Down Time in Mykonos

By Crivenica

An Indonesian version of this post was published in Sunday edition of Bisnis Indonesia, a leading Indonesian business daily.

The color of blue was all I could see as I peeked through the airplane window. Blue sky and blue sea. At that point, my husband and I had been on several different planes for over 20 hours and let me tell you how great it felt to land on the island of Mykonos, Greece. As I stepped out of the plane, I started to feel both my body and mind hummed to the relax atmosphere surrounding the island. I couldn’t wait to dip my feet into the water of the Aegean sea, explore the little popular island and taste all of its delicacies.

Mykonos, part of the Cyclades group of islands in Aegean sea, is only 30 minutes away from Athens by plane and a favorite for glamorous vacations. It is known for its glitzy nightlife and party beaches, but if you are like me, I prefer the more traditional and quiet side of Mykonos. That’s why we went there in late May early June just before the peak tourist season (We also had a wedding of a good friend to attend). The island was still relatively quiet and the prices were a bargain.

The famous windmills of Mykonos

MYKONOS TOWN (HORA)
There are less than 10,000 people living in Mykonos and around 6500 of them live in the little Mykonos port town and capital, also known as Hora. It’s a picturesque town of little alleyways, white washed buildings and Bougainvillea trees. Walking through these little alleyways is like walking through a maze and you can easily get lost. But the town is so small, it’ll take little time to familiarize yourself with the main areas, which are full of restaurants, souvenir stores, boutiques and galleries. I especially love the stores that sell natural skin products made of olives. These products are like a Greek trademark. They’re everywhere.

Now if you want to check out the Mykonos nightlife, walk into town after 9pm and head to the waterfront. There are more trendy restaurants, bars and clubs that would cater to patrons to the wee hours of the night. Life in Mykonos doesn’t start until late and it keeps going until daybreak.


BEACHES
People go to Mykonos for its beautiful light-colored sand beaches. During the day, you can be sure that people head to their favorite beaches and lounge in the sun all day. There are two types of beaches in Mykonos: the organized ones and the non-organized ones. Organized means that the beach is lined with lounges and beach umbrellas that you can rent. Bars and taverns playing club music are also ready to serve the beach goers cold drinks and food. This type of beaches may be convenient for most people, but it can also mean crowded, cramped, and noisy. But if this is the type of beaches you prefer, head to party beaches on the south side of the island like Paraga beach, Paradise beach, Super Paradise beach and Elia beach.

Agios Sostis Beach

My husband and I, on the other hand, prefer the quiet secluded non-organized beaches on the north side. My suggestion is to get a map, rent a little car and explore the little island. Our favorite was the Agios Sostis beach. It’s a small secluded beach fenced by rock walls, but it is quiet and the water is calm. Here, there isn’t any lined up lounge chairs and umbrellas. We had to bring our own beach towels (and our hotel lend us a beach umbrella), but we felt more relaxed swimming in its calm water than we would ever be swimming in the sardine like southern beaches. I must warn you though, if you’re going to visit Mykonos in the pre-tourist season and swim in its water, be prepared for the chilly water, but after the first few freezing minutes the cold water started to feel refreshing in the hot sun.

Grilled calamari at Kiki's

Just up the rocks from the beach, there’s a little local favorite taverna called Kiki’s. Overlooking the beach, it is a wonderful place to grab a traditional Mykonian lunch. You can choose various kinds of freshly made Greek salads made of beans, pasta, couscous and veggies, and order some grilled meats and seafood. We devoured our lunch of salads, grilled calamari and swordfish after our cold swim.

Fokos Beach

Our other favorite beach is Fokos. Another non-organized beach on the north side, it is farther and more secluded than Agios Sostis is, but it’s worth the drive. But be forewarned, since it is more secluded and quieter, it’s not rare to find some people going topless or even nude on this beach. The beach is wide enough for the small number of people who go there that we all could have our own private spots. And since it is protected by two rock walls on either side, the water was so calm to swim in. When you get hungry, there is a lone taverna up the beach where the beach goers can go for lunch and have cold drinks. So don’t worry about being starved.

Other worthy places to visit are Ano Mera, a village in the middle of the island, and Delos, a smaller island across from Mykonos rich in historical ruins. You can catch a ferry to Delos from the Mykonos port in the morning. However, our week in Mykonos went so fast and most of our time was spent exploring different beaches. And after living surrounded by big mountains for the past two years, we really enjoyed Mykonos and its beaches. So if you have plans to visit this beautiful place, don’t miss my recommendations.