Ios Best of Beaches Boat Tour

Tuesday 23rd July 2024

A Relaxing Morning

I was still having mixed sleep at Hotel Poseidon. Despite increasing the air-conditioning temperature before bed and turning the fan speed down, I kept waking either too hot or too cold during the night. It didn’t bother me too much, though. With little to do but relax during the day, a shortage of sleep wasn’t much of a problem.

My breakfast routine was the same as yesterday: coffee from Buongiorno Bakery, this time with some orange juice and no chocolate croissant.

My boat tour was booked for 3:30 pm, so I intended to spend the morning chilling out at the hotel pool before having an early lunch. The pool was quiet again, I was the only person there for most of the morning which I had no problem with.

Lunch in Gialos

Mindful of my holiday budget, I resisted trying a new spot for lunch and opted to return to Peri Anemon knowing it offered decent food at good prices. I wanted a more substantial meal than the usual gyros, though, as I’d not eaten at breakfast and would likely be having a late dinner after the boat tour. I chose a cheeseburger with fries and a can of Mamos beer. The burger was excellent.

Meltemi Watersports Boat Tour

I was concerned about getting sunburned on the boat tour if there was no shade on the boat, so on my return to the hotel after lunch, I chose not to go back out to the pool and instead relaxed in my room for a bit to limit my sun exposure.

Although buses to Mylopotas run every 15 minutes from the port and it’s a short journey, I decided to get the 2:45 bus so I arrived in plenty of time. I packed a bag with my towel, sun lotion, goggles, GoPro and a bottle of water, and then walked over to the bus stop a few minutes before it was due to depart. I arrived at Mylopotas Beach just after 3 pm and, with time to spare, decided to get off at the first stop and buy a can of beer from Delfini Market to drink on my walk down to Meltemi Watersports, situated at the south end of the beach just opposite Far Out Beach Club.

On arrival, I showed my voucher and was told to put my sandals in a locker and then wait for the other guests to arrive. There were only seven of us in total out of a possible 13 spaces, so it should be a fairly relaxed tour with plenty of space.

We boarded the speedboat just before 3:30 pm and were soon zooming out of the bay and north towards our first beach, Kolitsani. I’ve visited this beach a few times before as it’s accessible on foot from Chora. We didn’t get close to the beach anyway (I suspect partly because it’s a popular nudist spot), instead we stopped in the bay to take photos before heading off again.

Our route then took us south past Mylopotas Bay, with stops at Sapounochoma (which means soapy ground, something to do with the waves leaving a soap-like foam on the beach on windy days), Klima, Pikri Nero where we had our first swim stop, and then onto the large Magganari Beach on the south coast of Ios.

We should then have stopped to do some snorkelling around this small beach just east of Magganari, but the sea was a little rough and our captain decided it wasn’t safe due to the nearby rocks. Instead, we continued further east to another location (here) which was slightly more protected. Some guests chose to stay on the boat, but me and a couple of others went into the water and had great fun swimming around the rocks – there’s a small underwater bridge that you can swim under close to this map marker. Fortunately, I’m a great swimmer (years of competing) so I had no issues.

Heading Back to Mylopotas

On our way back to Mylopotas, we stopped once more (I think at Trypiti Beach) where we were given sandwiches and another chance to sit on the beach. The ride back to Mylopotas was very chilled, with the breeze from the fast-moving boat and the late afternoon sun making everyone feel a bit sleepy. I managed to avoid getting sunburned thanks to one of the other guests kindly applying suntan lotion to my back (I’m too inflexible to do it myself!)

Back on dry land, we collected our shoes and parted ways. It was a little after 7 pm, so I planned to get back to the hotel, shower, and then head straight out for dinner. I caught the next bus from outside Far Out Beach Club and was back at Hotel Poseidon near the port by 7:30 pm.

Dinner in Chora

I’m not very good at trying new restaurants once I’ve got a selection of tried-and-tested options. However, I was determined to try at least one new place on this trip. Having eaten near my hotel last night and at Mylopotas on Sunday, it was time to visit Chora for dinner today.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, I left the hotel and walked up the stepped path to Chora – hard work in the daytime, but not unpleasant in the evening. Once I was in Chora, I explored the narrow streets in search of somewhere good to eat and eventually settled on Thai Smile as I fancied some Asian food.

I ordered chicken satay followed by a Massaman Curry and rice. It was delicious and just the right amount of food. After leaving the restaurant, I had a stroll through the streets of Chora, which were starting to fill up with people out enjoying the nightlife. I contemplated visiting a few bars but felt pretty tired from the boat tour and a filling meal, so instead I strolled back to my hotel and went to bed.