Η Ικαρία

IKARIA: Relax - life is good!

Ikaria is nothing like any island in the Aegean Sea. This is not your typical white houses small street Greek island. It has this pure, raw, “untouch” vibe that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Also, the nature is incredible. The huge mountain they have allows for incredible forest and flora, which makes it a very green island. We visited in mid May, where the weather was amazing, and were almost the only tourists. Suntanning was possible, and the sea a bit fresh, but we could go in, when there wasn’t too much wind! All of that being said, it is good to mention a few things. The island remains not as developed as other islands (which is part of it’s charm), and therefore it’s good to be aware of the following: - it’s better to have a car. You won’t go far and see much of the island without. - even with a car, going around the island is not always straightforward. Not all roads are finished meaning you may find your way on dirt roads, or roads still in construction (being a good driver or having a good car helps). Also, the island is a montainous island, which means going from A to B may take more time than if you were to drive in a straight line. - most of the beaches are not or difficult to access by car. Good to be a little bit more of the adventurous / sporty type (rather than 6 month pregnant like me lol). - most of the beaches are pebbles beach. Only a few, accessible by foot, are sandy beaches. Most of the beaches are non organised meaning you won’t find a beach bar or a cafe to provide food or water.

Lovely island with friendly people, Kadounis Kafenion is well worth visiting (should be compulsory) open from 21.00hrs till early morning.

If you are considering Ikaria I assume you are familiar with everything behind the title “Blue Zone”. I’m going to skip this part. I’m going to focus on some particularities. First of all, the island has its rhythm. Breakfast starts after 9h and lunch after 14h. I had a hard time with it. I spent four days on the island and eat in a restaurant only three times due to the late hours. All my meals came from local groceries stores. My choice was the southwest side of the island. We stayed at Agios Dimitrios village. A beautiful place with turquoise beaches fairly close, but be aware of the dirt roads. If you are on the island for the first time ask locals about the best road to take. Google maps don’t care if the road is narrow and scary, it gives you the option and you blinded choose it. Roads can be a challenge. Be careful. Finally, without a car, you can’t visit the villages, the isolated beaches, basically anything. A rented car is a must if you want to enjoy this place. It is worth the time and money we spent to go and stay there. Our hotel (Olivia Vilas) was luxurious and Chrysa is a great hostess.

Another perfect island of the Agean sea. Many beautiful beaches with crystal waters and unique colors(i.e. Sheychelles, Armenistis).Big variety of Greek traditional disches and drinks, seafood is great. People are friendly, calm and polite, they have their own rhythm. The mountain villages are beautiful. Many cozy places for drink, coffee and food. Shops which open only late at night and in the morning hours are closed. There are two dams which create beautiful lakes. The forest at the mountain area of the island is beautiful. Nice for aĺl ages, absolutely worth visiting.