mykonos, greece | pasta fresca barkia

This charming Italian cuisine was the perfect little getaway for the evening. As you walk to the restaurant, you are instantly impressed with the display of the pasta making station. There was a very friendly gentleman making every single piece of pasta from scratch right before your eyes.

They began the meal with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, fresh bread and delicious fresh olives. 

Since we are in Greece, I had a Greek salad. I still can't get enough of the feta cheese here, it's incredible!

For our main, we both had the tortellacci with tomato sauce, shrimps, octopus, squid, cuttlefish, mussels and parsley. It was to-die-for! A complete taste sensation! Each piece of pasta was handmade right out front of the store and was truly very yummy. 

Our evening finished with a complimentary martini with delicious fresh fruit! Don't you just adore the sea shells in the platter?! It's all about presentation here.

The ambiance was bang on and the whole restaurant was beautiful. They really did pay close attention to detail as every inch of this space was charming.

Even the washrooms were elegant!

{Images by Sara + Susie}

xo sara

where to have dinner on the island of ios

Greek Tapas

Step into magical little nook of hanging pink flowers and fairy lights all above. This is the perfect place to come with friends where you can all share delicious traditional Greek dishes. There were two pages of scrumptious options of appetizers, fish, meat, salad, etc. We came here two nights and were blown away each time. The staff are adorably charming and were very helpful with pickin out great options. I had the best Greek salad ever here! You have to get one! At the end of the meal, both times we were given a few shots each of the traditional Greek drink, Ouzo!

Lord Byron

This restaurant came highly recommended by the locals and on tripadvisor. There is a large patio out front which minimalist decorative accents where as the interior is decked out head to toe in trinkets and sea shells. Come here for a fun evening of great food and a wide selection of decadent cocktails. 

You must order the beet bruschetta, it was unreal. We almost cancelled our mains and just ate a few servings of this all night!

Right across the lane is a bar with cheap drinks! This is a great spot to go before the bar for some delicious deals. You will know right away which one I'm talking about, every time we walked by a woman would call out to us the drink specials of the night!

How to save money on food

There are many fresh grocery stores within the Chora which is very convenient. We bought fresh fruit so we would have healthy snacks during the day and at night in our rooms. Don't bother with buying water bottles, all around the city are water fountains with drinkable water! *Do not drink the tap water in Greece*

{Images by Sara + Susie}

xo sara

ios, greece | francescos hostel

For the 5 nights we were in Ios, we stayed at the very highly recommened hostel, Francesco's. When we got off the ferry, were greeted by a gentleman from New Zealand named Alex. While we drove to the hostel, he pointed out places to go, where to eat and how to navigate back to the hotel, etc. From the parking lot, it was about a seven minute walk up to the hostel. 

Every building was painted white, all the doors, windows and shutters were painted blue and all the crackes between the flagstone on the ground were painted white. It was just like how we had imagined Greece to be and more!

Typically our hostel has around 200 people stay here a night. While we were staying here there were about 15. This let us get to know the other guests and get to know the lovely staff on a more personal level.

When you first walk into the main area, you are amazed by the breathtaking views. 

They had welcome shots for us the first and last night which was so nice!

On the way up to our room on the top floor, we walked up a painted staircase and arrived at the top with another spectacular view of the sea and city.

We stayed in a very spacious private room with an ensuite and two twin beds. This room came with a television with channels, air conditioning, a closet, two night stands with drawers, and a vanity with a mirror and hair dryer. Every day they would clean our room, make our beds and give us fresh towels. It honestly felt like we were staying in a hotel!

There was a pool with a huge deck but it wasnt open while we were there.

Every morning we ate at Moonlight Cafe which was delcious and really inexpensive.

Rating of this Hostel

The Views    ****

Cleanliness   ****

Hospitality    ****

 

{Images by Sara + Susie}

xo sara

ios, greece | the night life

Yes, we all love soaking up the sun and splashing around in the water but there is something special about going out at night in Ios, Greece. The bars and clubs begin to get busy after midnight and make sure you pace yourself because locals and tourists will be out until after 4am. We wanted to get a good taste of the night life here so we would have one night out and one night with a late dinner and go to bed at a decent time.

We would begin our night at Blue Note which is in the upper main sqaure of the Chora. They have a special of 2 drinks for 5 euros (doesn't get much better than that!). This place is small and has a variety of top 40 mixed with party music. 

After a round or two at Blue Note, we would head to Slammer Bar. This place is a must! They have a drink called The Slammer where they put a helmet on your head, give you a tall concoction of tequila and some other mixes, then hit you over the head with a hammer. It sounds painful but dont worry it's not. Just remember, it's all about the experience! They have a great deal - for 21 euros you get 7 shots and a free Slammer Bar tank top. Great idea to share these drinks with your friends!

We all would end up at flames at the end of the night. This small bar was always packed with lots of dancing and great feel-good music which you would know every word to.

There are many late night places to snack after the bar. We found the Porky's was delicious and popular but right across the street was a to-die-for crepe place called Club Sandwich. We found that these places where the closest to the bars, cheapest and quickest to prepare.

If you have been to Ios, where was your favourite place to party at night?

{Images by Sara + Susie}

xo sara

ios, greece | farout beach hotel

One of the top places to party in the summer is Ios Greece. Both Susie and I have heard amazing stories of summers on the island of Ios and how much fun it is. Turns out we missed the memo that the excitement begins around mid June. Nevertheless, there were some pluses with it not being the busy season:

1. We always got an amazing spot on the beach with a complimentary umbrella and lounge chair

2. It wasn't unbearably hot

3. Lot's of great pictures without hundreds of people wondering around

4. There were no lines for anything!

There are 2 main places to stay in Ios if you are between the ages of 19 - 27, Francesco's and Farout. We stayed at Francesco's (ill post about it another day) and we hung out at the Farout beach during the day. 

If you are looking for a place to party during the day, Farout is your spot. They have everything you need and more! We were here just before the high season started so it wasn't as bumpin as it normally would have been during its peak season. Nevertheless, there was still music, bar service and a delicious menu.

They have lots of places to lounge on the beach including these luxurious beach beds! There was also people playing volleyball all the time which was exciting.

We were expecting there to be a big range of people from countries all over the world here. Turns out the majority of tourists are from Australia and Canada is a close second. 

We met so many people who will arrive here with a suitcase and a few nights reserved to stay at a hostel with the hope of getting a job and a place to stay in Ios for the summer. Lot's of people in our hostel did this and ended up getting jobs at bars, restaurants or spots on the beach!

Would you come here for a summer of fun in the sun?

{Images by Sara + Susie}

xo sara

ios, greece | windmills + the odysseas elytis theatre

There are many beautiful things to see on the island of Ios, Greece and one of them are the famous windmills. There are 12 on this island and only 3 have been restored. At one point in time they were used to grind barley and wheat to make bread! To get to these windmills, walk East through the village of Chora.

Just around the corner from the windmills on the top of the hill of Chora was the famous outdoor theatre called The Odysseas Elytis Theatre of Greece, Cyclades named after the famous prize winning noble poet. The amphitheater is made of mable and can hold up to 1100 people. This is one of the architectural wonders of Ios and I highly recommend visiting it!

Image performing or speaking here in front of a packed audience on a sunny day . . . Just magical!

 

{Images by Sara + Susie}

xo sara