Mykonos is one of those places some people might avoid because they think it is just one big party island, but go after the crowds have gone and you'll find a beautiful Greek island with fantastic beaches which you'll might just have all to yourself....
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Mykonos is one of the Cyclades Islands of Greece, a circle of islands surrounding the sacred island of Delos (report to follow). The landscape is dry and barren, with little or no vegetation, but very striking. We went at the beginning of October, when it was still hot (but very windy) and found that we had most of the island to ourselves.
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| Favourite spots: |
Mykonos Town, or Chora to give it it's proper name, is very picturesque and its windmills overlooking the white washed houses and harbour have been on countless postcards and calendars. The old town is a real maze of alleys, built this way to keep the marauding pirates and the fierce winds out. These days they can be full of visiting cruise ship passengers but if you pick the right time they are easily avoided, as they usually only stay for a couple of hours. (Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against these people, but in a small place like this you do notice several bus loads of tourists arriving all at once!) The narrow lanes are also full of cafes, restaurants and shops, many of them selling traditional crafts. The harbour is still a working place for many fishermen and you can often watch them repairing their nets on the quay. This is also where the boat to Delos leaves from, but more about that later.
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| What's really great: |
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We were on Mykonos for a week and hired a car for 3 of the days. The bus service is very good and cheap and there is also a boat taking you to the various beaches, but having a car made us a bit more independent. It also made it a bit more easy to go beach hopping, although we found our favourite one early on, Kalo Livadi. Completely undeveloped with only a couple of tavernas, clean sand and clear, warm water. We only had to share the beach with a handful of people and five ducks.
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| Sights: |
My favourite sight was Petros the Pelican, the island mascot, who can be found wandering the streets of the old town if he is not busy catching fish in the harbour.
The beautiful church of Panagia Paraportiani in the Kastro district of Chora near the harbour dating back to 1425.
Little Venice, officially known as Alefkandra, the artists' quarter of Chora.
The windmills on the hills overlooking the harbour.
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| Accommodations: |
We stayed in Ornos in a self-catering apartment called Samiotis. The room was basic but clean and comfortable and there was a tiny kitchen, a bathroom and a small terrace. The communal pool was fairly big and there were lots of sun loungers. It was only a 5-10 minute walk to a supermarket, restaurants and the bus stop. It did help to be a cat lover, though, as there must have been at least a dozen or so feline friends. Some of them adopted us for the week and spent most of their time out- and inside our room. On our first day we walked from Ornos to Chora, I can't remember exactly how long it took us, but it wasn't very long and a very pleasant walk.
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| Restaurants: |
in Chora (Mykonos Town): Nikos Tavern near the harbour for fresh fish and traditional Greek food
in Kalo Livadi: the Kalo Livadi Cafe-Bar-Restaurant for fish and grills right by the beach
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| Other recommendations: |
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Agio Ioannis has also some good tavernas and is the place the movie 'Shirley Valentine' was made. A great place to watch the sun go down.
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Published on Tuesday July 27th, 2004
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Sat, Apr 29 2006 - 05:55 AM
 by marianne
Sabine,
From the way you describe Mykonos I gather that nothing much has changed since 1971. It was pretty busy then in the high season and far better in the low season. Glad to see that thge pelicans are still there. |
Fri, Jul 30 2004 - 07:17 AM
 by anna_moon
| Great report, and absolutely gorgeous pictures! |
Wed, Jul 28 2004 - 03:10 PM
 by downundergal
Great report!
Brings back lots of memories.
Cheers,
Kerrie |
Wed, Jul 28 2004 - 12:41 PM
by bear495
| Well done! Keep up the excellent work. |
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