greece getaway


I was in Greece over the 4th of July weekend to attend the birthday celebration of a close friend. The awesomely decadent affair in Mykonos was bookended by time in Santorini and Athens. I made the trip with my good friend Stephanie, and to say we lived it up would be an understatement, given the amount of Domaine Ott consumed, plus the feta cheese-laden Greek Salad, Greek (full-fat) yogurt, spanakopita, and fried calamari we pretty much ate around the clock. Here, the highlights...


Steph and I did a whirlwind tour of Santorini, and our hotel, Aigialos, a former nunnery built in the 18th century and one of the oldest hotels in Europe, was a great place to start. We had views of the Aegean caldera and some might argue the best sunset in the world. That's the hotel's entrance (it had me at its red door!), above.


Located in the town of Fira, perched high atop the island (approximately 1,000 feet above the sea!), the hotel's rooms are connected by steep but picturesque stairways. I marvelled at the room service guy who climbs these steps all day long bearing heavy trays. Many of Mykonos' narrow cobbled "streets" wind up and down the island, and walking them can amount to a legit workout.


Another epic high altitude sea view.


Ascending and descending Santorini's harrowing cliffs can be facilitated by these vibrantly-accessorized donkeys! 


I opted for walking over donkeying, as I had to compensate for all the fried octopus and bread baskets. Plus, one cannot shop while sitting on a donkey. I scored a few quintessentially Greek embroidered tunics, leather sandals, a crazy sexy one-piece bathing suit and volcanic rocks for my boys. (In this snap, I'm wearing a little solar heat-proof floral dress I recently picked up for $39 in New York. You can find it here.)


On arrival in Mykonos, we had the first b-day event seaside. The tables were practically in the water (so cool!) and yet somehow the crashing waves did not splash you. Greece has been around along time, so I guess they have had plenty of time to master such things.


My Mykonos itinerary was filled with swimming, boating and paddle boarding in the salty Aegean Sea, which, by the way, is the perfect temperature. Here, I am about to depart from our hotel's dock to have lunch on a friend's sailboat. (My cover-up is an old Zara, but here's a pretty option from Free People.)



Greek salad number...? It's hard to explain how good it tasted.


It's all about mirrored sunglasses in Greece. They're everywhere you look. I picked these up from a Greek street vendor, but you can find great options from Ray Ban and Topshop. (My embroidered vintage blouse is an oldie but goodie. Here are a few similar ones from Mango, Velvet and Anthropologie.)


Stephanie may just be the most well-traveled person I know. Of course, she parlayed her travel bug into an amazing eponymous cosmetics/travel bag line Stephanie Johnson. (You can also hear about some of her journeys here.) Over the years vacationing together, she has taught me how to pack a week's worth of clothes into a carry-on roller. However, between the two of us, we managed to use every hanger in the hotel room closet!


Celebrating, Mykonos style: hard-core dancing after a late afternoon, several-course, rose wine-steeped lunch. Based on her party-animal body language above, it would be logical for you to assume that Stephanie (far right) is headed off on a complete bender, but in fact she is a serious teetotaler and just high on life. Later, after dancing on a few tables, she made her way to the DJ booth to help spin tunes.


After completing our island adventure, we spent some time in Athens, scaling the Acropolis and seeing the Parthenon. It was truly breath-taking. And a suitably monumental way to wrap up our amazing journey!

17 comments

samanthaivy said...

i'm going to order that necessary objects dress! it looks awesome on you!

maria said...

Are you wearing a top underneath the floral dress - it's very low cut and I'm wondering whether a nude tank would work...

Anonymous said...

looks like a fabulous time! Is that Necessary Clothing dress true to size?

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Where is the maxi dress from? The one in the closet and that you are wearing in the pic under. Lovely..

Marlien Rentmeester said...

My maxi dress is from H&M, from earlier this summer. Necessary Clothing does run true to size. I bought the dress in a size medium. I am not wearing a top underneath the dress. I think a nude tank top might not work because of the cut-outs on the sides.

Anonymous said...

If I'm 5'9" do u think the necessary objects dress will be too short on me?

Crissy @ House of Marlowe said...

What an amazing trip! Those red doors and tables by the sea have just been added to my "must-see" itineraries while living in Europe. :) Thanks for sharing!

mpmathewson said...

is that mary alice haney on far left;)? she's an old friend. cute pic!

Unknown said...

Awesome post! so cool and pretty shots :)

http://munascoolture.blogspot.it/

Marlien Rentmeester said...

Yes, that is Mary Alice! Small world!

Marlien Rentmeester said...

I'm 5'8" and the dress is pretty short--but doable over a bathing suit.

Anonymous said...

Only you could make a $39 dress look so wonderful!

Alexandra said...

What gorgeous pictures! The one of you in the short dress walking above the water is so beautiful! And the dress is only $39?! What a steal!!
xx

Helen said...

Absolutely love that floral cut out dress on you! Not sure I could pull it off ;) I also found the same (similar?) dress on Pixie Market but costs a little more...

http://www.pixiemarket.com/dresses/bouquet-tulle-dress.html

Sonia said...

I LOVE YOU! What a fab post, super inspired to travel!!!

julie r. o. said...

i bought the necessary objects dress and while i love it i didn't realize it had a petticoat under it. did you get rid of it or keep it?

thanks!!

Marlien Rentmeester said...

Yes, I did cut out the petticoat! Definitely not needed!

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