Ios, undiscovered Greece

View of the magical bay of Manganari Beach on Ios

Next stop, Ios island

From Paros, we took the boat to Ios. The crossing takes just under an hour, so you're there in no time. Ios is known for its nightlife for young people, but we didn't notice much of that. At the beginning of June, it wasn't very busy yet, the clubs were just starting up and the sunbeds were even free because of that. Ios is a nice little island of 109 square kilometres and there are 365 churches, so if you want, you can visit a different church every day of the year, you really do come across them everywhere.

Liostasi Hotel at Ios

We stayed at the Liostasi hotel, which we highly recommend! The rooms are beautiful and we even got an upgrade, which was fantastic. A huge room with an equally large bathroom, a luxurious sofa and our own private pool on the terrace. We've never had such a beautiful room. From the hotel and from our own terrace, you could look out over the harbour of the island, which is really festive in the evening with all the beautiful lights on the island. Every morning, they serve an award-winning Greek breakfast, and in the evening, you can enjoy excellent food at the accompanying Grandma's Restaurant.

The hotel was also close to the capital, Chora. Don't expect too much, but it's definitely nice to walk through. There are several terraces and restaurants, even a number of nice shops, and in the evening it's really nice to walk up to the top of the mountain to enjoy the sunset.

Beaches at Ios

The photo at the top left shows Manganari Beach. This is truly a “Blue Lagoon” bay. Superbly beautiful, white sand, bright blue water, and you can also hire sunbeds. Unfortunately, it was extremely windy on the day we were there, so we didn't lie down, but this beach is definitely recommended. We spent a lot of time on Mylopotas Beach, which is also a very beautiful bay. There are many beach clubs here, but it was still quiet at the time of our visit and there is usually much more activity.

Restaurants at Ios

There are several nice restaurants in Mylopotas Bay, including Salt, a lovely restaurant on the beach where you can also hire sun loungers. Harmony is also nice, offering yoga classes if you are interested, and at the end of this bay you will find Drakos Taverna, a truly authentic Greek family restaurant where you can enjoy the freshest fish every day. Octopuses are also hung out to dry on a clothesline every day, which is quite interesting to see.

There are also several restaurants in the village of Chora. We ate at Cantina del Mar, a small, trendy restaurant where you can enjoy a good meal. And don't forget Ios Club Sunset & Cocktail Bar if you get the chance. Unfortunately, there were weddings every day during our stay, but I would have loved to have a drink at this trendy club with its beautiful view. It looks really amazing.

If you visit Ios early or late in the season, it is wonderfully quiet. In July and August, it is said to be a party island, but we didn't experience that at all.