Milos Island, Greece

From the moment we arrived in Milos we knew we were going to fall in love.

This island embodies Greece to me.

Where we stayed

We stayed in the perfectly picturesque mountain village called Plaka. This spot is a 10 to 15 minute drive up from Adamas, the main harbour town (where the ferry drops you off). Our cozy accommodation was in a great location, right at the entrance to Plaka village and by the main parking lot.

Highlights

Plaka

Whitewashed buildings with bright blue doors line a maze of cobbled roads so narrow no cars can actually enter the village. Uneven staircases through back alleys suddenly open up to stunning views of the dramatic coastline. There are cats everywhere.

Plaka was very quiet. Almost too quiet. We saw very few people and many of the restaurants were not open. We learned quickly that most of Milos doesn't actually open for tourism until May. Many of the businesses here only operate during the peak season from May to September. We also arrived the night before Easter Sunday, which meant most businesses were not open regular hours that weekend.

Despite not having as many options for places to eat in Plaka, we have to express that being here without hoards of other tourists was actually a total dream. We basically had the whole village and surrounding area to explore all to ourselves. We wandered as we pleased in near isolation, only stopping to say hello to the local residents and kitty cats.

Our advice to you:

• Rent a car so you can get around the island
• If you go during peak tourist season, be ready for how busy it will be
• If you go outside of peak tourist season, plan to eat most of your meals out in Adamas or the nearby town of  Trypiti, where we discovered one of our absolute favourite restaurants in the world

Easter

Being in Milos over Easter weekend was a really cool experience.

We arrived late on Saturday and as soon as we settled in, we fell asleep... only to be awoken at midnight by fireworks going off directly outside! It was totally unexpected, hilarious and memorable to sleepily watch fireworks from our window trying to figure out what the eff was going on.

All throughout Easter Sunday we were serenaded by random explosions and church bells chiming suddenly with no rhyme or reason. Turns out that one of the traditional Easter celebrations on Milos includes firing home made dynamite randomly throughout the day.

Other places to check out

• Holy Chapel of Prophet Elias: A small white church at the top of a hill with a stunning 360 degree view of the coastline and ocean, worth the enjoyable hike
• Visit the Ancient Theatre (no cost) and the Catacombs of Milos (admittance fee €4), both are beautiful and interesting historic attractions
• Klima: This very small, beautiful and brightly coloured fishing village right on the water is definitely worth a short stop
• Venetian Castle: This neat historical castle is easily walkable from Plaka and offers some really beautiful views

Milos has over 80 beaches, so we made sure to visit some of the more unique beaches around the island. In order, my favourites are:

1. Thiorichia (abandoned sulfur mine)

This experience was a highlight of our entire trip. Thioricia (also referred to as Paliorema beach) is a a stunning red beach located at the site of a spooky old abandoned sulfur mine.

Fun facts:

• Founded in the 1830s, this mine remained active until it was completely abandoned in 1958
• 120 tonnes of sulfur was mined from this site
• 300 minors and their families worked and lived here at a time, in less than comfortable conditions
• There was a period of time during WWII where it was occupied by German soldiers who forced the minors to work for free, and apparently people who tried to escape were shot

Tools, machinery, beds and kitchen supplies can be found throughout the dilapidated buildings. Everything is covered in dust. Someone's clothing still hangs from a hook on the wall.

You can feel the turmoil of this mine's history in the energy here. It was such a trip walking through these abandoned buildings, scattered with relics of a forgotten past.

Our advice to you:

• Thiorichia is accessible either by boat or an extremely rough, steep and rocky road. Make sure you have a properly equipped vehicle and know how to drive on this kind of terrain before attempting this trip.
  (We made the precarious drive down in our little rental Suzuki Celerio. It was insane. Would not recommend, we were pooping ourselves the entire time. I still don’t know how Alek managed to navigate it so expertly in a car that had absolutely no business going down a road like that.)
• Don't try to drive all the way to the bottom, there is an obviously open plateau most of the way down where you can park your car and walk the remainder (took only about 10-15 minutes)
• This place is abandoned and far away from any tourist accommodations, so be prepared with water, food and anything else you might need for your time there
• Because of the location and nature of this off-beat attraction, this beach does not seem to be as busy as many of the others on the island

2. Sarakiniko Beach

Sarakiniko Beach is like nothing I have seen before. This beach is known for resembling a moonscape due to the greyish-white volcanic rock and total lack of vegetation.

To be fair, I don't know if we can really call Sarakiniko a true "beach", but there are nice spots to lay a towel down on the flat rock and a shallow pool area to access the water and swim in.

This is a popular tourist spot, and even though we were visiting during the off season it was still quite busy.

3. Firiplaka Beach

This beautiful beach surrounded by steep cliffs and rock formations is one of the most popular spots on Milos. There is a beach bar that rents umbrellas and chairs (which was closed during the time we were there).

I (Alexia) grew up with a lot of Greek influence in my family. Visiting Milos made me feel nostalgic for a place I have never been, but felt like I have always known.

We absolutely fell in love with this island and are so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore it during the quiet season.