Greece | June 2024
Greece:
Flights/Ferries:
We flew from Israel to Mykonos on BlueBird Airways (yes, it's a legit airline lol). Took a 2 hour ferry to Santorini (through Seajets) and a 40 minute flight to Athens (via Volotea airline).
Mykonos:
Weather:
80-90's. Sunny, hot, and very windy. Hence the nickname The Island of the Winds.
Transportation:
Hermes Tourist Agency: Book a driver by messaging +30 695 134 3434.
ATV - Once you have your luggage in your hotel, we recommend renting ATV's to get around the island. It's so much cheaper than using a driver. We used ONE Rent a Car +30 2289 026400. Address is Ornos 846 00.
Accommodations:
Aelia - Pretty boutique hotel. I would recommend sleeping with a weapon near you. JK;) Just had a little scare when we heard a woman screaming at 3am and thought there was either domestic abuse happening next door or an axe murderer on the loose. Turns out a drunk woman showed up and the hotel sent her away.
Kosher Food:
Kosher Mykonos +33 6 16 48 20 72
Activities:
Scuba Diving - Super cool experience. You can actually see a shipwreck if you have enough time! Book here.
Kite Surfing - Ok, you can't learn kite surfing in one lesson. This is an introductory lesson. It will take several lessons to actually figure out how to stand on the surfboard and not faceplant in the sand. Book here or message them on Whatsapp +30 693 723 8080. Also, no pressure when the world champion is kite surfing behind you;)
Windmills and Little Venice - Historical landmark near the water.
Yacht Tour - 5-6 hour private yacht tour around Mykonos, including sunset. You can go snorkeling, paddle boarding, swim, learn how to drive a yacht, or just chill and have a karaoke session with Spotify Premium lol. Shoutout to Claudia:) They can provide kosher food through the Kosher Mykonos tourist agency. You can also message them at +30 698 605 3382 to book a tour.
Paradise Beach - Party beach, if you want to go to a club by mistake, you're at the right place. #iykyk
Delos Island - We took the 5pm ferry tour to Delos Island. It's a historic site with stone lions, columns, and more ruins. Tried to find the oldest synagogue in Europe but was unsuccessful. We think we found the "Throne of Moses" but we're not actually sure:) You can book tickets online or at the Old Port. The ferry departs a minute or two earlier than the scheduled time, so come at least 15 minutes early.
Santorini:
Weather:
80-90's. Sunny and hot!
Transportation:
Santorini Transfer 24H - Book a driver by messaging +30 693 686 5424
Accommodations:
Nefeles Luxury Suites - Gorgeous hotel in the town of Fira. Our room had a pool and hot tub on the porch, overlooking the ocean views.
Kosher Food:
We brought a mini Betty Crocker and had countless bagels with sauce and cheese (bought in Israel)
You can also order from Kosher Mykonos tourist agency and they will deliver it to Santorini.
Activities:
Forty One - Pretty beach (pay per hour or per day) and they have really comfortable beach chairs, and complimentary alcohol. I personally enjoyed the Drambuie shot.
Yacht Tour - Private yacht tour of hot springs (less than a degree hotter than the rest of the water #scam), black sand beach, volcanic islets, etc. You can jump out and swim or snorkel. You can also message them at +30 697 499 4577 to book a tour.
Sunset at Oia - Join the masses to watch the sun set in the town of Oia. It's pretty, but sunset is always pretty. Whatever. Also just note, the famous blue roofed buildings are mainly churches. I didn't realize that. So all the Santorini magnets have crosses on them. BH I bought a magnet in Mykonos.
Massages - We got amazing massages at Spa Santorini Del Mar e Sol. It was a few minute walk from our hotel.
Horseback Riding (didn't get a chance to try it)
Athens:
Weather:
80-90's. Sunny and hot!
Transportation:
Uber - They don't have UberXL, so if you have a lot of luggage or traveling in a medium size group, you'll need to order a couple of taxis/use a private driver.
Jewish driver +30 693 727 4548. He picked us up from the airport.
Our hotel, AP Acropolis Views, arranged a driver for us back to the airport. I believe it was cheaper through the hotel than via the website.
Accommodations:
First, I'll start with - don't book an Airbnb that is missing a doorknob. The good news is that Airbnb actually covered our emergency 1 night hotel stay plus a full refund.
AP Acropolis View Apartments - We stayed here for Shabbos and you should too! The manager and staff went ABOVE and BEYOND to give us the best experience. He literally came to our room and removed the battery from the lock and gave us a physical key to use for our door. Oh and he gave us his personal cell number if we need help. They also left the main entrance unlocked all Shabbos so we didn't have to use the keypad. Besides for the extraordinary service, our suite was beautiful, well kept, and the roof view of the Acropolis was perfect. Oh, and it's a 4 minute walk from Chabad in a safe area. BOOK NOW, thank us later:)
Athens Key Hotel - We stayed at this hotel for one night (while we looked for a Shabbos friendly hotel). It was nice and clean. However, there was a funny smell and the shower in the bathroom is not contained - in other words, everything gets wet;)
Kosher Food:
Chabad Address: 10 Aisopou St. (sometimes spelled Esopou), in the neighborhood of Psiri, near Monastiraki Square.
Here is a list from the Chabad website of Kosher food/drinks that you can find in Greece.
Kosher Grocery at Chabad - Lifesaving grocery located in the Chabad house. It's open Sunday to Thursday 10am - 8pm; Friday 10am - 2pm.
You can also shop online at www.e-kosher.gr.
Gostijo - Mediteranean cuisine restaurant located in the Chabad house. (meat)
It's open Sunday through Thursday, 2:30pm until 9:30pm.
Shabbos - I have never seen such a big meal at Chabad! Rabbi Mendel Hendel and co were so gracious, friendly, and kind. The Friday night meal was 2 floors full. Shabbos lunch was a full floor. They have Shalosh Seudos too!
Reserve your meals at Chabad here.
Activities:
Jewish Walking Tour - We visited the 2 synagogues, Holocaust memorial, and the Jewish musuem. Guided by Annie, (our Jewish driver's daughter), an opera student, we had the bonus of experiencing Annie singing opera style in the Shul and at the memorial. Book the tour by messaging her dad +30 693 727 4548
Acropolis - We took an Uber to the Acropolis. Bought the most basic tickets online. We were in and out in less than 20 minutes lol. There is a museum with artifacts and more history if you are interested.
Little Kook - A fairy tale inspired restaurant/street. We walked around at nighttime and did the mannequin challenge of course;) It's near the Chabad house.
Didn't get a chance to try:
Greek Warrior Experience - (didn't try this because didn't have enough time but looks like it can be a really fun and unique experience!) Message the host, Grigorios for more dates/times. He only does morning sessions in the summer due to the intense heat.
E-Bike Tour - These 2 girls we met at Chabad said they had a great time biking around the city.
Retro Sidecar Tour - We did this in Paris and it was so fun.