Your guide in visiting Mykonos, Greece

How to get to Mykonos?
Where to stay in Mykonos?
What to do and see in Mykonos?
Where to eat in Mykonos?
Summary of beaches and hotels in Mykonos

The presumption is that Mykonos is a party island that attracts the party people and also attracts a lot of the gay community to visit the island. This is all true but there is so much more to Mykonos and this is also why I believe a lot of people come back to the island year after year. 

The island truly got everything. They have beautiful beaches. They have beautiful hotels. They have fantastic restaurants. Yes. I believe it is the most expensive island in Greece next to Santorini but there are also less expensive options if you stay away from the really crowded and commercialized beaches. If you want to have a fun night out you could venture out to the town center and Little Venice where it seems the night never ends. Or you could visit one of the many clubs along the beaches during the day or late into the early hours of morning.

Transportation is an issue as with many of the Greek Islands. You need a rental car for sure if you want to move around but the issue is with parking spaces. There are practically no parking spaces in most of the major beaches during high season. Therefore, it is wise to stay near a beach or with a hotel that provides free parking. 

HOW TO GET TO MYKONOS

A majority of people will get to Mykonos via many of the highspeed ferries from Athens port of Piraeus. However, I chose to fly from Athens airport to Mykonos. There are a couple of reasons why this was the preferable method for me.

1.) I arrived at Athens Airport and on the same day will transit to Mykonos. This means I do not need to haul my bags across town and take the subway or land transport to the port of Piraeus. Aegean Airlines offers multiple flights a day from Athens to Mykonos during peak seasons. This means you should be able to pick a flight that fits with your transit time available from your previous flight into Athens. 

2.) Time. A flight to and from Mykonos takes only 45 minutes compared to the fastest ferries which take more than 2 hours.

3.) Bumpy seas. I heard that the sea can get bumpy and it is a much more comfortable ride on the airplane.

4.) Price. Yes, a flight might be more expensive than the ferry but I think the time saved is well worth the extra price.

5.) Fantastic view of the Aegean Sea from the air.

6.) Not every islands have an airport so if the island you choose to go to have an airport and is served by one of the airlines in Greece then I don’t think you need to decide much but choose to fly.

WHERE TO STAY IN MYKONOS 

This is quite an important and difficult decision to make when visiting the Greek Islands like Santorini and Mykonos. There are a number of questions you should ask yourself before you make this decision:

1.) Budget – The price range is huge. Depending if you are just looking for a room to sleep in or one of the many beachside hotels in Mykonos famed beaches. Especially in the summer high season, it will be very difficult to look for a place to stay on the island that might suit your needs. Avoid the peak season and aim for the shoulder season of May or September. If traveling during the summer peak is unavoidable, make a booking at least 9 months before as many prime locations and hotels will be fully booked 6 months ahead.

2.) Location – Mykonos is not a huge island but without your own transport it will pose its own problems. If budget permits, I highly suggest staying close to a beach. Chora or Little Venice is the main town in the city and the hotels that are close to the town and its neighboring beaches are the most sought after. However, if you have your own transport or do not need to be close to the main town, there are a number of other choices in the beaches further from Chora or those that are not near any of the beaches.

The flip side of having your own transport is driving and parking on the island. Many of the roads on the islands are extremely narrow and often difficult to navigate. Moreover, parking can be almost impossible on many of the beaches during summer. If you need to drive, get the smallest car possible so as to make life easier to navigate and park on the island. 

There are advantages in staying near a beach as you can avoid a lot of hassle in transportation. If you do want to do a bit of beach hopping, I do suggest you stay in the beaches at the south of the island as they have a beach hopping “ferry” service that takes you to a number of beaches in the south side of the island. It is more like a sea bus than a ferry as it stops at one beach after another. 

I will list the hotels that I was interested in by the beach that they are located at. I will start in the north and move to the south. There are some that are not located near a beach and I will list them at the end. The price of some of these hotels are quite expensive as are many in Mykonos but they are at prime locations and there are others to choose from near these hotels if you find the location desirable. I cannot list them all here. I’ve stayed at a hotel that I think is reasonably priced at the beach but it has its pros and cons which I will mention later. 

Agios Stefanos Beach is located at the north of Mykonos town and Little Venice and the Cruise Ship port. One of the most desirable hotels there is called Grace Mykonos. It is one of the most expensive hotels in the island but there are other hotels around the area to choose from such as Rocabella Mykonos Hotel.

Further south of the Cruise Ship port and north of Little Venice is Cavo Tagoo Mykonos. This is another famous hotel in the Greek Islands and also having a hotel in Santorini. Although, Cavo Tagoo is a bit far from any beaches. 

South of Little Venice is Paralia Megali Ammos. Bill & Coo Suites and Lounge hotel is located near the beach and they have another hotel at Agios Ioannis beach which I will mention later as well. They are a member of Leading Hotels Of the World. There are a number of other hotels around this area as well. Joanna’s Nikos Place Taverna is a popular Taverna at the beach.

