The Greek Island You Should Get to Before Your Friends Do

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My friend Tina (you met her in my Snob’s Guide to Athens) and I like to joke that we are the chaperones at the Cycladic Museum’s annual Young Patrons trips. I’m just happy to be there no matter what the role. The Cycladic Museum (a place I always tell you to visit in Athens) organizes special and spectacular yearly gatherings, filled with historical insight and true traditional and exquisite hospitality for the next generations of art enthusiasts.

They are also, admittedly, a lot of fun. Each year a different Cycladic island is selected and in July, we spent a weekend in Milos. There was a performance on the cliff of the Ancient Theater and a tour of the catacombs, a geological lecture on site of the natural wonder that is Sarakiniko Beach followed by a sunset lecture, illuminated by lanterns, from Louvre curator Ludovic Laugier on the Venus de Milo (this island is her birthplace), and then a screening orchestrated by the visionary Kimolistes, who illuminates the shores of remote Greek islands with cinema. In between there was dinner right by the sea at Astakas, lunch at Medusa (no reservations but worth the wait), excellent seafood at Yialos, the famous watermelon tart at old school cafe Palaios, and plenty of cheese pies and rice pudding at Kivotos Ton Gefseon.

I stayed a few days after the museum trip ended to experience the hospitality and sunsets at Skinopi Lodge, an oasis of spare chic created by Nausika Georgiadou, who took me out on her boat Summer Wine to experience the island the only way, she believes, you truly understand it: from the sea. (If you stay at Skinopi a trip on Summer Wine is a must; if you don’t, there are multiple boats for hire in the port and you do really need a boat day here). We jumped (well, I used the ladder, sorry) into those turquoise waters near Polyegos, witnessed the hexagonal basalt column of Glaronissia, drove past Cape Vani, saw the incredible vertical rocks at the entrance of the Bay of Milos and so many of the coves and beaches that have made Milos so popular in the last few years. Is it changing? Not so much, at least not yet. I found it as charming as when I first went almost ten years ago, and accommodations have gotten better (a new hotel from the owners of Cosme in Paros is coming soon, which should be great).

But if you are looking for what’s next: we sailed past Kimolos on the boat and spotted the chic colorful umbrellas of the new Chroma Cove Suites and someone on board wondered out loud if “Kimolos is the new Antiparos.” Several real estate closings and a certain Athenian wedding suggest this might be true. The consensus was that a stop on Kimolos was required while visiting Milos next time to see if we agreed.

Thoughts? Email me at stellenesgemsofwisdom@hearst.com.

The Best I Have Seen This Month

-I was going to celebrate my friend Peter’s birthday (you also met him in my Snob’s Guide to Athens) at one of our favorite Athenian neo-tavernas called Seychelles, but we decided to stop in at Athénée (another Athens favorite) for a Cosmo. It’s our summer tradition and Peter makes his with Cointreau not Triple Sec. The bartender obliged. But before I had even crossed the street to meet Peter at Athénée I spotted a turquoise and gold snake necklace in the window of Lalaounis on the corner and obviously it lured me in. Their turquoise and gold as well as pearl and gold designs are some of my favorites right now—that special gold sets off those stones with a particular light. Also: don’t ever miss going to the second floor of the Athens store where there is an excellent selection of silver home and decorative pieces.

-Whenever I am in Athens I make sure to have lunch with Nikos Koulis. Last time it was at his house in Kolonaki where he made the most perfect dolmadakia. This time, a trip to the city center from FS Athens in the mid-day heat was not advisable so we met at Papaioannou in Vouliagmeni for grilled fish and gorgeous tomatoes with capers and their excellent taramasalata (I came back for dinner and the beautiful sunset views twice during my trip). Nikos was wearing a hexagonal diamond on a long black cord. As I always do when I see him, I took a picture of it, and then of the jeweled worry beads he always carries. His store is now on Voukourestiou Street, not far from Lalaounis. (Lunch at Athénée, then jewelry stops and shopping directly across the street?)

-I did not get to Hydra this trip but friends did and I sent them straight into Elena Votsi for the fish charms on gold wire I saw on her Instagram. I wore a white stone necklace I bought last time almost every day in Greece. She also has a shop in Athens in Kolonaki (I call this neighborhood the Upper East Side of Athens: great shopping, cute restaurants, people watching—I sometimes go and order a frappé sketo, aka no milk and no sugar, and sit outside at Da Capo cafe and take it in).

-I spied Ileana Makri’s striped agate long beaded necklaces on many casually elegant women this summer (okay, I wear mine too, and never fly without the bracelet, which has a small evil eye on it for luck). Her store, also in Kolonaki, has such a great selection of the beads and the modern evil eyes that first made her a rock star decades ago when they launched at Barneys. She is also soulful and wise and I think some of that transfers to whoever wears her jewelry.

-Speaking of evil eyes, some other favorites: Votsi has great ones, Lito’s are handprinted, and the Cycladic Museum gift shop (one of the best around) sells an evil eye on the thinnest gold band. I bought one for myself, my niece, and for T&C fashion director Dania Ortiz. It’s so thin that you can wear rings on top of it and it kind of disappears. But you are still protected!

–Martinos, the oldest shop in Athens, and a glorious Aladdin’s cave of antique ceramics, textiles, and art, also sometimes has the most interesting and unusual jewelry. This trip’s temptations: old stone beads, long amber earrings, a 19th-century silver medal of the goddess Athena.

-Pippa Small shell earrings, Ted Muehling olive branch bracelets, Ileana Makri pearls, all at Mouki Mou, a store I tell everyone to see—and the one where I walk in and wonder why I even packed. I could just come and buy their perfect linen shirt dresses and have everything I need for a Greek Summer wardrobe.

