Aggeliki Pastry
Adamas
Tel: +302287023059
For ice cream, waffles and chocolate fondue.
Breakfast, Brunch | Casual

Archontoula
Plaka
Tel: +302287021384
The tavern-restaurant "Archontoula", on a picturesque cobbled street, in Plaka of Milos is an exciting, tasty attraction where tradition meets modern times. Once, in 1855, there was a traditional coffee house here. Today it is one of the most famous restaurants in Milos.

Walk in policy.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Astakas
Klima
Tel: +302287088134
Located among the fisheremen's houses, this is a delicious restaurant with beautiful waterfront views. A perfect spot for a romnatic dinner as it commands spectacular views over the harbor and the sunset. Astakas is popular for its fresh fish and seafood. 
Brunch, Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Avli
Plaka
Tel: +302287027590
In the restaurant "Avli Milos" the old forgotten "grandmother's recipes" are revived in the most traditional and handmade way! They may not accept reservations but the experience of waiting to be treated like a friend, brings back the nolstagic old memories of this island.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Barrielo
Tripiti
Tel: +306984218360
In the heart of Tripity, at the old traditional square, you will find Barriello restaurant. As it is housed in a very old building with catacombs, its romantic atmosphere and the panoramic view of the sea will make you feel like you live somewhere in the past. Enjoy delicious creations, inspired by the Mediterranean cuisine and accompany your meal with a glass of wine, choosing from the finest Greek labels. The ingredients that are used for the preparation of all meals are always fresh and locally produced.
Lunch, dinner | Casual Dining

Ergina
Tripiti
Tel: +302287022524
A well kept secret of Milos, nestled in one of the traditional houses up in Trypiti and with a balcony view second to none, Ergina offers a traditional menu and are a testament of Milos’ rich culinary heritage.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Medusa
Mandrakia
Tel: +302287023670
Greek traditional cuisine arises through the exquisite raw material and the simplicity of its dishes.Medusa restaurant is located in one of the most picturesque areas of Milos, in Mandrakia. Enjoy your meal, while gazing at the endless, turquoise scenery of the crystalline waters of the Aegean sea. Here you will find numerous tasty suggestions, with seafood, ouzo and wine being the most popular choices. Visit Medusa and experience a unique, culinary journey! 

Walk in policy.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Sirocco
Palaiochori
Tel: +302287031201
On the beach of Palaiohori you will find Sirocco’s. It is a restaurant of unique and intense personality with an exceptional traditional cuisine, ready to fulfill your gastronomical expectations. At Sirocco’s you will taste fresh Aegean fish and home- made dishes cooked in a wood-fire stove.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Galanis
Triovasalos
Tel: +302287028163
Appetizers, specialties and casual atmosphere from another area housed in a grocery store dated since 1969 preserving many elements of the old building. 
Dinner | Casual Dining

Gialos
Pollonia
Tel: +302287041208
“Gialos”, located in one of the most picturesque villages of the island, Pollonia, was first opened in 2007 by a group of friends who had fresh ideas, appetite, and love for “good” food! The tables and chairs by the sea- front offer the desired setting for peace and relaxation, while the magical view of the small port with its colorful boats during sunset naturally marks your palate's experience. 
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Enalion
Pollonia
Tel: +302287041415
The "Enalion" respects the tradition and offers visitors, authentic food made with fresh, pure, and mainly local ingredients grown in their own farm.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Mikros Apoplous
Adamas
Tel: +302287024207
Mikros Apoplous is a unique blend of a sea food restaurant and a bar, which is a culinary landmark in Adamas town, located on the most privileged spot, right on the beach of the coast road of the town. A restaurant with captivating atmosphere, amazing sea food, idyllic views and a salty breeze, make Mikros Apoplous one of the best restaurants on the island of Milos and a great meeting point for locals and tourists from around the world.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

O Hamos
Papikinou Beach, Adamas
Tel: +302287021672
In this rustic taverna across the road from the beach, sit in the garden and choose from an array of traditional recipes, such as goat baked in parchment. The best picks are cheeses and grilled meats, served with warmth and flair (and on cool branded ceramics), alongside craft beers and local wines.

