In June I had the absolute pleasure of visiting the Greek island of Mykonos with some friends! With its unique white Cycladic architecture and haphazard maze of winding streets, I was excited to just to see the pure beauty of the bright white island!
In this post I will be offering my own opinion and tips on what to do, where to go and where to stay in Mykonos...
I
have recently put together a video of some clips from my holiday in
Mykonos if you wanted to watch that first for more of a flavour of what
Mykonos is like and what I got up to there! Please subscribe to my
channel whilst you're there as I will be uploading more videos of my
travels very soon :-) thank you!!
https://youtu.be/t11dkx9yD6s
THINGS TO DO IN MYKONOS:
The Windmills Kato Myloi:
The famous windmills of Mykonos are a must see when on the island. Now out of use, the windmills stand proud against the sea view and draw in thousands of visitors every year to see them. Great photo opportunites can be made here at sunset where you can sit and watch the sun setting over the sea, whilst photographing the seven windmills against a pink sky background. If you're looking to photograph them at a quiet time however, sunset is not the time to go. Instead, head to the windmills in the morning when it's a lot less busy!
Little Venice:
Little Venice is one of the most picturesque parts of the island. Situated along the sea shore it is a beautiful place to sit for a drink, have some food or just watch the world go by as the waves lap up beneath you. This is another perfect spot to watch the sunset in the evening and enjoy the warm colours of the sky light up the pretty buildings of Little Venice. This area of Mykonos Town is the most expensive to eat and drink which might be something to bare in mind!
Wandering round the streets and shops:
As simple as it may be, one of the most enjoyable things to do in Mykonos is wandering around the beautiful streets of Mykonos Town. There are so many little boutique shops, bars and restaurants and endless secret alley ways to discover. This was one of my favourite things to do because it was like being in a maze getting lost amongst the stunning bright white streets.
Explore the island:
Something I would highly recommend doing is hiring a car. I'm so glad we did this as it meant we could drive around the whole island to explore different parts of it, rather than spending all our time in Mykonos Town and the tourist areas. Mykonos Town is definitely the main part of the island that is an absolute must-see in comparison to other parts of the island, however it was nice to be able to explore and travel around the whole island (as it is so small) to see different scenery as well.
Visit the quiet beaches:
One of the best things about having a car was being able to discover the quieter beaches on the island. If you don't mind noisy party beaches there are plenty of them on the island with the main one being Paradise Beach. However we personally preferred quieter beaches further out on the island where we could relax and swim in peace!
Here is a list of the few that we discovered and would recommend travelling to if you have a car:
- Agios Sostis
- Fokos
- Kapari
- Tagari
*See my video for more shots of the beaches we went to!
TIPS & TRICKS:
- Mykonos is an expensive island to shop and eat. Make sure you take plenty of money with you if you are wanting to eat out and buy souvenirs etc!
- I would recommend finding accommodation where you can cater for yourself to help you save money on food.
- You have to try traditional Greek food when in Greece! Try 'Souvlaki Story' for traditional gyros and souvlaki. I had the 'Mykonian' which I would recommend for something a little different when in Mykonos.
- By all means try and get a car as this will help you travel around the island if you're wanting to explore and find different beaches. If you are not staying in Mykonos Town as well this will also be very helpful for getting into the town.
- There are buses that run regularly into Mykonos Town however if you are staying just outside of the town or are wanting to travel outside of the town to the beach.
- Don't miss the sunset! This is a strict warning because you will regret it if you go to Mykonos and don't chase the sunset. We spent most evenings either sat by the Windmills watching the sun setting, or travelled to a different spot around the island to capture the stunning changing colours of the sky. They are by far some of the best sunsets I've ever seen!
WHERE TO STAY:
We had an Air Bnb villa in Ornos outside of Mykonos Town. The villa was lovely and was perfect for 5 people. It could have easily fitted 8 however with the use of the sofa beds in the living room which were really comfy! The villa had a kitchen area which was handy for making our own meals. There were two bathrooms, two bedrooms downstairs, an outside area with a table out the front and a parking space as well. There was also a balcony area out the back with a sea and pool view overlooking Mykonos Town in the distance. The views were lovely!
The only slight downside to the villa was that it was at the top of a massive hill! This was one of the main reasons why we hired a car so that we could easily tackle going up and down the hill. If you decide to stay at this Air Bnb, a car really is a must have!
I would highly recommend this Air Bnb because it was lovely and clean, there were two pools that we could use and we seemed to be the only ones who did which was nice! It was perfectly equipped and would be great for a group of 5 to 8 people. The owner was very helpful and arranged our car hire. He also helped us out by picking us up and taking us to the airport for free which was very kind!
Here is a link to the villa on Air Bnb:
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/9974300?location=corfos%20sea%20view%20house%20ii&s=NvocZUzW
Overall, Mykonos is a stunning island and is different to any other Greek island I have been to due to its beautiful sugar cube buildings and amazing sunsets! I hope this helps anyone thinking of going to Mykonos, or even persuades anyone who hasn't been to go!
Thank you for reading, and remember to take a look at my video on YouTube to see what I got up to in Mykonos: https://youtu.be/t11dkx9yD6s :-)
