Isabella, first of all tell us about yourself
My name is Isabella-Rae Banda, also known as Bel. I’m 32, grew up in Australia, but am of European descent.
I moved to Europe in 2013 and have lived in both London and Malta and tend to split my time up 50/50 with Australia & Europe, chasing the sun & missing peak winter.
I Started out as a Makeup Artist and Hairstylist, before getting into the Tech World and soon after becoming an Entrepreneur and now CEO of two small companies; a Health Food Distribution Company (Amazonia Malta) and a Digital Content Agency (The WRITERS Group).
I’ve always been passionate about travel, I’m also a foodie and enjoy creating content and editing. My dad was a well-known 70’s fashion photographer and I think I get my creative flare from him. 🙂
I grew up with a Stepdad that was Greek and was exposed to Greek culture from a young age, which I absolutely loved. We celebrated Greek Easter, we would watch our Yia Yia cook traditional greek food (I wish I paid more attention so I could make them just as well haha). This is where my love for Greek culture started.
Was your visit to Greece the first one? What made you choose Greece?
What lead me to my first trip in 2019, was heading to Greece to meet my friend who I worked with to set up my Content Writing Agency, from a lovely hotel in Thessaloniki, where she was living. From there, I decided to visit my friend Kathleen who was a business owner of a great Mexican Beach Bar on Ios Island and it was then that Greece stole my heart.
I spent about 2 months in Ios running my business from there. Working from morning to early afternoon taking dips in the sea every couple of hours and would spend the rest of the day enjoying the island, which was perfect because most people woke up in the late afternoon as they worked late nightshifts.
I then made my way to Athens and had a 2 day stop over there before heading back to Malta. Athens has a great vibe and I want to go back and explore it properly, however I am definitely drawn to the smaller islands.
I then went back to Greece this July and again in September (2022). In July I went to Crete with my bestfriend and the beaches there are incredibly beautiful!
In September I headed to Paros and Santorini for a quick stopover while making my way back to Ios, as I needed a relaxing holiday and thought I’d visit my friends. Ios is amazing because it has some of the most beautiful beaches, sunsets, and great nightlife, but it also has a lot of Australian business owners and tourists, which is perfect when you’re missing home but live on the other side of the world (Malta) . Best of both worlds.
Give us some travel tips for our readers who plan to visit Greece
Travelling around Greece in the off-season is Great! I would recommend going either in May/June or September because you have fewer tourists and can really make the most of your trip. You also have more of an opportunity to get to know locals, as they’re slowing down with their workload.
Santorini is absolutely stunning, but expect it to still be busy in the off-season. If you’re into creating content, get up super early to have more photo opportunities and less crowds. A great alternative to Santorini is Naxos!
Which beaches should one see?
Tripiti Beach in Ios is incredible. We hired a boat from Mylopotas and had an amazing day on the sea stopping at a few beautiful beaches. Tripiti was my favourite!
Mylopotas Beach in Ios. I spent a lot of time at Harmony Beach Bar eating incredible food, listening to the best live music and jumping off rocks into the beautiful sea which contains glitter particles which glisten on your skin when you get out.
Some of the most brilliant beach clubs/luxury hotels in Ios, known for their unique designs I am absolutely in awe of are, Calilo and Erego Beach Club & Restaurant.
Where did you enjoy very good food?
Some of my favourite places to grab a bite to eat in Ios would have to be Harmony as mentioned for Mexican Tapas, its bohemian decor and live music, Katogi is an incredible Greek Tapas Tavern that has a great atmosphere and a really ecclectic space. Make sure to book, because they’re ALWAYS busy. Hellenic Social has great Aussie Brunch and Thai Smile which has super delicious Thai food at an affordable price!
I would also suggest driving further out of the main centre (Chora) and go to a traditional Greek taverna for the best greek food. This goes for everywhere I’ve traveled to in Greece.
Which bars made a good impression on you?
Pathos Sunset Bar and ALMA are two special venues to watch sunset drink cocktails.
The clubs I thought were great was Circus Bar which is a live music nightclub I’ve never seen anything like this concept anywhere before. Delta Bar and Escobar were all really fun Bars in Ios.
Which of the places you travelled to would you suggest someone visit?
I would highly recommend Ios Island because it has a bit of everything and you’re extremely close to other small islands like Paros, Naxos and Santorini. Ios has a mixture of relaxing wholesome venues as well as great nightlife.
Anything else you think someone should know before visiting our country
- Be prepared to walk up a lot of hills and stairs, depending on where in Greece you end up. It’s a great workout.
- Buses aren’t as frequent as you’re probably used to, so factor that in. There’s usually about a 30-40minute wait between routes.
- People tend to go out at night really late, so getting a nap in first and heading out at 12am-ish is usually best.
Do you have a favorite dish from the Greek cuisine that you think everyone should try?
When in Greece, make sure you try dolmathes, gyros, moussaka, fresh seafood like octopus and fish, taramasalata dip, GREEK YOGHURT AND FETA!!!! and baklava of course. The list of foods to try is endless, but I’ll leave it here
We’d also like to know what you think of the locals in the places you’ve been to.
From my experience I came across a lot of lovely Greek people. Everyone was friendly, passionate and loved to have a good time. I didn’t feel out of place, which can happen when you visit certain countries. The culture is one of my favourites by far!
If you were given the chance, would you live permanently in Greece?
YES and YES!! I have been considering basing myself in Greece throught the summer, I would just need to see how to make my business run from there, as the wages in Greece make it a little difficult for visitors to live there long term
