In Mykonos, in peak season it’s difficult not only to find options for living, but also to book a table in a top restaurant, beach club or get a ticket to a concert of some trendy artist, for example DJ Black Coffee from South Africa. Nevertheless, for the Russians Mykonos is still terra incognita. And although among our compatriots there are media persons who have been “adepts” of the island for more than 10 years, Mykonos is still a new destination for travel. Villa Artisti team and our private concierge is available to provide access to popular places, create all conditions for an unforgettable vacation and organize a program that can include visits to Delos, Santorini, relaxation after a noisy and fun Mykonos at the Amanzoe Hotel in the Peloponnese and getting to know the secrets of the Acropolis before flying home.
48 hours in Mykonos.
Day one
MORNING
Stroll through the labyrinthine streets to the cute, buzzy Popolo bakery (18 Drakopoulou St) and set yourself up for the day with a big bowl of Greek yogurt with honey or fruit, washed down with a bracing espresso freddo (a classic cold coffee drink here).
Around 9am you should still have the streets mostly to yourself, bar the island’s industrious workers who buzz about in minivans and mopeds making deliveries to bars and restaurants, meaning you can forge, unencumbered, to its most picturesque parts, such as the five Windmills of Kato Mili, which sit on a small hill above Little Venice. There used to be dozens on the island, mostly built by the Venetians in the 16th century, but their use as wheat mills died out in the early 20th.
Keep your camera ready as you wander five minutes north to the Panagia Paraportiani – known as ‘Our Lady of the Side Gate’ as it was next to the entrance to the old castle – the most photographed orthodox church on Mykonos, thanks to its unusual, white-washed structure. It’s actually five churches in one.
AFTERNOON
Board one of the regular public buses from Fabrika Square to your choice of beach for the day. One of the most enduringly popular (and yes, my favourite) is picture-perfect Paradise, with its long sweep of pebbly sand. Established in 1969, it houses a campsite, cafeteria, and a couple of beach clubs.
Lounger hire on the sand costs from €7/£6 (more if you want an umbrella), or you could set up by the saltwater pool at Paradise Beach Club’s more secluded pool bar (Kalamopodi), where the only requirement in return for a (more comfortable) lounger is to buy food and/or drink during the day. They do all the usuals you’d expect, such as Greek salads, burgers, halloumi sandwiches and more. The music gets progressively louder as the afternoon goes on; prepare to see people dancing on the main beachside bar by 5pm as the DJ whips them into a frenzy.
LATE
Head to Little Venice for a sundowner – but get there early to bag a table with the best view at one of the bars which line the waterfront. Try BAO’s (Lamprou Katsoni 1), named after a former local pirate, George Bao, who raided ships from his base at a small island opposite, and sup on one of their signature cocktails, such as The Mandarin, with fresh mandarin juice, gin and lime.
Then tuck into a delicious heap of seafood spaghetti at Pasta Fresca Barkia (15 Kouzi Georgouli St), which has been making fresh pasta daily since 1978. Afterwards, if you dare, follow the crowds around the corner to the legendary Skandinavian Bar (Georgouli Square), where partying and people-watching are the order of the night.
Day two
MORNING
Start the day slowly with a visit to a café at the Old Port; try Kazarma(Akti Kampani), one of several lining the waterfront, for a reviving veggie omelette and brown toast. If you’re lucky, you might spot one of the island’s three treasured pelicans hovering by the fish market for scraps.
Then visit the Folklore Museum (Kastro) next to Paraportiani church to get an idea of how people used to live, work, and dress in the 19th century. Still hungry? Pop to Gioras (Agiou Efthimiou), the oldest bakery on the island – it dates back to the 18th century and its ceiling is covered with original wooden beams – for a hearty, flaky, filo pastry spinach and feta pie.
AFTERNOON
Spend the afternoon exploring the charming village of Ano Mera (reached by bus from the Old Port). It is quieter and more peaceful than Chora, and has a few historic sites worth visiting, such as the ruins of Gyzi Castle, built under Venetian rule, and the intact Paleokastro Monastery, both of which offer fabulous views from their higher vantage points. One of the most impressive, however, is the Panagia Tourliani Monastery, built in 1542, and covered inside with brightly painted icons, an altar screen painted by Florentine artists, and dragon-shaped incense holders.
After the heat of the day has died down, take a trip to Delos. Believed to be the birthplace of twin gods Apollo and Artemis, it was inhabited as far back as 3000BC, and you can see the remains of amphitheatres, temples, public squares, marketplaces and several sculptures. One such sculpture is half a phallus, all that’s left of the symbol of wine god Dionysus, while a series of lions line a terrace which once led to Apollo’s shrine.
LATE
Back in Chora, grab a table at the bound-to-be-busy Niko’s Taverna (Porta), a Mykonos institution known for its fresh fish (you’ll spot the fresh catch of the day, including sea urchins, on ice around the entrance).
If you’re planning a nightcap, venture to Lola (Zanni Pitaraki 4), a pink and purple confection of a cocktail bar which draws a fun, mixed crowd. If you’re going all out, there can only be Jackie O’s (Old Port), which turns into a, shall we say, lively, nightclub after dark…
