Mykonos

Dazzlingly white and windswept, waterless and treeless, but with superb thick sandy beaches, blue-domed chapels, dovecotes and windmills, a sparkling streamlined architecture, and the most beautiful harbour in the Cyclades, Mykonos epitomizes the ideal Greek island.  

Combining natural elegance with cosmopolitan style, Mykonos has been built up almost to the limits of its capacity. Yet it still remains ravishing. Artists and archaeologists, hippies and gays, first discovered the island in the ‘60s. Then came a bohemian flood of fashion designers, writers, and musicians, and now its reputation is for international socialites, glitz and glamour. Crystal seas, wild nightlife, high-octane beach bars, sunset rituals, designer boutiques, jet-skis and mega-yachts, show-stopping villas and pull-out-all-stops resorts. Highly contagious and madly expensive. You either fall in love… or proceed to the next island. There is no in-between. It is simply Mykonos. 

By day and night, Mykonos has a lure and energy to keep many coming back. Even in high summer, if you wake early you’ll find the place almost deserted, save for the Mykonians. Fresh fish is sold on the harbour front, the mobile greengrocer with his produce in his donkey’s panniers sells flowers too, washing is hung out between wooden balconies, courtyards filled with plants are watered. Tourist life wakes up in time for a bleary-eyed brunch and an afternoon swim. Sunset is the time for champagne popping or some casual dancing on seaside tables; dinner is not before 10, or 11, or maybe midnight, when the late-night bars and clubs start filling up. The narrow streets of Mykonos town swarm with human traffic: people-watchers, tourists, photographers, stylish ( and some not –so-stylish wannabe) women and men trailing the promise of good times into the night. The air is cooler, the music louder, the bars swing into full motion, a rhythm that will carry on into the early morning hours. 

The beaches on Mykonos are justly famous – pristine, raked, groomed and furnished with swanky beach clubs, luxe cabanas, palm-thatched umbrellas, cute waiters and valet parking. The easily shocked should avoid Paradise and Super Paradise, where anything goes – although the nightly drag shows at Jackie O are a hoot. Kalafati and Lia beaches are the most natural/sporty. For a hint of ‘old Mykonos’, head to Agios Sostis, Myrsini, or windswept Fokos, which has the best taverna on the island. On windy days, the whole island heads for the lee-sheltered beaches of which there are just enough to accommodate everyone. Solitude can still be glimpsed in areas like Agrari, Tigani, and Faros. When you want to escape the relentless beat, take the boat to Rinia island, ringed with aquamarine waters, or Delos, an oasis of peace covered in wondrous ruins. All visitors have to return to Mykonos by nightfall. As ojne client of ours put it, go to Mykonos first, then somewhere quiet like Ithaca to  detox, then  back to Mykonos to retox.. 

BEST FOR 

Celebrity and footballers-on-holiday spotting, high end jewellery and fashion shops, star-studded clubs, international restaurants, cool bars, fabulous beaches with butler service, and of course, great dining. Easy access with fast and frequent flights and hydrofoils to Athens, and connections to Paros, Santorini and Crete, among other islands. 

WORST FOR 

Hassle, frazzle, wind, glare, noise, traffic parking problems, booked-out restaurants, jam-packed beaches, coaches, buses, daytrippers, worrying about what to wear and high prices. 

WOULD SUIT 

Party groups, the Ibiza crowd, young adults, friends wanting to be part of a quintessential summer  beach party and clubbing experience and suffer from FOMO. Those into the music, DJ and clubbing scene. Those in need of constant stimulation and  those hitting all the famous hotpots in the Mediterranean. Wind surfers, jetskiers and high-adrenaline boat lovers. 

WOULD NOT SUIT 

Conservatives who dislike seeing too much of other peoples bodies. More serene souls who want a hammock and a good book in shady green tranquillity, chilled types who like to be spontaneous, and those  trying to find some peace and solitude. 

DON’T MISS 

French delicacies under the blooming bougainvillea at Katrin, a timeless classic in Mykonos town. Cocktails at Caprice in Little Venice at dusk — always a crush, still magical. Breakfast in the old harbour watched by Petros the Pelican. A chilled lunch at Sol y Mar on Kalo Livadi beach, Fokos taverna, or Kiki’s at Agios Sostis (if you can stand the long wait for a table under the hot sun) or La Luna on Lia beach. Sushi served by foxy girls in bikinis at Alemagou, a neo-hippy hang-out at the far end of Ftelia beach. Sundowners and artfully plated dinner at Scorpios, while DJs and live performers riff on trancey world beats around a beach bonfire. Romantic dinner on the rocks at Spilia. An outdoor movie and souvlaki in the botanical gardens of  Manto cinema. After-hours boozing at Astra or Appaloosa. Late-night antics according to your predilections.  

ACTIVITIES 

Kite surfing (Korfos or Kalafatis), wind surfing (Ftelia), scuba diving and skinny dipping (we’ll tell you where to go). Horseback riding across the sun-scorched hills from Ano Mera to Fokos beach. A private massage, yoga, or breathwork session on the terrace of your villa. Celebrity spotting at Nammos, flashiest of all the flashy beach bars. A quiet morning admiring glorious sculpture, jewellery, embroidery and ceramics in the Archaeological Museum and Folk Art Museum or browsing antique tomes in the little municipal library. An early morning pilgrimage to the stunning church of Panagia Paraportiani. A mosaic workshop with Irene Syrianou at Asteria, her little atelier behind the port. A private boat trip to the sacred island of Delos, overlooked by far too many visitors caught up in the celebrity whirl. It’s wonderfully atmospheric, especially in spring with its carpet of red poppies.  

HIGH SEASON 

The meltemi northerlies blow hard. The island almost sinks under the weight of its visitors. Be prepared for exorbitant prices, reserving everything well ahead – and reconfirming,  and best to hire a driver rather than try to drive and park. 

LOW SEASON 

In spring, the island is green and radiant; wildflowers that you never imagined could exist sprinkle the land. The Hora will be undergoing its annual whitewash and the locals are fresh and chipper in anticipation of the summer onslaught. Equally, autumn is gentle and mellow, seas are warm, and island life still buzzes. The island has a long season and sill feels lively and summery until late October/November.