An Honest Guide to Mykonos

How is it September already!? This Summer has flown by and I have to say it’s been one of my favourite ever. We were lucky enough to do quite a lot of travelling and that included going back to one of our favourite places; Mykonos.

We first went to Mykonos in June 2013 and this Summer marks our fourth trip to the island, a fair amount has changed in the time since we’ve been going and places that I once loved I can no longer stand so I thought I’d do a quick round up/guide to Mykonos if you’re planning on going or are already a regular wanting to find some new spots.

WHERE TO STAY

Our hotel is actually the main reason we come to Mykonos, it has it’s own beach, beach bar restuarant and two pools so is essentially a resort and caters to your every holiday needs which renders it nigh impossible to actually want to leave and explore. The Santa Marina hotel has been our Mykonian home since 2014 and they always look after us so well. It boasts a beautiful beach which is relaxing as well as having a party vibe (the DJ has a knack for mixing Narcos AND GOT credit music with aplomb). It’s also fantastic for people watching and you’ll see many famous faces come in and out.

However, it’s ultimately a family hotel which means the vibe is just all around positive. The rooms are beautiful and the views are breath taking. If you’re planning on coming to Mykonos for a purely party holiday however I’d recommend staying somewhere in town like Cavo Tagoo or Mykonos Blu. Santa Marina, whilst beautiful, is slightly out of town so you need to either rent a car or rely on the hotel shuttle as taxis are both scant to find and extortionate when you are lucky enough to get hold of one. Villas are also an excellent option if you have a big group – I’d highly recommend these guys for the best villas in town

http://villacrew.com/

WHERE TO EAT

Food glorious food. A quick run down of some of my favourite spots; Ling Ling which is an offshoot of the Hakkasan brand. The food is excellent, the service is exactly what you’d expect from a restuarnat of its kind (perfect) and the setting is pure Mykonian bliss with a beautiful courtyard where you can sip cocktails and chow down on crispy duck salad.

If you’re after something more authentic I’d recommend having a wonder around town with your TripAdvisor app and cross reference. It can be really hit and miss with the old school tavernas, a few years ago all the food and service was impeccable, however as of late I’ve found that the tavernas are so busy that they are less bothered about both the quality of their food and their staff yet they still charge prices as high as Hakkasan or Nobu. Ones I can vouch for are Rocca and Nautilus, however be warned with cult favourite Katrine’s; it looks and feels like a cosy traditional taverna which is worlds away from the bling bling of the rest of the town however they still try and sting you with a bill; we had to wait 50 minutes for our table (which we’d booked 4 days prior) and were then sat so far away from the restaurant we felt like we were just randomly sitting in the street. The food was good though, but they got our order of grilled squid wrong and brought us deep fried calamari which we were unable to eat and then hit us with a bill to make us wince. Be warned.

There’s also a new healthy eat that opened recently called Bowl, whilst I didn’t make it this trip numerous friends have vouched for their acai bowls and gluten and dairy free options, I’d recommend this for breakfast if it isn’t included in your hotel stay.

WHERE TO BEACH

The golden rule with the Mykonian beaches is to book in advance and get there on time which is usually 11am. This is one of the main reasons we choose to stay at Santa Marina as they have their own beach so we have zero stress with getting out on time. However Panormous is a beautiful spot as is Scorpios (it also turns into a party later on in the day so you can chill in the morning and then ease into the party mood). Fokos is a lovely alternative if you want something a little more authentic and off the beaten track of revellers in chunky gold rolexes and villebrequin shorts.

WHERE TO PARTY

My favourite way to go out in Mykonos is to start with a post beach nap followed by a late fun dinner in town somewhere like Nobu/Ling Ling or Interni followed by bar hopping. The gay clubs are the most fun in my opinion and play the best music, it’s also more authentic and fun than some of the more chi chi spots. However my siblings’ favourite places to go are the super clubs and the best of the bunch is Cavo Paradiso (you have to take a party bus to get there as it’s right on the edge of the island) and it’s semi outdoors so you can watch the sun rise, if that’s your vibe then check up on which DJs are playing and buy your tickets/book your table in advance and be prepared to stay out until 7am! In terms of day parties, Alemagou and Scorpios are both super fun places if you like house music. Nammos has become a bit of an institution in Mykonos and whereby it used to be my favourite place on the island I now have grown to really dislike it, the sunbeds are packed tigh together like sardines, the staff are rude (they can afford to be) and the food is average. We did enjoy one party lunch there and whilst fun it was extremely overpriced and the restaurant is full of older men with a certain type of beautiful younger woman if you get my drift, not really my vibe or scene.

WHERE TO SHOP (OR NOT AS THE CASE MAY BE…)

I would personally avoid shopping in Mykonos if you can. I find most of the shops extremely overpriced for what they’re selling. Most shops this season were selling knock offs of the Hermes Oran sandals for 200 euros. Similarly there are loads of sunglasses shops selling shades for the same prices as Dior/Bvlgari but without any of the safety in knowing you’re buying into a good quaitly brand. The only shopping I did was for my little brother Cosmo and I resisted the wares which can look very tempting whilst you’re out and about and high on holiday but are ultimately overpriced tat.

WHAT TO WEAR:

The more colour/fringing/prints the better here – there’s a real bohemian vibe. Most people will wear similar outfits to the beach as they do out to dinner/clubbing. The golden rule is to not bring any heels and stick to flats as the winding streets of Mykonos can be treacherous!

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