Take everything you’ve heard about the beauty of Mykonos and forget it. It’s all wrong. All you’ve heard grossly understates how beautiful this little island is.
Located in the Aegean Sea, hidden among hundreds of other islands, Mykonos is a well-known stop on any tourist’s route through Greece. If you visit Greece, chances are that you’ll hit Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos. I’ve already written about Athens and how beautiful it is. Santorini is beautiful in its own right with an interesting history. But Mykonos? Ah Mykonos. This is the stuff that Greek poets wrote about. Crystal clear waters, gorgeous weather, delicious wine, and sunsets that evoke every color of the rainbow.
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The main town, Chora, and a glass of local assyrtico wine. Not too sweet, but nice and crisp. Perfect sipping wine for hanging out for a few hours. |
| Chora from the hotel. The hotel was at the top of a hill, which was a hassle to get to, but having this view at breakfast every morning made it worth it. |
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Crystal clear water in Chora. I know the photo isn’t straight. I’d had several glasses of wine at this point, so it looked OK to me. |
The side streets of the main town, Chora (also referred to as Mykonos Town) are easy to get lost in. All of the buildings are painted white, and the streets do not follow any logical pattern. Apparently, this was done deliberately. Many of the islands in this region were subject to pirate attacks in the past. When pirates invaded the city, they’d get lost in the labrynthine streets. The locals, who knew their way around, would easily escape, circle around, and attack the pirates from behind. Pirates are no longer a threat, but visitors still get lost, passing the same bars and jewelry stores repeatedly until we finally cave in and stop for a drink or purchase a trinket.
| White buildings with blue doors and roofs line every street in Chora. |
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Apparently this pelican is a known local. He walks the streets, minding his own business. One of the waiters at a restaurant passed him and petted him on the head and the pelican barely flinched. I, on the other hand, wouldn’t get within 3 feet of him. I didn’t want to get mistaken for a fish. |
When I rented a car in Mykonos, I was told by the rental agent that there are only 20 police officers on the island. 12 of them are permanently detailed to the airport, leaving 8 for the rest of the island. Since they obviously have to work in shifts, that means that at any given time, there are probably only 2 or 3 cops around the island (I’m not sure why he felt the need to volunteer this information. I assume I look sketchy.)
Driving the length of Mykonos will take about 30 minutes, so if you rent a car, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the side roads and find the smaller beaches. Paradise Beach is the best known and most popular beach, and when Karen and I went there, it was covered in tourists. Rows of lounge chairs with umbrellas, waitstaff bringing drinks and food to the tourists, the whole deal. Karen and I took one look at the beach and left. There were so many better beaches to see on the island, we didn’t want to waste any time there.
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Nobody around for miles. |
| Another almost deserted beach that we found along the southern coast. |
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The water in some places was calm and so clear that you could see the grains of sand at the bottom. |
And, with a view like that during the day, you can only imagine what the sunset would be like. So you hike up another hill, getting lost repeatedly among the unmarked streets (thank God for Google Maps), and you finally find the 180 Sunset Bar.
| Champagne at sunset at the 180 Sunset bar. It’s a pain to get to, but worth the view. |
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As the sun dips below the horizon, you get every color of the spectrum. I would have put my glass in the photo again, but it was empty, and that made me sad. |
There’s a reason why people visit Mykonos, and it’s easy to see why. People are friendly throughout Greece, and the food is good everywhere. But views like this are the stuff that postcards and wall art are made of. As it is, I guess I’ll have to go back once in a while to refresh my memory.
