Santorini is on everyone’s bucket list, and for a good reason, it is absolutely incredible. The views from high up on the cliff are truly breathtaking. And I certainly recommend visiting when you can. But there are SO many islands in the Cyclades that are beautiful – Paros, Ios, and Folegandros, to name a few.
In June 2023 we sailed the Greek Cycladic Islands in our OWN private catamaran – we visited some of the better-known (and amazing) islands like Santorini, Paros, and Milos. And we also visited the lesser-known islands of Koufonisia, Ios, Folegandros (my personal favorite), and Sifnos. It was so much easier than catching a ferry to each island, and lugging a suitcase to your hotel, just so you can lug it back to the ferry the next day. You might think that at least you’d be saving money if you did the ferry-hotel-island-ferry-hotel-ferry trek, and you’d be WRONG (and exhausted!). Besides lovely sleeping quarters on our catamaran, all breakfasts and lunches are included in our pricing. That leaves dinner – that is the only thing you have to budget for!
On our first day, we spent a few minutes discussing where our group of 7 wanted to go. Our fearless captain George discussed the weather and current patterns. We got to decide as a group where we were going to go. Oh! We unpacked once, that’s it. We had closets and a private bathroom in each of the 4 cabins. Then we walked a few hundred feet to our dinner in the port of Paros. After the best first-night-in-a-new-place sleep I have ever had (there is nothing like being slowly rocked to sleep on calm water!), we woke up to fresh coffee, and fruit, and a little while later, a full breakfast prepared by our lovely hostess Maro. She continued to make every breakfast and lunch for our group, always being sensitive to everyone’s food preferences. Greek salads (who knew there were so many!), beef, chicken, and vegetarian (including a fantastic eggplant dish); every day was different.
I decided by the end of the first day that I must find a way to live on a boat. Who is with me? This trip offers you time to truly be present while surrounded by beauty. Rest when you need to rest, sit atop and watch the island float by when it sounds good (do be careful, it is easy to get sunburned up there).
Below are some pictures of the islands we visited. Each is unique and offers a slightly different flavor. My favorite island is Folegandros. I don’t want to give it away because I want you to have the same experience I did – but GO, just GO whenever and however you can make it happen.
We had the chance to take the dinghy into a cave; there were swim days, church visits, island walking, lots of delicious dinners, and free time for souvenir shopping too! Truly something for everyone. The coolest part to me was just sitting and feeling the wind on my face while we sailed past islands surrounded by the most beautiful deep teal colored water – it was fantastic.
If you think this sounds amazing (it was!), then keep an eye out for the announcement for our next catamaran trip in October of 2023 & sign up fast