2 Weeks in Heaven - part 2

From Koufonissi we went to Antiparos, an island we'd gone to a few years ago and loved for it's small quaint feel and easy laid back atmosphere.  It's very baby friendly, and though some of the best beaches are a few kilometers out of town you certainly don't feel like you need to rent a car to get around.  We had a wonderful 5 nights in a perfect 3 bedroom house across the bay from the port.  It felt great to have a bit more space so Liam was in his own room and we could hang out comfortably, and the owner who lived next door was so helpful, including lending us his stroller with bigger wheels so we could negotiate the potholed road into town!  (just 10mins walk).  Along the way into town was what is known as "baby beach".  The water is super shallow - you can walk out a 100 meters and still only be up to your knees! - and it's absolutely calm.  In a way it feels more like a lake than the sea, but for Liam it was great because he felt really safe.

Liam and James at baby beach with boats in the port in the background

 

Liam pointing out the little fish he sees

Our fantastic kitchen and Liam and James getting breakfast ready

 

 

 

Liam on Nudey Beach!

 On one particular morning our adventurous walk brought us to a nude beach.  As they say:  When in Rome...!  Our stay was short-lived as there was no shade to be found and it really wasn't that nice of a beach.

Perhaps this is not a parenting moment to make mention of, except we had so much fun and nothing bad happened.  We decided to rent a quad (later known only as "tractor") for a couple of days so that we could get to some of the other beaches on the island.  The farthest we drove was 10km, and the fastest was probably about 40km/hr.  Of course we all had helmets on, and Liam was firmly attached in the middle of us by way of the ergo carrier.

No, we didn't ride like this, but it's just for the sake of a photo!

St George is the lower end of the island - there's a lovely quiet beach there that we spent the morning at

A little closer to town is Soros Beach, probably my personal favorite of the island.  The rock face provides great afternoon shade in the cove, and the tiny pebbles leave you sand free!

Liam talked incessantly about the "tractor" - he couldn't wait to spot one on the road or see ours!

For some unfortunate reason Liam decided it was fun to rub sand onto our skin.  OUCH! 

Some of the tastiest grilled squid we had all vacation!

Liam thought the squid was fine but the lemon, that was something special

 I love the town of Antiparos, with it's great tavernas, lively bars and cafes and multitude of little stores.  The best part is that they aren't all tacky touristy places.  But our favorite haunt remains from our first visit 3 years ago.  Stones Pub serves the most delicious loukomades I have ever had.  So delicious that we were there for dessert EVERY night but one!  Don't worry, we shared a plate of them - and always you have to have the honey, cinnamon and sesame seeds with the vanilla ice cream on top!

Liam and James at Stones - this trip we couldn't get a full game of backgammon in because Liam always wanted in!

Me with the highly acclaimed, but never exaggerated delicious loukomades!

After 5 fantastic nights in Antiparos we were off again to Mykonos for a final 5 nights.  We had booked a suite through homeaway that looked lovely but perhaps a bit tight for the 3 of us.  When we arrived the owner said she had a cancellation in the bigger villa next door, and offered it to us for only 30 Euro more a night!  So instead of having just one space we suddenly had a full kitchen with dishwasher and washing machine, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom with juccuzzi tub and a living and dining room as well as 2 outdoor dining areas.  Good gracious we luck out sometimes!  The place is gorgeous - all marble and fine finishes.  We also had direct access to the lovely swimming pool.  

We weren't certain that Mykonos was going to be a good choice with a baby, but with the great place to stay and a rental car to get around we had a fantastic time.  We checked out two beaches a day almost - one in the morning and one after nap.  And we made it into town 4 out of 5 evenings for some wandering around and dinner.  (we did cook dinner at home twice since we had such a great space).

The pool as seen from our dining room patio

 Though our villa was close to a beach (ftelia bay), it wasn't the nicest and was pretty windy, so we didn't ever go there.  We discovered some new spots that worked out really well for us.  One was this very quite cove with calm gorgeous water.  It was just above Kalo Livadi, another favorite beach on our trip.  We also went to Agrari beach (nice but nothing special), Agia Anna (another favorite - it's an organized beach with umbrellas etc but great for kids and also quite sheltered from wind), Agios Sostis (a lovely isolated non organized beach), Lia (not my favorite but just fine), and finally Kalo Livadi, which I already said we loved.

Small cove we discovered and walked down to with gorgeous water!

Liam loves wearing our shoes - here he is playing in daddy's shoes!

Agia Anna - one of our favorite beaches - 12Euro is the common cost for an umbrella and 2 chairs, and this beach was worth it to us

Liam's foot prints on Agios Sostis beach

Early evening downtown - we stayed out till 9 or 9:30pm every night and Liam was pretty awesome, besides running people down with the stroller here and there!

Our final beach - Kalo Livadi - the awesome cushioned lounge chairs made us think it was possible for Liam to nap out of bed!  And sure enough, he took a 40min nap right under the umbrella!

View from our loungers - kalo livadi beach

Enjoying the jacuzzi bubble bath after a great day in the sun!

Liam in Mykonos town on our final night!

All in all this was one of my favorite trips.  It felt like the perfect speed, perfect location and perfect timing with Liam's age.  I think we all really did have a great time, and somehow I wish we were still living the carefree, computer and tv free life!  Next time perhaps we can convince others to join us!