This modern seaside village is situated inside the bay of the island, which is one of the biggest and safest natural bays of the Mediterranean sea, and it constitutes the largest tourist center of Milos. Adamantas is its main port and the first view to look upon when approached by ship.

Built on the north side of the bay, Adamantas or ‘’Alamanto” as it used to be called, has been inhabited since 1824. It was built by Cretan refugees expelled from Sfakia, who came to Milos after their failed and bloody revolution against the Turks. Nowadays, the village numbers around 1100 inhabitants.

This seaside island town is composed of small snow-white houses with small yards decorated with flowers and narrow quite lanes which altogether compose a picture of excellent Cycladic beauty. The village of Adamantas throbs with life in summertime. In this village you can combine relaxation and calmness with night life and entertainment, whereas at the same time everything you need for comfortable and pleasant vacations is provided to you: [there are] cafes, restaurants, ouzeries, pizzerias, grill-houses, fast-foods serving souvlaki, a bar, a club, shopping centers, supermarkets, banks, the port authority, the customs, a health center, a pharmacy, a dental clinic, a newsstand for Greek and international press, etc. Here, the island’s night life is intense with bars playing various kinds of music that speed up the rhythms and the entertainment tempo till the very break of dawn.

On the port’s left side you can find the parking lot and then the Lagkada quarter with the Lagkada beach, whereas on the port’s right side the main coastal road stretches out leading to the village’s central square where the bus stop lies, and the taxis await you. On the one side of this coastal road, there is a long tiled pavement, cafeterias, restaurants and tourist shops as well as the municipal Hot Springs of Lakkos, whereas on its left side stand the relatively new port facilities which combined with the safety of the natural port, make Adamantas suitable for yachting activities. (From that point also the trips with boats and touring yachts set out reaching for the inaccessible beaches of the island and also for the tour around Milos and Kimolos).

If you desire to swim, Adamantas can offer that to you, too. Within a short distance and accessible without the use of any means of transportation, lie the beaches of Lagkada (500m from the center of Adamantas) and the beaches of Papikinos (1km away from Adamantas).

Finally, the sights of Adamantas include also : the church of The Assumption of the Virgin, the catholic church of Saint Nikolaos, the Mineral Museum and the Church Museum where the one thousand year old church of The Holy Trinity is housed.

(Source: www.milos.gr)

The calendar leafs may have otherwise been turned to autumn, but September is still a summer month in Milos, though pointing toward its end. The sea is warmer than any other period of the year and the weather is my “friend” in any excursion I plan, since the trade winds are long gone. On the other hand, summer temperatures are still here and remind me that summer in Greece is more than August. All the stores on the island are still open and prices for lodging are as low as at the beginning of summer.

The Bonfires of “Old man August”

On the 31st I get the chance to see the Bonfires of “Old man August”, a traditional custom that takes place particularly in Tripiti and Pollonia. Locals light big fires just before sunset and jump over the flames, in order to gain strength to face the cold of the coming winter.
Moreover, one of the most important events of the island starts on the 16th of September each year. It is the three-day fair at the monastery of St. John Siderianos in Halakas. This religious festival is the largest in Milos and many visitors come just for that. Indicative is the fact that many residents of the neighboring island of Kimolos, vow to make the hike to Saint John on foot after setting foot off the boat that connects Kimolos to Pollonia, a distance of 30km from the port to the monastery!

By now summer is at its height, the weather is quite warm, and the only thing I can think about is the beach. Ι can enjoy the crystal waters of the Aegean in one of the island’s beaches, along with numerous other visitors who have come to Milos from around the world. Tourist traffic has surely risen and culminates in August. If I intend to visit the island during this popular month, I will need to have secured my accommodation and tickets already, so as to avoid the hassle and waste of time. The summer trade winds have picked up and are blowing in often now, adding to the characteristic identity of the Cyclades cooling me down and. Fortunately the island has many leeward beach options if the northerly winds happen to become a little more intense.

In the middle of the summer people spend their day on the beaches, in shops and at the local tavernas (restaurants). The evening calls for me to enjoy the nightlife, from “quiet” beach bars under the starry sky, to clubs where I can dance until dawn and everything in between.

During the summer my options are expanded with the cultural festival of Milos, which invites known and established artists, but also the various local festivals. In these I shall be able to taste local dishes and good wine, while the locals will invite me to dance with them to traditional Greek songs.

May and June sets the ground every year in Milos, to bridge Spring and Summer. The revitalized natural environment vividly colors the first hot days, and since the summer trade winds haven’t yet started, the rising temperature allows me to take the first steps on the beach and dive into the sea. This is a very good period to visit the island. Lodging is at a better price than the rest of the summer, while all tourist activities (excursions etc.) have already started for the Island’s arriving guests.

May Day in Milos

May Day in the island provides me with an opportunity to participate in an age-old custom. Girls collect flowers from the blooming fields and make wreaths to hang outside their homes’ doors. Boys, on the other hand, wait until night to steal the wreaths and hang them in the village square. Next morning, the girls go back to the village square in order to retrieve their wreaths, and exchange tricks and teases with the boys.