We woke up at the break of dawn to catch a 7 hour ferry from Athens to the island of Ios. None of us were especially excited about the prospect of a 7 hour journey, but with the time spent lounging on the upper deck in the sunshine watching Greek isles pass by was actually quite enjoyable! And this was the view of Ios that awaited us as we pulled in...

We were greeted at the dock by Big Mike - the Aussie owner of the Ios Resort - the amazing little hotel where we stayed. The pool in the middle of this classic Greek hotel was our favourite lazy hangout spot.

As you walked out the front entrance of the hotel you could see the beautiful Greek town full of white and blue buildings built into the hillside. The centre of town was only a short walk away and was full of great little bars and restaurants.

Ios is known for 2 things - parties and Aussies.... both of which were in abundance! Every night we'd head out for a delicious dinner (the local Greek tapas were our favourite) then check out the many bars filled with crazy Aussies. Great food, fun people, and a little too much Ouzo made for some very good times!

We hitched a ride in a cab down to the beach where we spent an afternoon lounging on the sand and testing out Lauren and Dave's underwater camera. It works! That night we had an amazing Mexican dinner at this great restaurant overlooking the beach... where on top of yummy Mexican food, there was live music and even j-j-jenga!

Another day we took a boat ride around Ios. It was nice to get out on the water and see the island from offshore. When we arrived on the other side it was too windy to tie the boat next to the dock, so we had to swim ashore. Not an unreasonable request when the weather is hot and there are lounge chairs waiting for you.

Most nights we would walk to the top of the hill to see the sun set. The beautiful scenery, combined with the many cute local kittens, made for some great photo ops.

Greece - I think I'm in love!