Mykonos Time

Thomas Cook says it will double the number of agent “fam trips” for its independent partners this year. The fam trips-abbreviated vesion of familiarisation trips- will include long haul destinations Florida and Mauritius, as well as Croatia, Turkey, Majorca, Tenerife, Santorini and Cape Verde. Head of trade partnerships commercial, sales and relations said Audrey Brooks-Wiggins said: “We recognise how important it is for as many of our independent agent partners as possible to experience our destinations and the quality of our exclusive hotel brands. “By increasing our educational trips by 100% this year we want agents to feel supported through Peaks and beyond.” The operator said agents can increase their chances of winning a place with every booking made through Thomas Cook. It has also extended its ‘Live Lounge’ VIP concert incentive for the fifth year running. Agents can enter a prize draw for tickets to see some of the world’s top music acts every time they book

Yet while the 24-hour party people have certainly arrived, Mykonos is small compared with Ibiza, being just a fifth of the size and much more bijou. Prices can be steep, as much as €20 for a cocktail in the swankier bars, which may have helped put the brakes on mass tourism; none of the large international hotel chains has yet arrived. Last August the average hotel room in Mykonos was €507 a night, beating even the going rate of €470 a night in Monte Carlo, according to price comparison website Trivago. Meanwhile, international restaurants such as London’s Hakkasan and Buddha-Bar of Paris fame have set up offshoots on Mykonos, ensuring that the fashion set feel at home. For some, the island’s Forbes-list clientele and beach-club dining scene are more comparable with the Côte d’Azur than the Balearics. “It’s like a little St Tropez,” says Nicolas Mugni, of French property agency Demeures de Grece. The approval of the international jet set has helped Mykonos become the most r

The ranking was based on 220 million reviews across 34 different websites  Jersey and Guernsey were the other British islands on the European list  Majority of the top 20 islands were in Greece - a favourite for travellers When you think of Europe's top islands, a tiny outpost in Scotland's Firth of Clyde may not be the first destination that springs to mind. But the Isle of Arran has been ranked the best in Europe for accommodation thanks to its glowing hotel reviews online. The British islands of Jersey and Guernsey also featured in the top 20. However, Greek islands appear to be the most popular among travellers as they dominate 15 spots in the list of 20. super paradise beach mykonos TOP 20 EUROPEAN ISLANDS FOR ACCOMMODATION  Rank  Destination  Index  1 Isle of Arran, Scotland  88.16 2  Astypalaia, Greece  87.48  3  Sifnos, Greece  86.21  4  Ios, Greece 85.82  5  Folegandros, Greece  85.64  6  Capri, Italy  85.59  7  Paros, Greece  85.13  8  Ke

Under the direction of the European Commission, Greek authorities will not be renewing the special agreement between Turkey and Greece which overrules the Schengen Visa Agreement for seven Greek islands.Local business owners, however, have condemned the decision, saying they did not want to lose profits already hit hard by the country's weak economy. While a comprehensive statement, regarding the European Commission decision, was yet to be issued, the Greek Ministry for Foreign Affairs was already pushing to reinstate the agreement between the two nations. Under the special agreement, which came into force three years ago, Turkish tourists wishing to visit the islands of Chios, Lesbos, Samos, Symi, Rhodes, Kos and Kastellorizo, could apply for special Schengen visas, designed specifically for the seven islands, that permitted them to travel to the islands for between one and three days. Greek business owners and local leaders on the islands say that this could result in disast

sarakiniko beach When it comes to beautiful islands, Greece has a lot of them. A  lot . You could spend a year just hopping from one to the next. But if you don’t have that kind of time, you’ve got to pick and choose. The famous ones like Santorini and Mykonos are certainly worth it. But if you’ll allow me to make a case for  Milos  in a few words and pictures, it might be enough for you to add it to your list. Planning a big trip? Check out  10 Things To Bring On Every International Flight (And 3 Things Not To) ,  Is Verizon’s TravelPass Worth It? ,  Should You Pay in Local Or Home Currency When Traveling? ,  Are Travel SIM Cards Worth It? ,  Is Travel Insurance Worth It? , and  The Best Cellular Plan for Travelers . Milos is about halfway between Athens and Crete, and pretty close to being on a straight line between them. It’s the farthest west of the main “famous” islands. It’s 58 square miles, so a bit bigger than Mykonos or Santorini, though much of the island is qui

A trip to Greece is an incredible opportunity to choose your own adventure—but picking where to go can be overwhelming. Here’s how to plan a vacation to these scenic Greek isles. First-timers often describe their trip to “the Greek Islands,” as if they were one monolithic entity, easily popped into and out of and in between, like boutiques in a mall. It’s only once a visitor gets to know the country that the magnitude and diversity of the archipelagos becomes clear. The truth is that there are over  200 inhabited islands in Greece —and over 6,000 isles of varying sizes all together. Of the islands with residents, each has its own character, from the whitewashed cave homes of the Cyclades to the lush, green Italianate Ionians, to the Dodecanese capped with Crusader castles. Island Overview For the most part, the islands are divided into six main island groups, plus a significant stand-alone, Crete. It’s easier to travel between islands within one group than to a

