Mykonos Beaches
Mykonos town is where everything happens. Straight or gay, there will be a bar or club to suit and whatever time of the night you choose to go, somewhere will be open and ready to party. But the town is not for the daytime, and anyone who is not recovering from the night before will be on one of the many, spectacular beaches Mykonos has to offer. With around twenty to choose from, you could in theory go to a different one each day of your stay, so to help you decide which ones to prioritise, we have some suggestions.
Platis Yialos is accepted as being one of the best beaches on the island and is usually very busy. Anyone wishing to try watersports on the island should head here, where jet skis, water skiing and peddle boats fight for space with the many tanned bodies. Don’t expect to find much of authentic Greece though, but do expect plenty of Anglicised restaurants, bouncing bars, stunning people and a lot of noise.
If Platis Yialos is a little restrained, then perhaps the subtly named Paradise beach would be more to your taste. If it were the 70s, you would find plenty of naked gay people and naked hippies here, but with this being the enlightened ‘naughties’, the naked people have covered up (slightly) and it has become a little more family (well, as family as Mykonos can). Crowded bars and clubs line the sand and beautiful people, whatever their sexual orientation, line the beach.
Still to restrained? You will want Super Paradise then. Accessed only by boat, naked people will hang out (if you will excuse the pun) near the rocks but the rest of Super Paradise is populated by anyone wanting to enjoy the crystal waters and beautiful sandy beach. Seeing as this tends to be most people, Super Paradise is rarely quiet, but its slightly misguided reputation of being a strictly gay cruising beach does tend to keep some away. Even more loud bars and clubs pump their music into the streets and as with Paradise, nightly beach parties attract some world-class DJ’s.
The final must-visit party beach is Elia, which is slightly more up-market and cosmopolitan than the Paradise’s with a choice of excellent restaurants and the option to remove your clothing at one end (of the beach rather than the restaurant). Elia is actually quite attractive as it’s lined with hills and split in two by a rocky outcrop.
Only the real hardcore Mykonos partier would want to spend everyday on these four beaches, so for everyone else there are several excellent beaches that have not been swallowed up by the tourist onslaught. Kalo Livadi is one which does without a bassline thump accompanying your stay, but still has several bars and restaurants to visit. Agia Anna will be familiar to fans of the movie Shirley Valentine and is equally as quiet as Kalo Livadi.
Ornos, Aghios Ioannis and Psarou all attract fewer visitors and are more notable for being picturesque rather than stunning stretches of sand. The beauty of Mykonos is that very few beaches on the island are unpleasant and a little bit of exploration around the island will undoubtedly turn up a beach that’s perfect for you. Just don’t expect to be the only ones there. |
