Evermore Cruises offers a one day cruise from Athens that makes stops at three different Greek islands. This is a MUST for people who are only in Athens for a short time.
Think about it… You go on a long weekend break with your friends to Athens. When you return back to your office on Monday or Tuesday, you tell your colleagues that you were not only chilling in Athens for the weekend, but also that you went to three different Greek islands. Then you can casually ask them how many Greek islands they visited over the weekend. BURN!
Your Instagram feed will be non-stop popping with snaps of you in totally different places, just basically jet-setting around the Saronic Gulf all fabulously. Hydra, Poros and Aegina are all very different and each have their own allure.
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Evermore Cruises VIP
When jet-setting, one must do so in style. Evermore Cruises offers a VIP Lounge package for the distinguished day-cruiser. The VIP Lounge is in the front of The Cosmos and totally private from the rest of the boat. So private that they even give you an electronic key card so you can explore the ship freely and return to your peaceful area with ease.
In the VIP area, coffee, tea and soft drinks are all complimentary as well as some high-end finger food that is served before the arrival at the first island stop. There is a full bar available inside the lounge and a menu is available if you wish to order additional food items in addition to what they offer.
You are welcome to move about the ship, hang out on the upper decks or grab a snack from one of the numerous snack bars located around the ship.
The VIP Lounge is absolutely top-notch. The furnishings, service and amenities were great. I’m not going to lie, the fact that they had multiple wall plugs and USB ports available was really a nice touch!
With the VIP package, you are able to select one of the tours offered on the island stops- Evermore Island Tours. (I would personally recommend selecting the Temple of Aphaea in Aegina. I’ll get to that later…)
Hydra
The picturesque island of Hydra is the first stop of the day. The ride from Athens to Hydra on the Cosmos took about 3 hours. The time really flew by and being in VIP with Travel Bloggers Greece made the experience even more enjoyable!
What to do in Hydra for 2 hours
1 hour and 55 minutes to be exact! This is plenty of time to take in the sights of the port town. Hydra Town is a timeless village with a different look than the Greek screensavers that perhaps brought you to this magical country. The port town is lined with stone manors built up along the sloping walls of the sheltered harbor.
Hydra is known as a ‘see and be seen’, cosmopolitan destination in the Aegean. However, Hydra does not come with the presumed price tag of such a label. (Check out my post Hydra on a Budget)
Hydra from Evermore Cosmos
You arrive at the far end of the horseshoe port at 11 am. Grab a coffee at the Cool Mule or Prima and keep moving.
Walk along the port until you reach Sunset Restaurant at the opposite side from where you arrived. When you come back to Hydra the next time to stay overnight, this is where you will catch an amazing sunset. On your walk back toward the boat, explore a bit up into the alleyways. Follow the donkeys and see where they are heading. Don’t wander too far though, Hydra’s narrow alleyways can get confusing and you don’t want to miss your boat!
Lunch on-board The Cosmos
Depending on the weather, you may be very happy to get back into your climate-controlled VIP area of the boat. Lunch is served at this time between Hydra and Poros. You will have the option of a few different items as your main along with two fresh salads on the table. It is after noon at this point, so why not have a nice glass of Greek wine with your meal?
Next stop Poros!
The approach into Poros is really unique because you come in between the mainland and the island (which are really close). You start to see many boats that are anchored in the water, scattering the surface.
Approaching Poros on The Cosmos
Because Poros is so close to the mainland, many Athenians drive there from Athens for the weekend, so if your cruise is on the weekend, expect larger crowds.
The Evermore stop on Poros is only for 50 minutes, so my friend Elena from Passion for Greece told me, “It’s your first time in Poros, you gotta climb up to the clock tower.” So that is what I did. When I got off the boat, I veered left and then saw a sign pointing up some stairs to the tower. My suggestion is to just follow the crowd.
The scenery is spectacular and much better than what is going on down below in the t-shirt hustling world of tourist shops.
View from the clock tower in Poros
Snack time
I was already planning the ice-cream treat I was going to have on Aegina when I was boarding the ship in Poros. I was pretty excited when I found that an afternoon snack spread for us to enjoy while we sailed to our final island destination. Fruit and traditional Greek cake were laid out for us and as throughout the entire cruise, coffee and tea were available to keep us caffeinated.
Aegina
Our final stop on this one day cruise is the closest of the Saronic islands to Athens. A very popular destination on weekends for Athenians wanting an escape. Aegina is also an easy destination for visitors who want to get to an island, but don’t have much time- obviously, they haven’t heard of this awesome one day cruise and will be sad when they read this.
As I mentioned earlier, I would recommend taking the arranged tour to the temple of Aphaea at this stop. A very cool historical site to add to your Instagram collection. A little history never hurt anyone, right?
The Aegina stop is for 2 hours, so you have time to explore the port town if you are not heading to the ancients ruins (which you should be).
Because I have already visited Aphaea, I opted to stroll the streets and explore Aegina Town. It is very different than the previous two islands. I’d say Aegina shows signs of distress and it is a port town that has seen better times. There are many interesting buildings to check out and let your imagination run wild.
Abandoned building in Aegina
Pistachios!
Aegina is famous for pistachios and I get a real kick out of the pistachio wars that go on along the port. “Ours are the best!” “Taste the difference” “Try our pistachio butter, lotion, liquor, spread….” Definitely take them up on their offers and try it all. I suggest the caramelized pistachios (something similar to a brittle).
Put on your dancing shoes
After everyone is back on board the ship, it is time to head back to Athens. There is live entertainment available during this portion of the trip. If you still have any energy left- go for it! This may be your only chance in life to dance ‘Zorba the Greek’ style in Greece!
Depending on the time of year of your cruise, you should be back before sunset. Nevertheless, the golden hours before sunset are magical on the Aegean Sea. Enjoy your last moments aboard The Cosmos and mentally prepare yourself for city life again. Unless you are heading to a hotel in Glyfada, then the tranquility of the life on the water will remain with you.
Evermore Cruises
Port: Marina Kalitheas
Phone: 211 1882220
Website: www.evermorecruises.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EvermoreCruises
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