MYKONOS
Area: Small Islands
Country: Greece


Location:
Member of the Cyclades group of islands, off the SE coast of the Greek mainland in the Aegean Sea.

Telephone code from UK:
30 22890

Position:
4 miles SE of the island of Tinos; 20 miles N of the island of Naxos. Forms a ring with the islands of Naxos, Paros, Syros and Tinos around the ancient holy island of Delos.

Description:
Barren and hilly, measuring only 11» miles by just under 10 miles, the island rises to a height of 1,216 feet at the top of Mt Profitis Ilias. The countryside is made up of grey-green rocks, prickly pear plants and little fertile areas with wild flowers. It has a mixed history, having been part of a Roman province, then taken by Venetians and Turks and finally uniting with Greece in 1832. Almost completely dependent on tourism, it is by far the most popular and overcrowded of the Cyclades islands. Holiday resorts hug the W and S coasts, except for Ano Mera, which is near the centre of the island. MYKONOS TOWN, on the W coast, is the island's hub and commercial centre. It's especially picturesque, with clean white houses, lots of little churches in winding, narrow and sometimes steep lanes and occasional fishing cottages. It has a busy modern port, which has usurped the old harbour. Cars and motorbikes are banned from the town, which is encircled by new modern roads; it is 2 miles NW of the island's airport. AGHIOS STEFANOS, backed by hills on the NW coast, is embryonic and slightly tatty, consisting of one narrow row of holiday properties facing the beach. It depends on Mykonos Town for nightlife and shopping. PLATYS GIALOS, on the S coast, is a fairly undeveloped area encompassing the beaches of Psarou, Paranga, Paradise and Super Paradise. Some of these can be rather awkward to get to, but the persistent sun seeker is rewarded by some quite pretty sandy bays. AGHIOS IOANNIS sits on the SW coast in a rare sheltered spot with good sunset views. It offers very little to do. ANO MERA, in E-central Mykonos, is 1» miles inland in a hilly area. It is dusty and low-key, made up of a sprawl of buildings including a cluster of condominiums around the 16th-century monastery. It suits middle-aged middlemarket couples wanting to escape mainstream tourism. KALAFATIS, on the SE coast, is in a flat, exposed area. Nearby Aghia Anna sits above a couple of small coves on a steep incline. Kalafatis itself is less a village than a crescent of minor development around the bay, with a few houses up in the hills and a handful of fairly large holiday establishments. It offers peace, sun, sea and a beach to laze on. KALO LIVADI, on the S coast, is a small, exposed and undeveloped bay, accessed and traversed via small unmade tracks. It consists of a handful of large holiday properties and a couple of beachside tavernas. ORNOS is built on flat ground around an unsheltered bay on the SW coast, rising to a steep hill behind. It consists of a sprawl of tourist development and plenty of mooring space for cabin cruisers. TOURLOS is a quiet resort on the W coast, backed by mountains. It serves primarily as a mooring for cruise liners rather than as a place for beachgoers to swim. It is a rarity on the island, being suitable for the budget-conscious.

Suitability:
Relatively upmarket, Mykonos is one of the more expensive Greek islands. All ages, singles, couples and families come in droves. Not as much a gay destination as it used to be, the island is still known for its tolerance.

Accommodation:
The full range, from hotels and some villas, to apartments, simple rooms and campsites. Abundant A-category hotels.

Shopping:
Most resorts have just one or two souvenir shops (if that) and offer everyday shops and supermarkets. Mykonos Town has the island's concentration of shopping, with everything from a seafront market selling fresh fish, to souvenir tat, to posh clothes and jewellery. Local weavers sell rugs and blankets in traditional patterns directly from their workrooms. Shops selling works of local artists are also plentiful.

Beach:
Rocky and inaccessible in the N; good on the W, S and E coasts. Quiet beaches are at Kalafatis, Aghios Ioannis, Aghia Anna, Kalo Livadi, Tourlos and Megali Ammos, just outside Mykonos Town. Mykonos Town beach is small and windy, with gritty sand and poor swimming; the beach also forms part of the harbour. The Platys Gialos area is commonly regarded as having some of the island's best beaches: they are sandy and large, with good swimming, parasols and sunbeds and a full range of water sports. Note that slippery rocks are a danger at Paradise and Super Paradise in the early months of the season. The latter two are known for nudism, and Super Paradise for its popularity among gays. Aghios Stefanos has water sports at a wide, curving sandy beach, where the shallow sea becomes suddenly deeper farther out. Kalafatis and Ornos have long, sandy beaches with parasols, sunbeds and water sports. Kalo Livadi is long, sandy and windswept; also undeveloped. Tourlos Beach is small, sandy, not as clean as it could be, and subject to the Meltemi (local wind which scours the island). Scuba-diving centres, banned elsewhere in Greece owing to the vulnerability of underwater antiquities, are common on Mykonos, although diving is still carefully supervised to ensure that no precious sites are disturbed.

Entertainments:
Daytime: archaeological museum, church of Paraportiani (actually a complex of churches) and picturesque windmills at Mykonos Town; 6th-century BC tower ruins and Temple of Lazarus at Platys Gialos; monasteries and convents _ particularly the monastery of Our Lady Tourliani, with its carved stone bell tower _ around Ano Mera; hill walking; water sports. Nightlife: little outside Mykonos Town, where it's fairly energetic, with options ranging from dancing in cheap bars to cocktails with classical background music; Greek dancing with plate-smashing; all-night discos.

Eating:
Best selection in Mykonos Town, from pleasant waterside tavernas, sheltered from the Meltemi by moveable screens, to attractive garden restaurants in the middle of town. A variety of national cuisines, particularly Italian; beachside tavernas; souvlaki bars; kafenia (coffee shops); even fish and chips. Greek salad and fish are common dishes.

Public-transport:
Bus stations in Mykonos Town, one for the centre and N and one for the S; there are frequent buses to the popular resorts. Taxis are available at set fares. Plentiful car and motorbike hire, but those driving themselves should know that although the main road system is good, some roads are rough and even dangerous. Ferries arrive at Mykonos Town from other Aegean islands, Piraeus and Rafina.

Local-excursions:
Delos (daily, weather permitting); round-island boat trips; beach barbecues (evenings); Ios, Paros, Naxos (2 days); Tinos (1 day).