Walk in policy.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

Paleos Pastry
Plaka
Tel: +302287023490
Neoclassic atmosphere in a traditional building at the centre of Plaka, with spacious interior sitting area, large yards full of flowers and view of the Castle. Paleos is open all day, until late at night waiting to impress you with its rich menu of homemade goodies with pure ingredients.
Breakfast, Brunch

Nostos
Adamas
Tel: +306971964981
The word nostos originated from the Greek word nostimos -which means tasty- and the word nostalgia. The philosophy is to designate Greek cuisine being inspired from tradition and local products, but also from the latest trends in global gastronomy. The products still have the scent of the ocean. Fishermen from the island supply them daily with fresh fish and lobsters.
Lunch, Dinner | Casual Dining

If you’ve tried any of these, what were your favorites?

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Contact me to help with your custom Greek Itinerary today!

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Back in May, my husband and I went to check out the brand new Impressions Isla Mujeres! This hotel was just voted “Most Instagrammable Hotel in the World” and boy did it deliver!

It’s hard to look anywhere without having a picturesque setting or view. We loved the ambience of this property and it’s small boutique feel.

This resort is located in Isla Mujeres, about a 40 minute boat ride over from the Cancun dock. Take an easy flight into Cancun, grab your airport transfer, and then head to the resorts dock to get on the included ride over to Isla Mujeres.

An all-inclusive, adults only resort that makes you question wether it actually is all inclusive due to the quality of food and drinks.

We stayed in the Paramount Suite Ocean Front. This room was HUGE and beautiful. It had a separate living space with a full bar and a separate bathroom. We also loved that the room had a ceiling fan, a rare find at resorts in Mexico.

Another perk of this resort is the ability to make restaurant reservations prior to your stay. One of my biggest pet peeves is arriving to a resort and them only allowing reservations once on site, or not at all.

For my clients, my VIP amenities are as follows:

Upgrade on arrival (based on availability)
Early check-in/late check-out (based on availability)

I would love to book this fabulous property for you today! Send me an email at lauren@thatblondetravels.com or fill out my contact form to get started!

This resort is definitely on par with some of the other amazing 5* all inclusive resorts in the Mexican Riviera Maya!

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Lauren: Why did you choose a destination wedding?

Melanie and Chris: We chose a destination wedding because it was different from your traditional wedding. We wanted a medium size wedding and if we did a traditional wedding we would've had double the amount of people. At our wedding in Mexico it was intimate and we were surrounded by people who knew both me and Chris. 

Lauren: How many attendees did you have?
What kind of experience did you envision your guests having? 

Melanie and Chris: We had a total of 63 guests attend our wedding. We envisioned our guests having a vacation and enjoying themselves. We were adamant that our guests only had to dedicate one day to us, which was wedding day. 

Lauren: What was one part of planning your wedding that you knew you couldn't have done alone?
How did having a Destination Wedding Specialist help with that?

Melanie and Chris: One part of planning my wedding I knew I couldn't do alone was manage everyone's room and answer every question they could have throughout this process. Chris and I are very thankful for Lauren and how much she made our booking and searching for the right resort process so smooth. A plus was that she was also very helpful with transportation. Lauren had transportation for all guests set up from when they arrived to when it was time for them to depart. Another thing I couldn't do alone was communicate with the wedding department. I learned early on it was easier to get an outside wedding planner so they could handle all communication. I noticed once I hired my wedding planner Diana the resort would respond quickly to her versus with me I would wait anywhere from 2 plus weeks to hear back. 

Lauren: What piece of advice would you give to couples who are just starting the planning process?

Melanie and Chris: The groom's piece of advice is whatever you think it will cost it will probably become double so to always be prepared for that. Coming from a bride's perspective I would say to have an idea of what you want and then trust the process. A destination wedding is stressful but not as much especially when you have a travel agent and a wedding planner. 

