Travelers name Mykonos
No1 European island
for the fifth consecutive year !
Mykonos was named Americans'
European island in 2007, as voted at Readers'
Choice Awards of Conde Nast Traveler! Mykonos is victorious for the fifth consecutive time
(2004 - 2008)! The results are derived from the largest
independent poll of consumers’ preferences, the Readers’ Choice Survey,
second in size only to the U.S. Census.
Mykonos was also awarded as "Pearl of the
Cyclades, resort with great inclination to tourism" by the Swiss Tourism
Awards, during the fourth edition of “I Viaggiatori”, the Holiday
Exhibition of Lugano that has taken place at the Exhibition Centre of
Luganofrom October 29th to November 1st 2006.
The Island of Mykonos
Mykonos has become famous throughout the world for its nightlife and excess. The most celebrated events are the parties and the happenings that occur every summer. It has become fashionable the past few years for Greek and foreign socialites to organize there. One of the leading summer holiday spots on earth, Mykonos transforms itself into a place of simplicity and peace once all the visitors have left at the end of the summer months.
Mykonos lies between the islands of Tinos and Naxos. An island with very little vegetation, it has an area of 85 square kilometers (33 square miles), a shoreline of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and a population of about 5,500. The island can be reached by air from Athens, Rhodes,
Santorini, and Iraklio (Crete) or by ferry from Athens' ports of Piraeus and
Rafina, from the Dodecanese, Crete, and Thessaloniki. A local boat service takes visitors from Mykonos to nearby ancient island of Delos.
In Mykonos, drinks are whisked away from the bar, the songs come one after the other and the revelry goes on from night until the late hours of the morning. It seems as if no one feels tired and no one wants to leave. The real partying begins after midnight. Usually the night crawl includes a visit to more than one small bar. At other times, these bars are the prelude to the main bash at one of the large clubs or at the bouzouki places. The beats in the dance clubs go on and on, even late into the morning.
An inseparable part of life on the harbor is the pelican, the island's mascot. It wanders through all the neighborhoods but prefers the harbor and Alefkantra (the waterfront neighborhood of Mykonos Town). It is beloved by the locals and looked after by nearly everyone, locals and foreigners. Children and adults may approach it in order to pet it or feed it.
However, the island of Mykonos is not just Hora (Mykonos Town). The surrounding areas make up a special and very important part of the island. The houses, the so-called "villages," colorfully harmonized with the gray of the rocks and the brown of the earth are scattered everywhere, some in the heart of the island and others along the sea. Each village has its own beauty and picturesque aspects.
The road network in Mykonos spreads out from Hora, covering nearly the entire island. This makes Hora a convenient starting point to get to the many beautiful beaches and villages.
Mykonos is suitable for short-stay visits from December to March and for full-scale holidays from April to November. The ideal periods are from April to June and from September to the end of October. During this period there are thousands visitors, but the problem of overcrowded hotels doesn't exist as it does during the height of the summer season.
"Clean Monday" (the first day of the Orthodox Lent), which is observed in traditional manner, and May Day, when the countryside is carpeted with wild flowers, are a wonderful time for a short two or three day vacation to
Mykonos.
Mykonos is swarming with crowds during the summer, so if you don't like crowds, it's not an ideal time to go. Choose a quieter time of the year - like early spring or early autumn or Easter time - for a slower, more relaxing vacation to this party paradise in sleep mode.
The Countryside and Beaches of Mykonos
The surrounding areas of Mykonos make up a special and very important part of the island. Nearly all of the houses in the villages match with their natural surroundings and no matter where you go on the island, you find picturesque spots and villages.
Use the road network that spreads out from Hora to cover the entire island. It serves as an excellent central point to explore all the regions of
Mykonos.