A Battle of the Hottest Summer Destinations:  's that time of the season when a scroll through Instagram reveals that everyone is on vacation. And the two favorite destinations of celebrities and models? The Spanish island of  Ibiza  and  Mykonos, Greece . Here, a breakdown of who's visiting, and what they're up to. Tribes  Mykonos: Brazilian models, Instagram stars. Ibiza: Actors and athletes. The A-List  Mykonos: Gerard Butler, Eugenie Niarchos, models Isabeli Fontana, Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. Ibiza: Ruby Rose, Cristiano Ronaldo, Maria Sharapova, Spice Girl Melanie Brown, Eva Longoria, Doutzen Kroes. Hot Spot  Mykonos: Cavo Paradiso Ibiza: Pacha Cultural Moment  Mykonos: " Greek Gotham ," an exhibit of New York artists including Mira Dancy and KAWS at the scenic Dio Horia gallery, in a show curated by art adviser and designer María Brito.  Ibiza: " Time and Space the Speed of Light ," 13 solid-basalt columns that rise over

secret that the Greek island of Mykonos attracts worldwide jet-setters and rich celebrities during the summer, many of which have expensive habits. But how far would these VIPs go to impress their rich friends and show off to the rest of the world? It seems that the rich crowds visiting the “island of the winds,” as the locals often call Mykonos, are willing to pay 120,000 euros for a bottle of champagne in the famous beach-bar and restaurant Nammos, located in Psarou, one of the most popular beaches of the beautiful Aegean Island. With 120,000 euros that the Armand De Brignac Methouselah Midas bottle costs somebody could easily buy an apartment in many areas of Greece and the world. In other countries the most expensive price for the same bottle was found in Miami where it was sold for 120,000 US dollars. Since the beginning of the summer season nobody has dared to consume the most expensive champagne bottle in Greece; however, it is rumored that this past week a rich Arab or

I'm dining outside at Katrin, a favorite restaurant on an obscure, narrow street in Mykonos Town most people often find by accident (perhaps because it looks exactly like all of the other town’s obscure, narrow streets), blissfully gnawing on the house’s signature bone-sucking-good, fire-roasted goat, when I spot a chew-stoppingly handsome couple. She is Nordic blonde porcelain, the kind of beauty who always appears to be walking into a breeze. He is lithe, bronzed, permanently tousled, decked out in perfectly cropped Euro-preppy. You expect perpetual bliss from such pairings, but tonight they’re obviously agitated. Ten minutes later they reappear headed in the opposite direction. Soon after, they emerge from an intersecting road looking so stressed each nearly betrays evidence of a wrinkle, and encounter another couple that mirrors their looks and distress. “We just figured we’d wander around, hit one of the cool cafes we read about,” says the bronzed lad, “But all the

La compañía aérea  Iberia Express  ha anunciado la introducción de Creta como una de las nuevas rutas para el verano de 2017, a partir del próximo 11 de julio y operará dos frecuencias semanales en horario nocturno. Creta formará parte del programa de vuelos para la próxima temporada estival y se suma a los ya anunciados como son Cardiff y Cagliari, así como los incrementos de frecuencias a Nantes y Burdeos. Con este anuncio, se incrementan a dos los destinos operados a Grecia, ya que Santorini se retoma de nuevo este verano tras el éxito alcanzado en la pasada temporada. Así, la aerolínea comenzará a volar el próximo 11 de julio y operará dos frecuencias semanales en horario nocturno. Desde Madrid los vuelos saldrán los martes y viernes, con salida a las 23:50 horas, y desde Creta los miércoles y sábado a las 04:55 horas. Los billetes salen a la venta a precios competitivos, desde 89 euros el trayecto, siempre que se compre ida y vuelta. Creta, famosa por sus leyendas y tra

British Airways  (BA,  London Heathrow ) has announced that this summer, it will launch seven new routes from its  Manchester Int'l  focus city using  EMB-190  equipment operated by its  BA CityFlyer  (CJ,  London City ) unit. The  IAG International Airlines Group  carrier said in a press release that from May, it will begin summer-only direct flights from Manchester to the popular Spanish sunspots of  Alicante ,  Malaga ,  Ibiza , and  Palma Son Sant Joan , the Greek island of  Mykonos ,  Nice  in the South of France, and a weekly service to  London City  Airport. All the new return British Airways flights from Manchester will operate once a week at weekends, with the exception of the Ibiza route which will operate three times a week, and will provide more than 35,000 extra seats from the North West. Currently, BA Cityflyer's operations focus on London City and  London Stansted  airports.