Chapter 14: Exploring Ios Island Greece with ATVs, Beaches and Nightlife

How We Explored Ios Island Greece with ATVs, Beaches, Sunsets, and Nights Out.

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The next morning, Hunter and I jumped on a flight for a long travel day, going from one of the most northern points in Europe to one of the most southern. Destined for warmer weather, we connected through Frankfurt, Germany, barely made our connection, and landed in Athens, Greece, late that night. We arrived at our Airbnb around 2 a.m., slept for a few hours, then boarded a ferry to Ios Island Greece early the next morning.

Courtesy: Google Maps

Growing up in New England, we spent many summers taking ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. When we arrived at the port in Athens, the size of the ships in Greece immediately struck me. The ferries in New England always seemed massive when I was younger, but the boat we were about to board made everything I’d been on previously feel like a 20-foot Boston Whaler.

We boarded the giant vessel for a four-hour ride to Ios. I napped for a bit, but I was also able to write my previous blog post about my adventure in Copenhagen to pass the time. When we arrived on the island, we were immediately greeted by sunshine, blue skies, and perfect 75-degree weather. This was a welcome change after battling hail, wind, and cold temperatures throughout our time in Norway, exactly what we were looking for.

Hunter and I got a cab to our Airbnb, which was perched at one of the highest points on the island with an amazing view of the ocean. Once we settled into our accommodation, we immediately walked down to the beach, found a restaurant overlooking the water, and ordered lunch and Negronis. Vacation mode activated.

Much of our time on the island was spent relaxing on the beach, enjoying the Greek beer Alfa. We were living in our very own Corona commercial. The beer was different, but the vibe was the same.

On our second day we decided to rent ATV’s for the remainder of our time on Ios as our mode of transportation. This made it easier to explore different parts of the island, and it made the steep climb up to our Airbnb much more bearable. 

We took our four-wheelers to the other side of the island and explored less populated areas and various beaches along the way. Ios is beautiful, and the landscape reminds me of Malibu and other parts of Southern California.

On our way back, we spotted a beach bar flying a Norwegian flag above the building. Having just come from Norway, we naturally had to stop in and check it out. We were greeted by two Norwegian women who owned the bar, and we told them all about our adventures hiking in Norway. They were very welcoming, so we chatted with them for a bit before posting up on the beach chairs with some Alfa beers.

After spending the afternoon relaxing on the beach, we took our ATVs back up the hill to our Airbnb to get cleaned up and head into town for dinner and check out some of the bars. As we were walking down the hill to town, the sun was setting perfectly over the water. I had one particular song by Bob Moses that was perfect for golden hour that I would put on as we were getting ready.

The sunsets in Greece are spectacular. The way they silhouette the islands on the water and paint the hills, buildings, and chapels with golden light is stunning.

We made our way down to the town, which is a labyrinth of narrow stone walkways and staircases. After getting turned around several times while attempting to navigate the area, we finally arrived at an open square with several restaurants and outdoor seating. Hunter and I sat down at a small table outside a bar, with two chairs facing into the square so we could people-watch.

Upon sitting down, we were quickly greeted by a tall, skinny, charming Serbian guy our age. He seemed to know everyone, as he would stand in the middle of the square, say hi to people passing by, and try to get tourists into his restaurant. Because of this, Hunter and I quickly dubbed him the Mayor of the Square.

We quickly became friends with the Mayor, and he chatted with us for a while as we enjoyed our drinks. Hunter and I noticed that the crowd seemed much younger than us, and the Mayor explained that Ios was a popular island for college students to vacation in the summer. Now knowing we were essentially the uncles on the island, we asked for some recommendations that would appeal to a more mature crowd. The Mayor offered up Katogi Greek Tapas as a great dinner option and Click Cocktail Bar for a more sophisticated atmosphere.

Katogi was our first stop after bidding the Mayor adieu. The restaurant was cozy, colorful, and lively. We were seated quickly, and it lived up to the expectations set by the Mayor and then some. I had the lamb kofta, and it was delicious. Beyond that, everything was very reasonably priced. We tried a couple of other restaurants on the island for dinner, but we ended up coming back to Katogi on our last night because it was so good.

After we finished dinner, we decided to check out Click Cocktail Bar. To get there, we had to cross the main square again, and guess who was standing in the middle as we passed through? The Mayor. Obviously. So we dapped him up, told him how good Katogi was, and that we were on our way to check out Click. He was excited that we liked his recommendations, and we told him we’d let him know what we thought of the cocktail lounge afterward.

Since it was early in the season, Click was relatively slow. The younger demographic wasn’t looking to go out for nice cocktails, but we were told the place is packed later in the summer. Hunter and I sat down at the bar and quickly made friends with our mixologist, Kanakis, who made us fantastic drinks, including delicious espresso martinis and amazing spicy margaritas.

We told him where we were from in the U.S., shared stories from our adventures in Norway, and talked about what I had planned for the rest of my journey. He gave us a few bar recommendations and treated us to a shot of Mastiha, which is a sweet Greek liqueur thats a popular digestif. We toasted to him and when we left we told him we’d come see him the next night.

After Click, we made our way back to the square, said what’s up to the Mayor again, and started exploring the various bars and nightclubs. Slammer Bar is a popular spot with a DJ and a signature drink called the Slammer Shot, where they give you a football helmet to put on and promptly hit you on the head with a toy baseball bat after you take the shot. We watched a few people do it, which was entertaining, and then decided to move on.

We bounced around to a few more bars before stumbling upon my favorite nightclub in Ios called Flames. It’s a smaller bar, which makes it that much more fun. When you walk in, you’ll find Renee DJing at the back of the bar, spinning ’90s and early 2000s music, and her mom, who owns the bar, sitting off to the side watching everything unfold. Everyone was extremely welcoming, and it quickly became our go-to spot at night. 

Their signature drink is the Slap Shot, where the bartender slaps you in the face immediately after you take the shot. No fancy football helmet or toy baseball bat, just the basics. Open palm, straight to the face. Admittedly, I did this on my last night just to say I had the Slap Shot at Flames, but I have zero desire to do that again. I’ll stick to beer the next time I visit.

This became our routine for the rest of our time on Ios: wake up, explore the island on our ATVs, hang out at Beach House with our Norwegian friends, pay our respects to the Mayor on our way to dinner, visit Kanakis for a few cocktails, then enjoy the rest of the night with Renee and the rest of the Flames crew. No treacherous adventures like we had in Norway, but it was very relaxing and fun, which was just what we needed.

This was our first stop in Greece, and after our time in Ios, we were set to jump on a ferry to Mykonos to continue our vacation and enjoy a new island.

See ya when I see ya

-Doug