Heading south from Hora, you reach the beach of Megali Ammos a short distance away. A short ways south of Megali Ammos is the beautiful Cape
Diakoftis. The two lovely bays of Korfos and Ornos can also be found there, one facing the other. Ornos has a calm sea for swimming and when the southerly winds are blowing, Korfos is well protected for doing the same. The availability of these beaches and their visitors (and their pocketbooks) has given rise to the development of the area where new hotel complexes have taken the place of the formerly parched earth. The road continues along the west side of the cape ending at the bustling beach of Agios Ioannis where one can enjoy superb sunsets with the island of Delos in the background.
On the other side of Hora, 3 kilometers (2 miles) to the north is Tourlos beach where cruise ships anchor in this secure harbor when the north wind is blowing. Near there is the small Church of Agios Georgios with its gleaming red dome and the Russian icons on its iconostasis. Near the Church of Agios Georgios you can take a narrow path to the Chapel of Agios Georgios Spiliotis (Cave-Dweller) which is built in the hollow of a rock. Right next to Agios Georgios is the beach of Agios
Stefanos, named after the little church that lies at the end of the bay. The area has been completely developed for tourists and attracts numerous visitors during the summer months.
Using Hora as your starting point again, you take the road that leads to the airport until you reach a crossroads which leads to the southern seaside settlements of Psaros and Platis Yialos with their beautiful clear sea, comfortable hotels, and active day and night life. On this route, you'll first enter
Psaros, a center for sea sports. The historic Church of Agios Lazaros dominates the elevation above Psaros and offers a panoramic view of the surrounding islands worth seeing.
If you continue on this road, you'll find that it ends at Platis Yialos, one of the most frequented beaches on all of
Mykonos. The area is densely inhabited because the tourist development has been rapid. Platis Yialos has a beautiful sand beach you can reach by regular bus service from
Hora. The area is also of considerable archaeological interest as one kilometer (0.5 mile) to the northeast are the ruins of two towers from the Hellenistic period at the sites Leno and
Portes. Of additional historical note, to the north of Platis Yialos, is an ancient large underground cistern known as the Yiannarmos well.
From the jetty at Platis Yialos small boats leave almost continuously for the southern beaches of Kalamopodis (Paradise), Plintris (Super-Paradise),
Agraris, and Elia. These absolutely gorgeous beaches are inundated with nature lovers who can enjoy the beauties of nature in combination with a clean sea while being served by numerous refreshment stands and shops that open for the summer months offering meals or snacks.
Ano Mera, which is a separate community and the second most important settlement on Mykonos Island, lies 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) from
Hora. The two cities are connected by regular buses. The main attractions of Ano Mera are the Monastery of
Tourliani, the adjacent sand beaches, and above all its peaceful surroundings (in comparison to
Hora). Ano Mera also houses the 16th century Church of Panagia Tourliani, the patron saint of
Mykonos. The repaired church is of architectural interest with some noteworthy icons. Right next to the settlement of Ano Mera is the Palaiokastro hill with its medieval Venetian castle of the Ghizzi family and the like-named monastery.
Leaving Ano Mera on the route to the superb beach of Kalafatis, the visitor will arrive at the third settlement on the island,
Ambelokipi. Ambelokipi has its own monastery, Agios Georgios, built at the end of the 17th century. A wide road leads from the square of Ano Mera to
Kalafatis, Agia Anna, Kala Levadi, and Elia. The beautiful sand beach at Kalafatis has been greatly developed to accommodate tourists, but continues to offer peaceful surroundings. Before reaching Kalafatis a short turn-off leads to the picturesque cove of Agia Anna. The cape formed there is called Dimastos and it is most likely that one of the prehistoric towns on the island was located there.
Further west of Agia Anna you'll find the large bay of Kalo Livadi. Kalo Livadi is one of the lesser-developed beaches and offers a quiet holiday on this cosmopolitan island. On the road to Agia Anna you will reach a crossroads to Marathi. This is a quiet little settlement with some lovely farmhouses. Here you'll find the Monastery of Agios Panteleimon founded in 1665. It has noteworthy icons and is of particular interest from an architectural point of view.
