Ios – the hedonistic island?

When you look at travel guides for Greece, many tell you that visiting during the fringe seasons, May/June and September/October, are best due to milder temperatures and fewer crowds.

We had already witnessed the peacefulness of the islands of Patmos and Mykonos, which were very pleasant experiences, but upon arriving in Ios, we were surprised that this, one of the busiest Clyclades islands, was not only quiet but also hardly even open.

Our cruising guide states that in addition to being the burial place of Homer, Ios is popular with young sun lovers and partiers, where signs state “Clothes are prohibited” and loud bars and discos pack the Chora and waterfront.

Websites dub Ios as “The Hedonistic Island.” So being the nudists, wild partiers and literary buffs that we are, we went to Ios to see for ourselves.

But this decadent description was far from the Ios that we found in mid May. There were quiet towns, empty beaches, hotels and restaurants not yet even close to being ready for the masses of people that will visit this year.

There were some young people, but all were fully clothed. And the only loud music we heard were tunes from our very own stereo on Berkeley East.