Friday, 9th September 2022
Car Hire
It was Marion’s first time on Sifnos, so we wanted to get out and explore the island. Shortly after our arrival on Wednesday, we enquired at several car rental shops for prices and availability. The best deal was at Proto Moto, which I’ve used before, but they only had availability from midday today for a vehicle we could then return at noon tomorrow. This was fine, though, as it gave us time to relax in the morning and meant we could keep the car overnight.
Breakfast and Beach
With my parents’ arrival yesterday, we decided to skip the hotel breakfast as it’s not the most exciting spread. Instead, we walked to a cafe called Pipis on the main road next to the beach. The food was nicer but more expensive for smaller portions, so we agreed to return to the hotel for breakfast tomorrow.
After a brief return to the hotel to get beach-ready, we walked out along the golden sand of Kamares Beach and set up at our usual spot on the sunbeds at To Kohyli. The weather was still improving from our arrival on Wednesday, and it was the best day so far for sunbathing and swimming.
Kastro
After a short wait to pick up the hire car at midday, we set off on the now-familiar inland road from Kamares to the island’s capital, Apollonia. The car came with a full tank of fuel, so we didn’t have to stop and fill up and instead continued through Apollonia and across to Kastro on the eastern side of the island.

Naturally, we walked down to the iconic Church of the Seven Martyrs for a look around and photo opportunity:

We stopped at Konaki Taverna for a drink and snack lunch on the way back from the church. Marion and I had chocolate crepes while my parents shared a club sandwich. We then jumped back in the car and headed south to the beach resort of Platis Gialos.
Platis Gialos
Although it’s not my favourite resort, Platis Gialos is a popular destination on Sifnos. The beach is fine, though relatively narrow in places and nowhere near as nice as Kamares (in my opinion). It has some very nice tavernas, though, and is a pleasant size, being neither too large to feel crowded nor so small that there’s nothing to see or do.
We parked towards the south end of the village and headed out onto the beach with our towels. Mum and Dad decided to stroll along the sand while Marion and I laid down to sunbathe and then had a brief swim. We didn’t stay long, though, as I’d rather sunbathe on Kamares Beach, so our visit was just to see the resort.
Agios Simeon and Apollonia
We returned to Kamares late afternoon and retired to our rooms for a rest. Our plan for the evening was an early dinner in Apollonia followed by a sunset visit to my favourite place in Greece (possibly in the world!): Agios Simeon church.
Unfortunately, when we arrived in Apollonia just after 6 pm, none of the shops were open, and neither was the restaurant we wanted to eat at – it was still relatively early for dinner – so we had a quick stroll through the narrow painted streets instead.

We then got back in the car and headed to Agios Simeon, knowing that we would be early for sunset but that the views would still be incredible.


We walked around the church, enjoying the views and tranquillity. It really is a spectacular spot and I make a point of visiting each time I come to the island.

Knowing it was still a while before sunset, we decided not to hang around as we wanted to eat dinner, so with photos and memories captured, we got back into the car and returned to Apollonia. Our chosen restaurant, The Catch, was now open, and we enjoyed a great meal: chilli nachos to start, followed by Pollo Asado tacos for me. Marion had a chicken salad, Mum had a celery salad, and my Dad had a burger.
After we’d eaten, we had another walk through the streets of Apollonia, which were now bustling with people, and all the shops were open. After a while, we stopped for some ice cream and returned to Kamares in the car. As it wasn’t even 9 p.m., we agreed it was too early to return to the hotel, so we walked to Captain’s Bar and had a cocktail – a perfect way to end the day.