim out and never look back. It’s a trip.
FIRIPLAKA & KLEFTIKO
Next time I’ll make time for the freestanding sea caves at Firiplaka, which are just wide enough to squeeze into and take a morning sail out the white cliffs of Kleftiko. Hopefully soon.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Over 140 churches and chapels adorn the landscape of Milos. Pic: Kate Sovalova ; Spread-eagle in Sarakaniko; Sarakaniko’s lunar rocks, pic: Artem Riasnianskyi ; Isn’t she lovely, isn’t she marvellous? Mini-versions of the Aphrodite of Milos abound; I found her!! The life-size copy of Venus spotted at the archaeological museum in Plaka.
EAT GREEK?
MEDUSA, MANDRAKIA
Quite frankly, you could put a bowl of dried rusks in front of me at this restaurant and I’d be happy. Blues, whites and views. It’s where I first tasted the fresh parsley dip, Maidanosalata, which hails from the island of Syros, this fragrant dip is served with pita bread but is probably great with the sardines and octopus that this taverna is famous for.
O HAMOS, ADAMANTAS
I’m not prone to booking restaurants when on holiday - happy-go-lucky - but this restaurant is so popular that they set up a little mini festival area across the road, where you can wait for a table. They actually don’t take reservations anyway, so put your name down and enjoy the wait. Maybe an hour or two, but you’re on the water’s edge and the wine is ordered by the kilo so it’s tons of fun. We met a newly married US couple and swapped secret beach stories. Inside, it’s all old-school, with pita bread hung on the back of your chair and the Syfnos island’s famous chickpeas baked in little clay pots. If you eat beyond the veg kingdom, then the piglet wrapped in parchment has your name on it.
COLOURFUL STAY?
Just down past the ancient Roman amphitheatre you reach the brightly painted syrmata (fisherman’s huts) in the village of Klima. We grabbed an Airbnb on the water, with a little verandah overlooking the sea. Sometimes it’s nice to have a kitchen and pick up groceries at the local store and pour a few large martinis with a handful of Greek olives.
FROM LEFT: Plaka, which nestles on the mountain above the port. Pic: Christina Terzidou; A short hike up from Klima, where we stayed, is the ancient Roman amphitheatre - all marble, all painstakingly preserved, which actually still hosts occasional concerts for 700 guests. (odysseus.culture.gr); Feta and dill stuffed Greek tomatoes
NEXT TIME?
You always run out of time, but next time I’d sail to Kimolos. It’s just an hour-long ferry to Kyma where the taverna on the sandy beach is, apparently, the bomb. There’s also a whitewashed Cycladic village and the beautiful deserted islet of Poliegos. Next time!
