Greece 2023 - Cyclades islands - Mykonos

The ferry arrived into Mykonos and the entire port area was absolute chaos, more than the normal Greek Ferry chaos we had come to love. The port is also the location the cruise ship passengers come on land and we had just arrived at a key offloading (or maybe onloading, I couldn't tell between the craziness) time. It took us a good 20 minutes to find our driver, get out of the port, and head to our hotel.

Mykonos Town is a car free area and our hotel, the Andromeda Residence, was right in the heart of the no car zone. The taxi dropped us as close as he could, and then we had a short but challenging walk trying to find the entrance, but it was worth it. We chose the hotel for two reasons. Firstly, it had a pool. A mandatory requirement from us for any sun holiday. Secondly, it was super close to the action. It was going to be a massive struggle to stay awake beyond midnight so we needed all the help we could get to minimise the distance to our beds after partying. The hotel was a little oasis in the middle of the town. It was maybe a bit noisy with the kids playing in the next door basket ball courts at all hours, and the music from the clubs late at night, but with the doors and windows closed, we didn't hear too much. 

We chilled by the pool for the rest of the day, and in the evening set about exploring the winding streets of Mykonos. We were lucky enough to end up at the Windmills at sunset on our first night, it wasn't planned. More so than the other towns we had visited, it was really easy to get lost wandering around Mykonos and it was the first time we actually had to use our phones to work out where we were and what direction we needed to go in. 

Our favourite bar, which we ended up going into every night, was Paloma. We did forget every night where it was and ended up having to look it up! We love this place for its chilled out friendly vibe, great staff, and really good music.

One of the weirdest things we found about Mykonos was just how much it changed from night to day. During the day, you can explore the many churches, go shopping, have a meal, and just take in the sights. At night, the churches and most of the shops close, the bars open, and even the restaurants turn into night clubs. One of our favourite areas for seeing this transformation was in Little Venice. During the day, these are posh little restaurants are difficult to get a table in but at night, the tables and chairs are replaced with a dance floor and they are blasting out music. If you do decide to go into one, push through the crowd and get to the back for an amazing view over the crystal clear water to the Windmills which seem to look even more stunning at night when you've had a few cocktails. 

The next day we booked a tour with Aegean Ventures. We absolutely love this company just for how easy it was to book and how friend all the staff were, especially the crew on the day. We sent them a WhatsApp the day before asking about availability, they responded instantly and we were booked onto the tour. 

It was a short walk to the boat but felt longer due to the hangovers we were carrying. A coffee, full fat coke, and a pastry made it all feel a little better. After checking in and paying for our cruise, we boarded. Seats are limited so I would suggest arriving early to bag a space. 

We set off and after 45 minutes, arrived at a secluded beach where we had a couple of hours to jump into the water from the boat (or use the ladder for those scared of hights, water, or with dubious swimwear that could get lost), swim to the beach, and enjoy the peace and quiet. It was a long swim but noodles were provided making it possible for even weaker swimmers like Lee!

We returned to the boat and were given a traditional BBQ lunch, followed by fresh watermelon, and then headed off to our next stop, Delos Island. Not everyone on the tour got off at Delos, and for those who didn't, the boat headed to another remote beach for more swimming. 

We did get off at Delos and spent a couple of hours exploring. The facilities are very limited here, even the toilets are few and far between, so come prepared. Most tour companies visit Delos in the morning. We chose this tour because they visit in the afternoon when the site is much quieter. It was so quiet when we visited, it felt like we were often alone. Only our boat and one other dropped off a handful passengers the whole time we were there. 

Delos is one of the most important archaeology sites in Greece and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is thought that Apollo and Artemis were born here and as a result, no mortal is allowed to be born on this island, or die on this island. It is very impressive just how extensive the buildings and antiques are on this island, and how easy it is to work out what life was like all those years ago. Although it is a difficult climb, it is worth taking the stairs up to the highest point for a stunning view. 

Back on the boat, it was a party all the way back to port with the tunes blasting out and the crew getting people up to dance. The sea just outside Mykonos is really rough and dancing to the YMCA and Macarena whilst being thrown from side to side in a boat, was weirdly a lot of fun! That could have been helped by the free wine that was on offer for the entire trip. 

For our final day on Mykonos, we toured the beached using the Water Taxis. We took the bus from Mykonos Town to Platis Gialos, bought a day ticket from the little office to hop on and off , and then jumped on the next boat leaving. They run every hour so its important to keep an eye on time as if you miss one, which we saw a lot of people doing, you'll have quite a bit of time to wait for the next one. 

The water taxis are converted fishing boats, and whilst they're not really comfortable, there is a great atmosphere on them and they are a great way to cover a lot of beaches in just a day. We decided to go all the way to the end of the line, and then spend the day working back. This also allowed us to check out all the beaches from the boat to help us decide which ones we wanted to spend more time on. 

The last beach on the line is Elia Beach which had a lovely bar and restaurant on the beach, super soft sand and clear water, but there were a lot of sun loungers. Given we were only here for an hour, it wasn't worth hiring one, so we used our beach blanket and found a spot between the loungers.

After an hour, we jumped back on the water taxi and to our next stop Agrari Beach. This beach still had the crystal clear water, which was a little deeper, but the sand was coarser. It wasn't such a popular beach so there were less sun loungers and more space to find our own private spot, plus less people around. 

Our final beach, because we spent too long relaxing, was Super Paradise Beach. This was a lovely beach too but was much busier with party goers. There were a couple of great bars, which look like they turn into clubs at night plus plenty of space to find a spot away from the sun loungers.

Eventually it was time to get the last taxi back to Platis Gialos where we had one final drink in one of the beach front bars, before jumping on the bus back to Mykonos Town. 

Our final half day in Mykonos was spent relaxing by the pool before ending our Cyclades Islands adventure with a flight back to the UK.