Introduction
A few weeks ago, a few friends and me spent a week on the Greek island of Mykonos, a small island lying around 100 miles east of Athens in the Aegean Sea. On the one hand, the little Cycladic island is prejudiced as a island for the gay community, on the other hand it is said to be really expensive and a place for people to show off their wealth. But are those preconceptions true? We will find out! Welcome to ...
The island
As already statet in the introduction, Mykonos is a rather small island with a size of around 85 square cilometres and not even 12,500 people living there. Most of those live in Mykonos Town (or Chora), the main village located in the west of the island. Most of the famous sights and most interesting places to go out are located there as well, so this city will get a lot of the attention of this post. For example the "Kato Milli", the famous windmills that make up for the landmark of the island, are there as well.
Our accomodation at Paradise Beach
Like many other people, we didn't stay directly in Mykonos Town but close to Paradise Beach, one of the islands most famous party hotspots. Paradise Beach is located a few miles away from the capital in the south of the island - however, a regular public bus service makes transportation there really smooth and easy. Parking space is rathe limited in the captial, so I would definitely recommend the bus. The fact that you won't have to look too closely at how much alcohol you are drinking, also is a point for taking the bus ;)
Paradise Beach is a nice beach during the day and a party hotspot from late afternoon till early in the morning. There are two beach clubs (Tropicana focused on Pop and Classics plus Guapacolaone focused on Hip-Hop) and one big discotheque (Cavo Paradiso). While the last one was rather empty and therefore too expensive (probably worth it in the main season), the two beach clubs were really cool. And definitely no places for gays only. In fact, we didn't even see gay people every day. However, those were clubs with a far better girl-guy ratio than most of the clubs I have ever visited. I found a little video on Youtube that can describe the atmosphere better than words.
We got ourselves a really nice apartment at the Votsalaki Boutique Resort and it was a blessing. Walking only five minutes to the beach, the clubs and the bus station made everything extremely easy. The clean apartment, the awesome infinity pool and the refreshing breakfast rounded the location up perfectly.
However, even though the location was great and we even had an awesome taverna in walking-distance, we of course also explored the capital, Mykonos Town. And the city was even better.
Mykonows Town
The first thing most people coming to the historic parts of Mykonos Town do is visiting the Kato Milli, the famous windmills you can find on almost every postcard from the island. And if you go there yourself, you can totally understand why. On the one hand, the white windmills (picture above) look awesome themselves, on the other hand, it is the perfect location for sunset photography.
Those two beauties have both been captured with my iPhoneX without a tripod or similar accessories - so I can only guess what is possible with a "real camera" and nice equipment.
After shooting some nice pictures, I would recommend checking out Little Venice, a part of the old town that is only a few hundred meters away. There you can enjoy a beautfiul scenery formed by buildings in Venice style while eating some nice food directly at the water of the sea. I personally can recommend the restaurant Nice n Easy Mykonos, which is specialized on both affordable and organic, locally grown food. And they do a great job in achieving what they promise. The seafood is amazing and affordable for students like myself as well. Yes, it is more expensive than McDonals - but getting a normal Dinner is not cheaper in Vienna, Paris, Berlin or San Francisco as well. However, you don't get this nice view of Little Venice in those cities! The second restaurant I can recommend is the Captain's Mykonos, which is especially great for sharing food between people. Actually food for sharing is their brand's slogan.
Of course the city of Mykonos Town is also famous for the many white buildings, which serve as background for many, many photos. You will not be able to run around a few minutes without stepping into someones picture 😅
Besides taking nice pictures and offering awesome food, the town also has to offer a lot in terms of nightlife. The best start into the night are some cocktails at a cocktail bar close to the sea. I would recommend Scarpa, a lovely bar right in Little Venice. They have a an absolutely stunning Cucumber-Mojito that tastes extremly fresh and inspiring - but be aware not to missjudge it as a fitness-drink, as you won't taste the alcohol it has in it. You will finde the Scarpa by following the little metal sculptures made out of pipes.
After finishing your cocktails, I would recommend to check out the Scandinavian Bar, where people from all countries meet up for partying. There are definitely more expensive options as well - but why waste money? ;)
Beaches
If you travel to a Greek island, you of course also expect to be lying at the beach and enjoying a swim in the crystal clear water. Even though other islands are better for that purpose, Mykonos still offers a few really beautiful beaches. My favorite is the Kapari Beach, a rather hidden place in the west of the island.
This small beach is rather untouched (no shops, sundshades or beach chair are available) and only reachable by feet. If you are fine with those things, the beach offers pure sand and crystal clear water. The people going there are mostly young locals, which also speaks for the beach I guess! If you prefer music and other more touristic stuff, the larger beaches (like Paradise Beach f.e.), are a better choice for you.
Besides the beaches, nature doesn't have to offer a lot on the small islands, plants and other sources of water the the sea are rare.
Conclusion
If you are into partying and lifestyle, Mykonos can be a perfect place for you - even if you are neither rich or gay. You will meet tons of people from all arond the world (especially the amount of people from America and Australia was surprising) and definitely have a great time. However, if you are travelling with young kids or want to explore a lot of nature or history, other Greek islands like for example Zakynthos are the better choice for you.
I hope you enjoyed this travel report and remember it the next time you hear prejudices about Mykonos. If you have been there, I would be glad to hear your stories about Mykonos as well. Personally, I can look back at an amazing time there.
Greets,
Martin