Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The undistinguished but popular beaches southwest of the town are tucked into
pretty bays. The nearest, 1km away, is
Megáli Ámmos
, a good but often windy beach
backed by flat rocks and pricey rooms, but nearby Kórfos Bay is unpleasant, thanks to
the town dump and machine noise. Buses serve
Ornós
, a package resort on a low-lying
area between the rest of the island and the Áyios Ioánnis peninsula. The south side has
a reasonable beach, plus
kaïkia
to other beaches, a handful of tavernas, and numerous
accommodation options.
Two kilometres west is
Áyios Ioánnis
, the island's westernmost bay and small,
namesake church, overlooking Delos - the tiny public beach achieved a moment of
fame as a location for the film
Shirley Valentine
.
Accessed by a 500m dirt track
northwest from Áyios Ioánnis is the small but popular beach at
Kápari
, with good views
of Delos and the sunset.
ACCOMMODATION
6
AROUND MÝKONOS TOWN
Best Western Dionysos
Ornós
T
22890 23313,
W
dionysoshotel.gr.
Easily the most comfortable hotel in
the area with a pool and adjoining bar, free wi-fi, satellite
TV, children's area and a fitness room, as well as parking
space -
mission
impossible in Ornós. Breakfast included.
May-Oct.
€100
Manoúlas Beach
Áyios Ioánnis
T
22890 22900,
W
hotelmanoulas.gr.
A surprisingly affordable high-class
hotel, blindingly set in white against the background of the
deep blue of the Aegean. The panoramic view of its
restaurant (€12) acr
oss to
Delos is breathtaking. Breakfast
included. May-Oct.
€120
The south coast
The western half of the south coast is the busiest part of the island.
Kaïkia
and buses
head from town to all of its beaches; drivers will find that car-parking spaces at most
beaches are inadequate and signposting surprisingly poor. You might begin with
Platýs Yialós
, 4km south of town: one of the longest-established resorts on the
island, where the sand is monopolized by end-to-end hotels.
Psaroú
, just a steep
hairpin road away to the west, is much prettier - 150m of white sand backed by
foliage and reeds.
Just over the headland to the east of Platýs Yialós lies
Paránga
, actually two beaches
separated by a smaller headland, the first of which is quieter than its neighbour. Next
is the golden crescent of
Paradise beach
. Here, as on many of Mýkonos's most
popular beaches, it can be difficult to find an opening big enough to it a towel in
high season, and any space clear of people is likely to be taken up by straw umbrellas,
rentable (usually along with two accompanying loungers) for about €16 per day.
The next bay east contains
Super Paradise
beach
, accessible by
kaïki
, or by a surfaced
but extremely steep access road. It is one of the most fun spots on the island with its
main beach bar staging a party every evening at 6pm. The eastern half gets progressively
more gay as you walk towards the hills, below which the beach is almost exclusively gay
and nudist. The more secluded
Agrári
beach is 300m to the east.
One of the more scenically attractive beaches on Mýkonos is
Eliá
,
the last port of call
east for the
kaïkia
, also reachable via an inland road. A broad, sandy stretch, with plenty
of parking and a mountainous backdrop at the eastern end, it's the longest beach on the
island, though divided by a rocky area, and almost exclusively gay later in the season.
East from the Eliá road is
Kaló Livádhi
(seasonal bus service), long and sandy, fronting
an agricultural valley scattered with little farmhouses.
ACCOMMODATION
THE SOUTH COAST
Ì
Mykonos Camping
Paránga
T
22890 24915/6,
W
mycamp.gr.
This small campsite, a short distance from
the second Paránga beach, has one of the most pleasant
settings on the island. It offers a wood-fired pizzeria, a pool
with an adjoining cocktail bar and a minimarket, as well as
relative p
eace an
d quiet from the relentless Mykoniot buzz.
May-Oct.
€7.50
Paradise Beach Resort
Paradise
T
22890 22852,
W
paradise-greece.com.
An industrial-size (and feel)
campsite operating since 1969, also offering cabins for
