Kellie Baldwin
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Mykonos: The Complete Travel Guide

20/2/2019

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Whether you've ventured to the Med recently, or daydreamed about visiting soon; the little Greek island of Mykonos is worth grabbing your suitcase and boarding the next plane for. 
Nicknamed the "Island of Wind" which it certainly lives up to - it has a quaint, traditional charm which sets it apart from the rest (minus the heaving numbers of visitors each summer, like Zante for instance). Obviously, the main attraction to the island is the cobbled town with white washed walls and vibrant flowers, but aside from that, Mykonos has so much more to offer. In this blog post I've compiled everything there is to see, eat and do, so all that's left for you to do is book your ticket and go!

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​where to stay

ICYMI, I have a blog post up all about our stay at Bill & Coo, which is 5/10 minutes from Mykonos Town. If it's your first time travelling to the island, then I'd recommend staying nearby the town - it's central, you won't need to rely on any methods of transport and has a really fun vibe at night.
You can find the link to the blog post here, and other suggestions include; Myconian Villa Collection, Kouros Hotel & Suites, De.Light Boutique Hotel or an AirBnb in Faros area.

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where to eat

Everything on the island tastes very fresh with so much flavour, so you'll be sad to leave when the time comes.
My personal favourite places to eat were;
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Mamalouka - the perfect central spot in town. Hidden between walls covered in flora, it's super easy to walk past and miss this gem. It's brilliant for seafood in particular and the Lobster linguine is a really good choice.

Scorpios - you'll need transport to get here but you can't go to the island and not visit Scorpios. It's an open air restaurant on the beach with live music playing, but it's very popular so you'll have to book instead of turning up. If you visit then make sure you try the Greek salad!

Buddha Bar Mykonos - admittedly this is not a one-off to Mykonos only; but if you like Thai food then you can't give this restaurant a miss. Always such incredible food!

Nikola's Taverna - must visit if you like seafood. The best fresh fish on the island!
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​where to drink

​Kastro's Bar - you'll have come across this tiny little bar plastered all over Instagram at least once. It's worth going for the location alone!

Scorpios - if you're just looking for drinks and not food, visit Scorpios at golden hour to watch the sunset. It's really relaxed and the views are great.

Semeli Bar - located in Little Venice, this is also a really nice location to watch the sunset right on the water.
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what to do

Lets get the obvious out of the way to begin with - explore Mykonos Town. You'll make it barely 10 feet without wanting to take a photo and you'll be more than happy to get lost all day in its winding little alleyways. I would allocate at least a day to explore here with no rush or time limit, and you can shop in all the little souvenir shops. There's even a bunch of designer stores (Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton etc) dotted around if you're looking to push the boat out a bit.

Visit the beaches - there's plenty of beautiful hidden beaches around the island that have crystal clear water. If you do visit the beach, then consider visiting the ones on the South of the island instead of the North; there's less wind there.

Cavo Tagoo - If you're not a beach person (highly unlikely), then you should consider putting Cavo Tagoo on your list. Although I've not personally been, the pictures look incredible and I've heard plenty of good things!

Rent a quad bike - it's a fun way to explore the island and you'll get a great tan for the day. They can also handle the rough terrain of the island, so it's the perfect way to find hidden beaches and coves.
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72 Hours at Bill & Coo Mykonos

3/2/2019

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So unless you've been living under a rock for the good majority of 12 months (or in the unlikely event that you just don't have Instagram), by now you'll be well aware that the Greek island of Mykonos is one of the 'must see' travel destinations for this year. Its white cobbled streets covered in flora are a photographers dream, and as someone who had previously only made it to Mykonos for a whopping grand total of 7 hours on the trip from hell last time I visited; I always knew I'd grab any opportunity to return with both hands - properly this time!
It's perched within the Aegean sea and I'd probably describe it as a livelier version of Santorini. It's small and easy to explore, meaning you'll probably be spending a good amount of time at your accommodation - so it's important to pick somewhere just right for you.
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​​Whenever I visit Greece, I always lean towards accommodation that is my idea of 'typically Greek'. That usually consists of white washed walls, modern yet traditional, a smaller complex without masses of rooms and a sea view.
Bill & Coo is the perfect mix of all the above with added luxury. Situated 15 mins away from the airport by car, and 5 mins away from Mykonos Town (or a 20 min walk, which I probably wouldn't recommend if your legs are burnt to cinders like mine were), it's in an ideal location that boasts one of the best locations on the island to view the sunset, and is near enough to the buzz of the town (which is full of quaint family run tavernas and more eccentric bars), but yet still far enough away to offer a low-key relaxing vibe depending on your mood.
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The hotel is fairly small with around 30 rooms, and has a sister complex about a 10 minute drive away on the beach. Bearing in mind the entire resort is a luxury resort (it's actually part of the leading hotels of the world ltd. group) there are four different types of suites on offer depending on what you're looking for, ranging from a more basic option to top of the range. We stayed in the "Bill & Coo Suite with Private Infinity Pool" (which we were super lucky to be upgraded to at check in), and this was probably up there with being one of the most amazing accommodations I've ever stayed in. There's literally nothing more I could've asked for from this suite, it had it's own infinity pool and veranda, as well as it's own in-room sauna?! (that's probably something I'll never see again in my lifetime so trust me when I say I made good use of trying that out)