Lauren: What’s one “extra” you’re super glad you splurged on?  What surprised you the most about your wedding? 

Melanie and Chris: The one "extra" we are super glad we splurged on was the Mariachi band. Our guests absolutely loved them, they definitely got the party going. Chris and I did our big walk in with them, they stayed for an hour, they were able to sing a song at every table during dinner and had time to put on a show in the middle of the dance floor after.

What surprised us most about our wedding was that every single guest danced all night long. Every chair was empty, all our guests plus us were so shocked when the dance party was over we were ready to dance all night! 

Lauren: If you could choose three words to describe your wedding, what would they be?

Melanie and Chris: Our three words would be Fun, Intimate, and beautiful 

Lauren: What is your favorite memory from your big day?

Melanie and Chris: Our favorite memory from our big day is when it was dinner time and we stopped to look at all of our guests to soak up all the love that was in the room. Chris and I could not get over that all these people traveled to Mexico to celebrate our big day! We felt so thankful and loved!

A Note from Lauren: I am so thankful to Melanie and Chris for trusting me with their big day! It was a blast to work with them! Also, I love this last photo and how Chris is looking at Melanie!

Here are some additional books that I loved this year. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: This Books I Loved in 2023: Part 2 list contains Affiliate Links for products I’m currently using. By using these links you won’t pay any additional fees but support me to keep this site running!

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The Villa

Divine Rivals

Lilac Girls

Fourth Wing

A court of thorns and roses

You shouldn’t have come here

A court of mist and Fury

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on my tbr list

a court of wings and ruin

iron flame

recursion

the perfect marriage

the turn of the key

the five star weekend

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Here are some of the books that I have enjoyed this year! Check them out and let me know what your favorites were! If you have any suggestions for what I should read next, leave me a comment below!

Disclaimer: This Books I Loved in 2023: Part 1 list contains Affiliate Links for products I’m currently using. By using these links you won’t pay any additional fees but support me to keep this site running!

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PRETTY GIRLS

LITTLE SECRETS

SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO

THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR

WRONG PLACE WRONG TIME

THE PARIS APARTMENT

LOCAL MISSING WOMAN

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY

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I have many more where this comes from! Let me know some favorites in the comments below that I should check out for 2024!

Lauren: Why did you choose a destination wedding?

Kiley and Austin: We both love to travel and wanted our wedding to represent us both as a couple.

Lauren: How many attendees did you have?
What kind of experience did you envision your guests having? 

Kiley and Austin: We had 30 people attend! Since most of our guests were couples we envisioned them enjoying this as a vacation for themselves and being apart of our wedding.

Lauren: What was one part of planning your wedding that you knew you couldn't have done alone?
How did having a Destination Wedding Specialist help with that?

Kiley and Austin: ALL OF IT! We have only left the country on a cruise so this was MUCH different. There are so many moving parts to leaving the country and throwing a wedding in the mix did not make it any easier. With all the back and forth between the resort and our guests I would have not been able to do this on my own.

Lauren: What piece of advice would you give to couples who are just starting the planning process?

Kiley and Austin: Trust the process! It can be overwhelming and communication with the resorts is slower than you would get with someone in the states. Planning over a year in advanced was a huge help.

Lauren: What’s one “extra” you’re super glad you splurged on?  What surprised you the most about your wedding? 

Kiley and Austin: Our DJ! We are huge music lovers so the perfect DJ was a must for us and we did not regret it. 

I was surprised at how smooth it went! 

Lauren: If you could choose three words to describe your wedding, what would they be?

Kiley and Austin: Stunning. Timeless. Romantic.

Lauren: What is your favorite memory from your big day?

Kiley and Austin: Finally walking down the aisle! I had so much anxiety getting ready that morning that it felt like time stood still. 

A Note from Lauren: It was so much fun to work with Kiley and Austin to plan the wedding that they have always dreamed of!