Continuing south we move to Paralia Korfos beach. Mykonos Waves Beach House & Suites right at the end of the beach. Then there are a number of hotels on the hill towards the west of the beach. They are a bit far from the beach but most of them have great views of the Aegean sea. 

Now we start getting to the south side of the island with Agios Ioannis Beach from the west. Numerous hotels around the area with Katikies Mykonos also as a member of the Leading Hotels Of the World located right above the beach. Bill & Coo Coast Suites and Mykonos Grand Hotel & Resort which is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World Group are the two that I will look into as well if I want to stay in this area. Anax Resort & Spa and Saint John Hotel Villas & Spa is a bit further from the beach but can be reasonably priced. There is also a popular restaurant by the beach called Hippie Fish Mykonos.

Moving to Ornos beach which is just opposite of Paralia Korfos beach but facing south is another famous beach in Mykonos. Mykonos Blanc Hotel will be my choice at Ornos beach as it is right at the beach. Kenshō Ornos will be another choice but is further away above the beach. Kensho also has another hotel at the lavish Psarou beach which I will mention later.

The next five beaches that are along the south of Mykonos might be the most famous on the island. There are some that are more relaxing and ones that are basically party beaches where beach clubs line the beach. 

Psarou beach is the calmer and smaller of these beaches in the south but probably the most lavish. There are numerous yachts especially RIVA anchored outside the beach as there is a RIVA Yacht center at the beach. There is a lavish outdoor shopping mall called NAMMOS Village which is near the beach. NAMMOS also has a beach club and restaurant by the beach. Kenshō Psarou is a beautiful hotel along the beach. This is probably where I will stay if I am staying at Psarou. Grecotel Mykonos Blu hotel is also another choice at the beach. 

Next is Platis Gialos beach. This is the beach I stayed at. Branco Hotel seems to be the jewel right at the middle of the beach. Petasos Beach Resort is also a good choice but a bit further from the beach at the western end. The George Hotel is a bit further up from the beach which can be another choice. 

I stayed at the Thalassa Boutique Hotel at the eastern edge of the beach. It is part of an older hotel that was recently (2015?) completely renovated. As mentioned, the positive of staying in a beachfront hotel is that they usually have their own private section on the beach where it is free for use for their hotel patrons. This includes a beach lounge chair and towels and water usually. If you are not a hotel patron, you will usually need to pay to use the beach chairs or have lunch at one of the beach clubs with an additional fee to use their facilities on the beach. It can costs upwards of 25Euros a day per beach lounge chair. The hotel is perched a bit above the beach so it got the perfect view of the whole beach in most of the rooms. Just beware that some rooms are actually beside the swimming pool where there is no view at all. I was actually first placed in one of these rooms. I was quite unhappy as I didn’t realize these were the rooms I’ve book. The website at that time was not too transparent as to the type of room they were. I’ve asked the front desk to possibly change the room to the ones with the balcony overlooking the beach. To their credit, they did move me to the rooms with a balcony. The fact that my initial room also said there was a balcony but the “balcony” was actually the deck of the pool and it is along the path from the reception to the rooms so it gets really busy. If you plan to spend your whole day at the pool, then these rooms are perfect but I don’t stay in a beach front hotel to stay in the pool. Although, the pool does have the whole view of the beach below it. 

Agia Anna beach is worth a mention because it is actually quite quaint and quieter than the other beaches along the south. It might be a great choice for those who don’t want the crowd. There is actually a walking trail from Paralia Platis Gialos to Agia Anna. Although, hotel selection is limited at this beach.

The next couple of beaches don’t have many hotels on the beach but mostly beach clubs and restaurants. Paraga beach is the next beach along the south. It is near Scorpios which is an institution on the island. It is perched on top of an outcrop with its own docks and helicopter pad and private beach. It is a lounge, a restaurant, a bar and beach club with a zen like experience. It doesn’t play any loud electronic music but house music that makes you feel you are in another world.

There is a nice beach club called SantAnna Mykonos on Paraga beach. San Giorgio Mykonos / Soho Roc House hotel is near the beach. 

Next is Paradise Beach which is the party beach on the island. If you don’t like the club scene and loud music blasting on the beach all day long then this is not the beach for you. Tropicana Beach Bar – Restaurant is one of these beach clubs along the beach that blasts loud electronic music all day long. This is night and day compared to the zen like experience you get at Scorpios. Two famous clubs for the clubbing dance scene are also located here. Paradise Beach Club along the beach and Cavo Paradiso Club Mykonos which is a bit further from the beach on the rock outcrop.