-Not in Greece but perfect for it: those long lapis Ten Thousand Things earrings at the new Muse store at Nordstrom on 57th Street.

Portrait Cuts

Those moments where art meets jewelry.

One morning of every trip to Athens begins with a spinach or cheese pie from Ariston Bakery (founded in 1910) on Voulis Street right near the center (don’t be afraid of spanakopita for breakfast. It’s a very Greek thing to do). I get a frappé from one of the many coffee places nearby and then eat and walk back up past the Grande Bretagne and on to Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. I am headed straight to the second floor of the Benaki Museum to visit the “caravelle” earrings from 18th-century Patmos. They were worn by captains’ wives and someone once told me there was meaning attached to them, that they were not worn until a ship, and its leader, were safely home. The museum curator, the great George Manginis, can’t verify that but reminded me of the strong referencing in these pieces to those from Italy, Spain, and Malta—not surprising given the long Venetian rule of the Dodecanese and the trading links with these maritime centers. Connections like these are evident and outlined throughout this wonderful place, packed with jewelry and decorative arts history that emphasize cross cultural influences. I go back again and again.

After I finish here I head to the Cycladic Museum a few streets down, then back up towards the center, often taking a detour down Irodou Attikou Street to see the National Guard and the Prime Minister’s residence and also the beautiful orange trees. From there I sneak into the National Gardens and then out towards Syntagma Square again. I might stop in to Mitropolitikon Bakery to take a picture of its iconic font and then get its candied clementines and rosewater loukoumis and those perfect koulourakia to dunk into coffee when I’m home.

Perfect Athenian Nights

-The Four Seasons Athens is one of my favorite hotels in the world. It’s about 30 minutes outside central Athens, and if I didn’t love to do everything I outlined above, I might never leave. A perfect Athenian night could be sitting on the hotel beach under the bungalows with a Barbayanni ouzo on ice until sunset. Then a swim. Then dinner at Taverna 37 right on the water. Sleep. Repeat.

-But sometimes you might want to leave—but not venture into the center. Vouliagmeni is right there with its excellent seafood restaurants and their amazing views. Papaioannou is my favorite but Ithaki is a classic, too. Akti gives you a little Mykonos, and Krabo has a beach club attached (also great for lunch). For excellent traditional taverna food, the favorite is Louizidis. I skip dessert and go to Aqua Marina for old school pastries and vibes.

-But really you must actually eat in central Athens, a city that gets more exciting every single time I visit. The GB and the Dolli are the strongest hotels here and both have excellent rooftop drink spots (the Bretagne roof is open to non-guests). Start there, maybe continue on to Athénée nearby, and then dinner at my classics: Papadakis or Vezené or Seychelles or Ratka (but only if you are there with Athenians; its a clubhouse of sorts). Newer kids on the block and great places to see how Athens has evolved are: Akra, Pharaoh, and Iodio (see my Snob’s Guide).

-There comes a time in every trip where you have had your fill of choriatiki salad (it happens). When that point came this trip I went straight to Gallina and had croquettes, lobster pasta, truffle chicken, Basque cheesecake, and wine from what my dinner companion, a total wine snob, said was the best wine list he had seen in Greece. Other options for nights off from Greek food: Birdman, Nolan, Brunello.

-Sometimes a perfect Athenian night starts at lunch: Cherchez La Femme is my favorite place for midday, elevated traditional in a cozy setting and right in the middle of everything. From there you can wander and shop at all the places I mention in this newsletter, visit the Lalaounis Museum and then meet my favorite guide Michael Patmanidis for the latest possible tour of the Acropolis (also schedule him for the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum and also the Temple of Poseidon—not all on the same day; he can advise). After the Acropolis wander around Dionysiou Areopagitou Street and fantasize about living in one of the neoclassical houses there (just me?). By this point it will be time for a concert or an opera at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a not-to-be-missed experience really no matter what is playing. Afterwards have dinner at Attikos with its Parthenon view. I call it the Joe Allen of the Herodion set.

Sticks and Stones

How a jewelry person organizes the random thoughts in her head.

-When to go? Athens—anytime. And no matter when you go make sure you stay in Athens for more than a stopover. It has become one of the great cities. The islands generally open on or right after Greek Easter and start shutting down by the end of October. Spring and early fall are—as almost everyone will tell you—heavenly. But I go in late July or early August and am always happy—very hot, but happy.

-I did not go to Paros this year but yes that is my usual stomping ground. I rent a house from Five Star Greece but love Cosme Paros. My recommendations: Cannelait for breakfast or lunch to-go (and the best croissants and cookies on the island). Sigi Ikthios (always my first meal) for the seafood orzo and to see the owner George. Siparos for the exquisite food and the sunset. Klarinos for lamb chops by the pound. Blue Oyster and Katsounas both for perfect Greek lunches after long days at the beach. Thalassa Mou and Mario because they are Paros classics. Restaurant Anna (or Kiria Anna) in Drios for food like mama makes (I do a big order of takeaway the moment I land). Also: a day on the water with Captain Dimitris of Sea Sun Smiles boats. He took us to Sifnos for an unforgettable lunch at Cantina last year (but that’s a whole other newsletter).

-Iced coffee is a thing. I used to be very attached to my frappé (basically Nescafé shaken with ice) but have come around to the somewhat gentler freddo espresso (diplo meaning double, sketo meaning no milk or sugar, and metrio is medium, and a more popular choice).

-It’s a strong and acquired taste but please try an ouzo on ice for me. I like Barbayanni blue but I also say yes to Plomari.

-It is incredibly hot in the summer. Yes, you can jump into the water almost at any time. But please, do wear a hat.

P.S. If you want to chat about any of the above, email me at stellenesgemsofwisdom@hearst.com.

See you next month!

X Stellene

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