Of course the Greek island of Mykonos was named after a descendant of Dionysus, the Greek god of pleasure – who else could give rise to this party island?
I’m catching tan in the wicker-and-white surrounds of SantAnna Beach Club in the south of the island, where rapper and musician Travis Scott was recently spotted and revered international DJ Black Coffee plays later in the evening.
The thumping daytime beats turn up a notch, causing me to notice a gathering at the ankle-deep end of the island-studded pool, where a dozen or so ladies in string bikinis have loosely gathered to dance. Their eyes are hidden behind aviators and the moves are only just choreographed – they know that trying too hard is uncool, even for beach club entertainment.
Eventually I wander back to my bed, past the groups of 20-something men and the catwalk-ready women, with their ice buckets of champagne or vodka kept by the aisle for the waiting staff to see (though it doesn’t hurt that the other clientele can too). It’s all quite impressive for midday on a Monday.
Since the 1950s, Mykonos – the largest of the Cyclades islands, located in the stretch of the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey – has earned a reputation as a destination for hedonism. It’s where good time vibes drift through the air from dawn to dusk, then carry on until dawn again. In the 1980s when homophobia was on the rise, it was a safe haven for everyone.
Then came the big names. Any given year, culturally relevant celebrities from Brigitte Bardot to Beyoncé to Bella Hadid helped propel its high-end image. The rich and the richer arrived too, ready to splash the cash here as an alternative to Saint-Tropez or Ibiza.
As Mykonos became the destination to see and be seen, demand surged into a classic case of over-tourism – not ideal for an island smaller than Dublin city.
My first glimpse of Mykonos is flying in, when I just about see fleck-like superyachts crowded along Mykonos’s peacock-blue bays, and the minimalist lines of chic, swimming pooled hotels studded across the rocky hills. Even from this perspective, it’s clear that if Mykonos has been turning into a playground for rich and famous for decades, the mission is now complete.
Of course, there’s an ecological and community impact of this change, and it closes off much of the island to the average holidaymaker. In 2017, a pair of sunbeds at the plush Pasaji Beach Club and Restaurant (pasajimykonos.gr) was €22. In 2019, it was €40. Five years and one pandemic later, they’re now €90. While Greece as a whole has been enjoying increased tourism, Mykonos’s traveller numbers are declining – the start of 2024 saw 5.8 per cent fewer seats scheduled to the island.
Even though reliable bus services radiate from the hub of Mykonos town to the beaches across the island, pre-booked taxis are a €40 minimum, my pink-shirted, black espadrille-wearing driver tells me. Like most of the service industry, he’s from Athens but stays in Mykonos over the summer to earn his money for the year. “Of course it isn’t worth €40 to take a taxi for five minutes,” he says, glancing from behind his Ray-Bans. “Honestly, I feel so bad asking it from the people who come. I think other islands are just as beautiful, but they come to Mykonos because it’s got a name and it’s got the clubs.”
[ Santorini in the shoulder months: No crowds, just stunning food, wine and viewsOpens in new window ]
The troublesome thing is: well, exactly. Ostentatious as some might find the champagne-fuelled parties Mykonos is known for, there’s much to be said for a destination that knows its niche. And Mykonos is certainly committed to the finer things in life.
I was drawn originally to the island to experience the open-air club of Cavo Paradiso (cavoparadiso.gr), a bay away from SantAnna (santaannamykonos.com). Refashioned from a shepherd’s hut in 1997, it’s become one of the must-visit clubs in the world thanks to its location (carved in the uplit rocks of Mykonos’s cliff edge) and state-of-the-art sound (a Funktion-One sound system). And it lives up to the hype. It’s almost impossible to tear myself away from the heaving dance floor where Italian duo Mathame commandeer the decks with precision. Yet when I move to the sidelines, the ever-present Mykonos warm breeze is most welcome as I gaze out to the rippling, moonlit sea beyond. Even the humble act of taking a breather is an exceptional experience here.
Late night clubs aren’t the only party in Mykonos. At the dinner and show experience of Lío (liogroup.com), in the heart of Mykonos Town, strobes and coloured lights work overtime to create a sensory explosion, especially as the heat of the night and the open-air courtyard are already disorienting (happily the fireworks were at the end of the show).
Onstage entertainers perform high-energy medleys of household songs from Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and Madonna, with even a bit of Hozier slipping in for a more contemplative moment. Dancers shake and prance their way through the tables of big birthday parties of boisterous people in their 40s, duos of older men sat opposite impeccable petite ladies, and smatterings of glammed-up women living their best life. It’s no superclub, but as one wooing gentleman gives the nod for a second bottle of Tattinger (at €750 a pop), it’s clearly a place to kick back in style.
My accommodation in the town is Mykonos Theoxenia, a boutique hotel tucked behind the island’s iconic windmills. On a day so sizzling that suntan lotion feels claustrophobic, Mykonos’s many visitors swarm around the hotel, taking pictures in front of the striking sight, promenading around its breezy costal perimeter and sheltering at its covered entrance. But beyond the gate lies a quietude that whispers to the exclusivity of the resort.
While reception is busy with guests arriving in and checking out, its luxe facilities – the sunbed-lined pool that overlooks the cruise-shipped bay, the divine restaurant that serves up massive juicy prawns over a hot stone at the table – are quiet. All set against the purple-orange sunset reflected in that bay, there’s no reason for this exemplary experience to be almost mine alone, but I gratefully and greedily lap up the attention from the staff.
It’s a similar vibe in the adults-only Once in Mykonos, located at Ornos Bay on the southwest of the island. Set on a hill within a zigzagging complex a little back from the throng of the small town, Once in Mykonos has cosier rooms – the bathroom is essentially incorporated into the main space, for example.
That’s perhaps why the social spaces are busier, though just as upscale: staff intermittently go beach bed to beach bed so the guests can sample shots of cocktails; no one converses in anything above a hushed tone. Here, it takes me nanoseconds to realise I have found my new happy place: the hotel’s infinity pool that looks out on to the bay and Mykonos’s daily light shows – first the blood-orange sunset, then fireworks that colourfully illuminate the town.
Yet even in this era of Mykonos, there’s space for modest spenders. On my final night in Ornos, I zigzag in my flip-flops down to the moonlit bay, hugging the road to avoid the stream of shiny black cars battling to move forward on the narrow streets. It’s not long before I find myself within the hubbub of Lefteris GrillHouse, taking a dinner on the terrace of gingham-covered tables.
I order a snipe of Prosecco plus a basket of starchy-white bread and tangy Greek olive oil to nibble on before my Greek salad arrives: a no-fuss slab of feta cheese atop a simple medley of green peppers, cucumber, flavour-packed tomatoes and red onion. Salt and pepper from the pots. It’s not quite the lobster and fine wines of Once in Mykonos, but it’s divine, and all for €20.
En route back on this oven-hot evening, I swing by the beach, where, lit up by the glow of the beachfront bars and restaurants, I ignore the unmanned plush sunbeds, lay my beach bag and towel on the sand, and cool off in the gin-clear waters. It’s every bit the sweet relief I anticipated. There’s no better reminder that in Mykonos, the best things in life are free. It’s simply that, as Coco Chanel once said, the second best are very expensive.
Shilpa was a guest of Once in Mykonos and Mykonos Theoxenia. Fly to Mykonos indirect from €190. Rooms at Mykonos Theoxenia start from €388 – see mykonostheoxenia.com to book. Rooms at Once in Mykonos start from €329 – see onceinmykonos.com to book.