C/O O&O Mandarina

I just returned from our annual exchange with my host agency, Departure Lounge, where we spent 4 nights at the Conrad Punta Mita and then ended our trip with an AMAZING stay at the fairly new One&Only Mandarina right outside of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

What is a host agency you might ask? Think of me like a realtor. Realtors work with a broker for their clients that help with relations and licensing. This is what Departure Lounge is to me. They are one of the best know host agencies in the business and are amazing for supplier relations. What does this mean to you? It means that because we have such great relationships with our suppliers they want to make sure our guests are the happiest. I love working with Departure Lounge as well as all of our VIP partners to make sure that my guests and clients have amazing vacations that they deserve!

Anyways, back to One&Only Mandarina!

This resort opened in 2021 in a new complex called Mandarina, right outside of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It is a quick 45 minute drive from the Puerto Vallarta airport so that you are in paradise before you know it! This property felt more like Costa Rica to me than Mexico and I loved it. A beautiful mix of jungle that meets the sea!

We stayed in the Ocean View Cliff Villa during our stay. The great thing about this property are that all rooms are villa/suite type accommodations so even the entry level rooms are a great size and still perfect for a family. Kids under 12 years of age are not allowed to stay in the treehouse suites due to safety reasons. That being said, I think this is a fabulous resort for kids! The kids club is so cool with a treehouse and a butterfly garden as well as an indoor area for arts and crafts and fun play. They also have several pools around the property with the Jetty Beach Club being the best for children in my opinion. If you are wanting a more adult only vibe, there is an adult only pool that is much quieter with no kiddos in site!

There is a Rosewood that is planned to open in 2025 that will also be apart of the Mandarina complex similar to the Mayakoba complex in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area. It will connect to the Mandarina beach club and you will be able to “dine around”. I can’t wait to go back and check out this property when it opens.

For my clients, my VIP amenities are as follows:

Daily breakfast for 2
$100 resort credit
Upgrade on arrival (based on availability)
Early check-in/late check-out (based on availability)

I would love to book this fabulous property for you and your family today! Send me an email at lauren@thatblondetravels.com or fill out my contact form to get started!

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Lauren: Why did you choose a destination wedding?

Kathie and Adam: We attended our friend’s wedding in Cancun a couple years before and had the absolute best time. We’ve lived all over so have friends and family that would have to travel no matter where we got married. We also really wanted to have the opportunity to allow everyone get to know each other over a long weekend.

Lauren: How many attendees did you have?
What kind of experience did you envision your guests having? 

Kathie and Adam:  We had 85 guests! Fun and relaxing

Lauren: What was one part of planning your wedding that you knew you couldn't have done alone?
How did having a Destination Wedding Specialist help with that?

Kathie and Adam: Coordinating the rooms and all the guests. Everyone came with their own needs- Lauren did an amazing job accommodating each guest (even if it meant booking a different hotel for them). It’s exhausting enough to plan just the wedding, it’s so helpful to have a travel advisor help with all the other stuff.

Lauren: What piece of advice would you give to couples who are just starting the planning process?

Kathie and Adam: Send out invites early to get a head count.  We did not expect so many guests to come.

Lauren: What’s one “extra” you’re super glad you splurged on?  What surprised you the most about your wedding? 

Kathie and Adam: The “all in” package for the wedding ceremony/reception.This saved a lot of headaches and number crunching. Most surprising thing was how great of a time our moms had 🤪 We also really enjoyed all the pre-wedding events we had at the hotel. 

Lauren: If you could choose three words to describe your wedding, what would they be?

Kathie and Adam: joyous, loving, beautiful 

Lauren: What is your favorite memory from your big day?

Kathie and Adam:  Our good friend Matias being our officiant and marrying us.

A Note from Lauren: Planning this gorgeous Destination Wedding in Cancun with Kathie and Adam was so much fun! I was actually able to go do a tasting with Kathie before the wedding and the food was phenomenal. It was so much fun to be able to help this amazing couple and friends plan this once in a lifetime event. Congratulations to Kathie and Adam on a beautiful ceremony!