This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Ios, the party capital of the Greek Isles, is a not-to-be missed destination for any hostel backpacker who likes to party at night and relax on a beautiful beach by day. Most of the action on Ios is centralised around the main town of Chora, which is also where the ferry dock is -- from here you can catch a bus or taxi to the outlying towns like Mylopotas Beach. There are popular hostels in both areas. Ios is easily accessible from any island in the Greek Isles by Ferry and is only a 5hr fast ferry ride from Athens. Although Ios is known for its party reputation, you can also find a range of other activities, including visiting the many secluded bays and beaches around the island to enjoying a range of different water sports from Paddle Boarding to clinging on for dear life on the back of a speedboat.
Most Ios hostels are either located in Chora, the main town, or Mylopotas Beach, a short bus ride away. Chora is the perfect place to stay if you really want to have easy access to all the bars in the main town, of which there are many. If you want to stay right across from the beach at a budget price, but still have access to great bars by bus/taxi or a thirty-minute walk, then Mylopotas Beach would be the place to stay. The hostels in Mylopotas Beach are also more like resorts, so not only do they offer budget rooms, but they also have more expensive private rooms as well as pools, bars, and restaurants, so for those lazy nights when you want to party but don't want to head into town, you don't have to go far. Ios is primarily a summer destination, though, so you will find most accommodation is closed outside of the summer months.
Written by local expertz for Ios
Keppers