Then we move to Super Paradise beach which is much calmer than Paradise beach with some great hotels and restaurants. Jackie O’ Beach Club & Restaurant is another institution on the island which is located here. LYO Boutique Hotel is a lovely hotel above the beach. 

After Super Paradise beach, there are Agrari beach and Elia beach with Elia being the bigger of the two and a popular gay beach. Some say these are one of the most beautiful beaches on the island as it is less commercialized. 

The next couple of beaches along the southern coast towards the east is really a bit far away. Although, they have their own charm with all the beaches along the southern coast. It is also more economical to stay at these beaches compared to the other ones. 

Paralia Kalo Livadi beach has some nice hotels such as Seaside Studios and Archipelagos Luxury Hotel. 

Agia Anna Beach got a famous restaurant called Spilia Restaurant. The restaurant looks like it is built inside the rocky shore line. They have mixed reviews but you can’t beat the location. Kalafati beach is one of the bigger beaches towards this end of the island.

Lia beach, Mini Lia beach and Frangias beach are the last three beaches at the southern edge. Lia beach still has most of the facilities of the other beaches. But if you want to look for a secluded beach then head to Mini Lia and Frangias. They don’t have any facilities there and might need a long walk to get to even if you drive as the roads are all private near the beach. 

At the north of the island there is Fokos beach with a very nice Tavern called Fokos. One of the bigger beaches in the north is Ftelia beach. There are a couple of nice restaurants at the beach such as Alemagou Beach Bar Restaurant.

Then there is Panormos beach with a very nice beach club restaurant called Principote Mykonos.

Further to the north is a remote beach called Agios Sostis but without any facilities. However, there is a famous Tavern in Mykonos called Kiki’s Tavern which is located near the beach.

WHAT TO DO AND SEE AT MYKONOS?

I highly recommend renting a private cruise for a day or half a day to the neighboring islands and beaches. I rented a private RIB cruise with Don Blue Yachting. They are a fantastic group of people and having a number of different size RIBs to choose from. RIBs are basically a big rigid inflatable boat that can take you to most of the secluded beaches. They are flexible and can tailor-made a trip that you want.

Most people will spend some time visiting the neighboring island of Delos. The whole island is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was believed Apollo-Sun, god of the daylight, and Artemis-Moon, goddess of the nightlight, were born. Today, it is mostly laid in ruins but if you are interested in archaeological sites especially Greek archaeology and mythology, then this is a must visit. The island is small but is still a lot of walking and could take a couple of hours to walk the whole island. Plan your time accordingly. If you are not interested, then it is wise to cruise around or use the time to visit more secluded beaches.

WHERE TO EAT IN MYKONOS?

I have already mentioned a number of beach restaurants and Tavernas already in the Where to Stay section. I will point out a couple more here in Little Venice. Just beware there are numerous restaurants in the town of Little Venice. It is all tourist so there are tourist traps everywhere like the island. Yes, most of the places are probably not worth the money. Usually my rule of visiting these places is at least the restaurant should have a view. If by any chance the food is bad, I will still enjoy the view. Also, you should try some local Greek cuisine as Mediterranean cuisine might be the same in many places, traditional Greek food is something else. 

Kastro’s Bar Restaurant – A nice spot at the crowded Little Venice. Try to reserve in advance for tables right by the sea along the alley outside the restaurant. If not, get a window seat inside with a view of the windmills.

Remezzo Restaurant – One of the restaurants on the expensive side and you might be questioning yourself if it’s worth it. I think it is. The staff is great and try to make a reservation for the tables one the other side of the restaurant looking towards Little Venie. The view is fantastic. The ambiance is great at night and some beautiful people there. 

Avra Restaurant – A nice local traditional restaurant inside a beautiful courtyard in Little Venice. 

If you want to head away from the beaches, you can head to the center of the island to the village of Ano Mera. There are a couple of nice restaurants there such as Paprika and Fisherman Giorgos & Marina Taverna.

SUMMARY OF BEACHES AND HOTELS

It was a bit daunting to research about Mykonos as there are so many beaches and hotels and restaurants that makes finding a place you think you would like challenging. The high prices during the peak season is also an issue as most of the hotels I would like to stay at is over my budget by a mile. This actually makes finding a hotel extremely challenging. Those that I was interested in were actually fully booked a year in advanced for some. I highly suggest staying at the beaches at the south of the island that are connected with the boat/ferry service. Staying with one of the beach hotls also have the perk of getting a beach lounge chair for free. I could just spend days sitting and swimming at one of Mykonos beautiful beaches. Some say Mykonos is not for everyone but I think of the contrary. I think there is something for everyone in Mykonos. I would definitely go again in the shoulder season where hotel rooms might be less expensive.

Thank you for reading. Hope the information will be helpful in planning your trip to Taipei City. Please comment and let me know your experiences at Taipei or drop me a message via any of my social media channels.   Also, please subscribe so I can keep you up to date on my travels and any new travel destination information.