We’re back with part 2 of our little vegan adventure to Mykonos, Greece. Just in case you missed the previous posts about our trip, and the wonderful vegan treats we had, here’s Santorini (parts 1 and 2), Mykonos and right after this one, we’ll be exploring Athens! We’re almost getting to the end of our trip, but we still have so many great photos and menu ideas to show you. Let’s get to it shall we?

After having our wonderful lichee martini and caipirinha the night before, we woke up to one of the best breakfasts of our trip, second only to the olive bread in Santorini. Breakfast was included in our stay at the wonderful Hermes Hotel, and it had so many delicious vegan options. I had some espresso, some amazing whole grain bread perfectly toasted, with strawberry and orange jam. Some Greek salad veggies including tomatoes, olives and cucumbers, some wonderful sautéed mushrooms and my new addiction, stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs, drizzled with some red wine vinegar. Yes it was fantastic, and yes I had seconds. We were heading out for another beach hunt so I needed the fuel (or so I told myself!).

Our first stop in our beach hunt was Paranga beach. One of my absolute favorites because the water was crystal clear and for the first time in Greece we had a soft, white sandy beach. Paranga is filled with restaurants which again either rent out umbrellas and beach chairs, or include them if you have a meal, but since we had had a big breakfast, we went to the edge of the beach which is open to whoever wants to simply enjoy the sand, sea and calm atmosphere.

The blue water was amazing. It was the coldest beach in our trip so far, but of course, that didn’t stop me.

Incredibly, in the coldest water, I managed to finally get part of the family to join. Here I am with Mr. hubby and his mom. One of the most special memories I have of this trip. The water was so gorgeous! (The photo at the top of this post is also of Paranga beach, a must if you’re in Mykonos).

Mykonos has the most beautiful countryside with pieces of land divided by low walls made out of stones which reminded me so much of the moors in England and Scotland. Behind one of the walls, I saw this beautiful vegetable garden. You know me, I couldn’t resist taking a quick look.

I’m so sorry not to have a picture of this cow’s sweet, sweet face. Every time I tried to photograph her from our car she kept diving in for some more grass. I left it in to tell you about the saddest thing I saw in our trip. Although many cows seemed to be grazing freely in some of these lots of land, when I zoomed in to take a picture of some, I saw that their legs had been chained together. Reminding me that no matter how idyllic a farm scene seems to be, there is no happy meat, or humane meat. There is always exploitation if you’re trying to keep an animal for monetary gain or as a commodity. I had never seen anything like it in person, it broke my heart.

Our next stop was Super Paradise beach, which seemed to be where the party scene got serious at night. We went during the day which meant a quieter scene. It was a breathtaking beach. If you’re into the beach party scene and seaside nightlife, we saw what seemed to be the prep for an incredible party at night. It was still packed during the day though, with people having drinks, lunch, and soaking up the sun.

We walked along the beach to the far end, and found an incredible restaurant on the top of the hill. Boy were we glad we stayed there for lunch. The view was incredible, and the vegan options were so delicious. The restaurant’s name was Jackie O’ (which also seemed to be a kind of beach club with a beautiful pool overlooking the ocean), and it was as glamorous and as chic as Jackie O’ herself.

To start the meal off, they brought us some spicy olives and this wonderful loaf of bread in a little planter. Doesn’t it look adorable served like that?

As a main course I had the most incredible quinoa salad with scallions, cucumber, lots of avocado and dill. The beautiful little dill tree on the top there was a huge newbie for me. They had fried it, and I discovered a new passion for crispy fried dill. Who would have thought?!

I had to include my husband’s order because it was incredible. He had a perfectly cooked pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil and olive oil. We were fighting over it!

Our view at lunch.

And our Spanish siesta spot post-lunch.

Goodbye Super Paradise!

On the way back, we were kind of tired from all the sun and our day exploring the beaches and countryside of Mykonos, so we decided to take in the sunset by the pool in our beautiful hotel.

After a second nap post-sunset (I know… don’t hate me…I was on vacation!), we ventured out for our last dinner in Mykonos. By chance, we stumbled upon the Apaloosa restaurant, where we had an amazing last night on the island.

  

We were very lucky because they gave us one of the only two tables in the terrace which had this little wooden nook, perfect for a special evening.

I’m very sorry to say I forgot to take a picture of our starter. It was the most incredible plate of grilled mushrooms my mother in law and I were obsessing over. We just couldn’t believe the flavors and textures in that dish. We spent the entire time trying to come up with a possible recipe for it. It was gone before I could take the lens cap off of my camera, which is why I can’t share it with you! It had some giant, perfectly grilled portobellos in the center, surrounded by two or three different varieties of wild mushrooms which were crispy and perfectly seasoned with olive oil and herbs. Unbelievable.

Our wonderful waitress completely understood that we were vegan and kept all the dairy out of our order. When my mother in law ordered the noodles you’re about to see below, our waitress even thought to ask if she wanted to order it without the oyster sauce! Now that’s vegan friendly in my book!

As a main course I had a giant (and I mean giant!) Mexican style salad, which had greens, tomatoes, red kidney beans, corn, cucumbers and carrots. In the center, it had a perfect crispy tortilla shell filled with vegetarian re-fried beans topped with guacamole and jalapeños. The dressing added the perfect balance of sweetness and as you can probably tell, it was a huge hit.

My father in-law and my hubby’s main dish was this beautiful bean burrito with lots of guacamole, a side salad and rice. Totally vegan and delicious.

My mother in-law was diving into this vegetarian noodle dish which was cooked to perfection.

By the end of this wonderful meal we were ready to say goodbye to our wonderful stay in Mykonos. The next morning we flew to Athens, but you’ll have to wait until our next post to see the Acropolis and adorable flea markets! We’re almost to the end of our Greek edition of the Vegan Travel series…. stay tuned!

Hotel, beaches and restaurant recommendations:

– Hermes Hotel (4 stars and superb accommodations, for photos of the room visit our first Mykonos post)

– Paranga beach (sandy beaches and the bluest water where we went for a swim at the top of this post).

– Super Paradise beach (lovely places to have drinks by the water, the location of the wonderful Jackie O’ restaurant and what seemed to be the center of Mykonos’ seaside nightlife).

– Jackie O’ restaurant (where we had the amazing quinoa salad and pasta).

– Appaloosa restaurant (super vegan friendly ethnic restaurant in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Mykonos, where we had the Mexican salad, burritos and noodles).

UPDATE AND NEWS!

After several years blogging here at Little Green Kettle, we’ve made the blog bigger and better! Meet our new blog everyone!: www.brownble.com

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RELATED POSTS:

VEGAN TRAVEL: MYKONOS, GREECE PART 1

VEGAN TRAVEL: SANTORINI, GREECE PART 1

VEGAN TRAVEL: SANTORINI, GREECE PART 2

EATING VEGAN WHILE TRAVELING