One feature that I also thought was really novel is the little mobile phone they give you when checking in. This is yours for the duration of the stay, and is used to contact the reception at any time of day, from wherever you are on the island - making it especially convenient if you are using their car service, or if you want them to make a reservation somewhere for you. 
One thing that made all the difference was that the hotel staff actually took the time to get to know you properly. They all know you by name, remember what your plan for the day is, and would do absolutely anything they can to help you out, so it sort of feels like you're just chatting to a friend. 
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Where food was concerned - that aspect certainly didn't disappoint either, which is great if you're a foodie like me. Breakfast is included and is served 8:30 to 11, and there's actually so much variation on the menu that it made it hard to cram all the options I wanted to try into 3 days. Choices ranged from eggs, to oats, to tostadas and everything is a la carte. My favourite by far was the "Kayanas", which is essentially scrambled eggs mixed with feta and tomatoes, as well as Greek yoghurt and honey. Being able to order multiple options off of the menu meant that it carried us through for longer, and although we chose to eat out every night to explore and make the most of our surroundings, the evening menu was just as good. It was a gastronomy menu consisting of 6 different choices of meat and 6 different choices of seafood, and if you're not into that there's a vegetarian menu too.
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One of the coolest parts of Bill & Coo is the Lounge Bar which is perfectly located behind the main infinity pool and provides the most idyllic spot for watching the sunset. From dusk onwards the infinity pool lights up, giving the illusion of twinkling stars (I think the picture speaks for itself on this one), and for a really chill vibe you can relax on the sofas around the lounge area, drinking cocktails and listening to the DJ.

If you're interested in staying at Bill & Coo then you can find the website here, and the link for the suite we also stayed in here. Prices for this room start at £1500 per night and can be booked directly through Bill & Coo's website.

I really hope you enjoyed this post and that it's provided you some insight about the hotel - and please let me know if you decide to visit!

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Postcards From: Santorini & Mykonos, and anywhere in between

2/7/2017

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So unless you don’t follow me on Instagram… (in which case, I'm intrigued to know how you got here?) You’ll have found it pretty hard not to notice I’ve been gallivanting around Europe recently on the worlds worst boat trip. I mean I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm on a floating prison. Never the less, the stops (that we've made it to) have been incredible, (they're rushed - but still) I made it to Santorini!

Santorini is everything I had dreamed and MORE - those pristine terraces of houses upon houses, with the occasional break for a private pool, are everything I expected! (I'm promising myself that one day I WILL stay here, and I WILL have a pool).
The small town of Oia is the place you want to go to (you know, the one from pretty much every social media site going) and everywhere you turn is a photo opportunity. Unfortunately I was only there for a mere 3 hours so I didn’t get to experience what I can only imagine would be the best sunset ever (one day), but in my short time in Oia, I got to see why this place is so popular. It really is so beautiful and well kept, and Greece has totally stolen my heart - what more could you want; it’s close to home, picture perfect, clear blue skies, and not to mention the greek cuisine!
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The next stop was Mykonos. Just when I thought I’d peaked in travel destinations, my heart was stolen from Santorini and given to Mykonos. This place is insanely perfect, and as much as I loved Santorini, Mykonos is just as beautiful but with a little more life about it. There's beaches, bars, restaurants, historical interests... there's nothing I love more than grazing like a washed up whale on a nice beach and Santorini (from what I saw) is lacking in beaches!
As soon as I stepped foot in the town I was literally speechless, and I didn’t know where to look first (although that's probably because it was the first time I'd seen land in about 3 days, and let me tell you I was absolutely sick of the sight of water at that point) all the little white restaurants with vines hanging above them and cute red table cloths, I felt like I’d just stepped into something from BeautifulDestinations Instagram! 

We also had longer on Mykonos so we opted to spend the day exploring instead, and pictures speak louder than words so you can see for yourself!
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Our next stop was a surprise to say the least. It was advertised as Monte Carlo/Cannes/Nice, but we actually ended up in some random French town named Villefranche for 3 hours. With the option of a 1 hour taxi each way to Cannes or Nice, this seemed a little pointless after getting the crossing boat from the cruise ship to dry land, and I dread to think how much it would have cost. We stayed in Villefranche, and as you all know by now I'm all about being honest on my blog... this place was actually boring as hell, seriously, don't go there.
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The last day we docked back in Rome, and after the week from hell we took it a little slower. I ate double my body weight in bread and pasta while I could (yolo) afterall, Rome is probably one of my favourite places in Italy. We did fit in time to visit all the interesting sights and discovered new places as I'm never one to leave a stone unturned!
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