3 Days in Mykonos

After Athens, we hopped over to Mykonos, my favorite stop on our Greece trip! Mykonos is a beautiful island in the Cyclades with amazing beaches, delicious food, and really friendly people. It is also known as a party island; however, since I went in May during the shoulder season rather than peak season, there were very few crowds, and the island was relatively quiet and peaceful. As I am not much of a crazy party animal, I really loved the laid back vibe of the island during that time.

Getting There:

We opted to take a Blue Star ferry from Athens to Mykonos. While doing trip planning, you'll notice there are a few different options to island hop. Blue Star ferries are very large and nice, but take a little more time than the faster smaller ferries. Blue Star ferries make a very comfortable ride in that you can walk around, find a comfy place to relax, go out on deck to check out the view, and purchase snacks and drinks. None of these options are available on the high speed ferries. The ferry ride took about 6 hours, which is definitely a large chunk of time, but it is much more comfortable than the smaller, faster ferries. I would highly recommend the Blue Star Ferry option for those who get sea sick! It was easy to book the Blue Star ferry a few weeks ahead of time (the ferry schedule does not come out super far in advance), then pick up the ticket at their office by the port.

Where I Stayed/Getting Around:

We stayed at the Vencia Hotel, a really great boutique hotel in an awesome location. The hotel is situated at the top of the hill near Mykonos Town, the largest town in Mykonos. It is an easy walk down the hill into town, where most streets are for pedestrians only. Mykonos Town is a great place to stroll around and explore by foot. It is easy and fun to get lost in the maze made by the streets. Mykonos Town also conveniently has an area to hop on a bus to many of the island's beautiful beaches. The Vencia Hotel was our most expensive hotel on the trip, but it was worth every penny! Our view was beautiful from our bedroom window. The breakfast view was even more breathtaking. Just look at these pictures!

View from our Room

Breakfast View

The Vencia Hotel

Infinity Pool

Every morning we woke up to a delicious spread of options and a gorgeous view. The Vencia Hotel also had a really great infinity pool with plenty of cabanas to lounge on. The Vencia was nice enough to arrange a car to pick us up at the ferry port. We were delivered to the hotel where a cocktail and tour of the hotel waited for us. I cannot say just how much I enjoyed staying at the Vencia Hotel!

The Beaches:

Mykonos is the place to go for beautiful beaches! There are so many to choose from depending on what mood you are in. Here are the beaches we checked out on our stay:

• Paraga Beach: One of my favorite beaches on the island! This beach had beautiful turquoise water with calm waves, plenty of lounge chairs to rent, and fantastic beach tavernas. It is an easy walk or cab ride to Paradise beach from here.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Paradise Beach: One of the party beaches on the island, the beach bars were pretty empty in May when we went. Tropicana beach bar had pounding music and every tropical drink you could think of. I had a margarita to celebrate Cinco de Mayo while here. I hear Super Paradise Beach is even more of a party, but we did not make it that far. 
  
  

  

  
  

• Ornos Beach: This was the most commercial and family friendly of beaches we went to. It was not my favorite, but I could certainly see the appeal.
• Agios Ioannis Beach: This beach was made famous by a British movie filmed here. There is not much here except for a few small resorts. It was our least favorite of the beaches we visited, but I would highly recommend taking a bus here and walking down the street to the next beach on the list.
• Kapari Beach: This tiny secluded cove was my very favorite beach in Mykonos! It was the most beautiful beach that felt like a secret only a few people know about. From Agios Ioannis, walk down the street then turn right at the church. Then walk down the rocky path to paradise! Word of caution: beware of naked sunbathers! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Other Mykonos Sites/ Things to Do:

• Little Venice: Grab a table before sunset in one of the bars lining the water such as Semeli the Bar, and enjoy a drink as the sun goes down.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Windmills of Mykonos: Mykonos is knows as the Island of the Winds. You cannot go to Mykonos without taking a picture in front of these iconic windmills!
  
• Church of Paraportiani: This whitewashed church actually consists of 5 churches which are joined together. 
  
• Say hello to Petros the Pelican: The official mascot of Mykonos. 
  
  
  
• Matoyianni Street: Best place for shopping in Mykonos.
• Go to a Party! You are on the party island after all, so it is easy to find a beach party or a fun club in town. We went to Scandinavian Bar- Disco on their opening weekend and had a blast dancing the night away with people from all over the world!

Where to Eat:

• Fato a Mano: This place was great! We started with the zucchini fritters and shared the mixed grill. After we finished, we were brought free dessert and liquors. The waiters at this restaurant were super friendly, and gave us lots of suggestions of things to do in Mykonos. The waiter here was how we found out about Kapari Beach!
• To Maereio: This cozy little restaurant in Mykonos town had delicious mezes (appetizers) and lots of locals.
• Jimmy's Souvlaki Shop or Sakis Grill House: We tried both, but preferred Sakis Grill House for their amazingly cheap and delicious pork gyro and souvlaki. 3 euro for a meal is a steal, especially considering how scrumptious these Greek sandwiches were!
  
• Koursaros: We went here as our splurge dinner while on the island. It was pretty expensive, but the seafood was so fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere was really cool. Also, this was the first time we found our favorite Greek dessert on a menu, loukoumades!! 
  

If you do make it to Mykonos one day (which I truly hope you do!), be sure to enjoy the island vibe and the beauty surrounding you. I know you'll enjoy this paradise as much as I did!