The beach of Panormos is on the north side of the island and further north, the town of Agios
Sostis. The landscape is exciting when a strong north wind is blowing. Hikers and romantics can climb the hill of Profitis Ilias
Vourniotis. The view of the archipelago from the summit is magical. To the rear of the large Panormos Bay is the well-known sand beach at
Ftelia. The combination of powerful winds that blow practically the whole year round and the morphology of the area near the sea have made Ftelia a place where devotees of windsurfing meet.
Each of these sites is special with its own delicate charm and beauty. If you're keen to leave the partying and the hustle and bustle of
Hora, any one of the sites mentioned above should serve as a relaxing escape.
(source: Toubis editions,
Mykonos-Delos 2003)
History
of Mykonos
When exploring the
history of Mykonos it is difficult to find an accurate beginning as its
development is richly entwined with fact and legend dating back thousands
of years. If we consider it's place in ancient Greek mythology it is said
both Hercules and Poseidon had a hand in destroying some of the Giants
that opposed Zeus on this very island. Later, as the story goes, the
island was named in honor of Apollo's grandson Mykons. During these
ancient times, Mykonos, due to its proximity to Delos, which was then
highly populated, became very important as a supply island. The short
2-kilometer distance between the islands was frequently traveled. For
religious reasons it was said that no one should be allowed to be born or
die on Delos. If this were true and this culture center so sacred, it may
suggest that Mykonos had its roots as a vacation island long before modern
times.
From an archeological
point of view the Ionians were found to have settled on Mykonos in the
early part of the 11th century BC but recent discoveries uncovered
remnants from the Neolithic Kares tribe dating back to as far as 3000BC.
As the island of Delos
began to develop as a sacred center, Mykonos was swept along with the
influences of the different people who would come to control the region in
the years to come. The Phoenicians, Macedonians and Athenians left their
mark but it was not until the coming of Alexander the Great the fate of
Mykonos took a turn for the better by becoming a commercial center for
agriculture and maritime trade. High quality clay deposits also improved
the island's importance, as ceramic containers were the best means of
preserving and exporting goods during this ancient time.
Due to its geographic
location as a crossroads for shipping and it's close proximity to Delos,
the island's future continued to flourish reaching a state of enormous
wealth during the time of Roman occupation and the reign of Augustus
Caesar.
During the Middle Ages
Mykonos fell under the rule of the Venetians and in the years that
followed found themselves to be victimized by the Saracens and latter the
Turks who dominated the area from the 14th century. At this time the slave
trade was common and thousands of islanders were abducted. The Greek War
of Independence, which ended with its liberation from the Turks in 1830,
spawned the Mykonian heroine Manto Mavroyenous who rallied the island's
people and defeated a Turkish onslaught in 1822.
Starting as early as
ancient times, the Cycladic islands as well as the rest of the
Mediterranean sea had become famous as a natural breading ground for
piracy. The island of Mykonos received its fair share of buccaneer
influence, which lasted right up until the beginning of the 19th century.
With the coming of steamships also came the
first signs of modern day tourism. World War II quickly put an end to this
as Mykonos while experiencing German occupation suffered greatly through
starvation. It took until the mid 50's for tourism to rise again. Due to
the islands unique architecture, relative seclusion and hospitality it
soon became a haven for the rich and famous.
Today Mykonos enjoys a success unparalleled
in its history by having become one of the worlds most famous vacation
islands.
Dionysos Hotel
Dionysos beach hotel
is a family run hotel located on Ornos Beach on a
magnificent, safe and clean beachfront spot, located directly on
your way to Ornos Beach.
It
is located 2.5 km from Mykonos Town centre and Port, 2.5 km from the
airport and close to many shops and restaurants.
Mykonos Accommodation Center offers the largest choice of quality
accommodation for Mykonos island : deluxe resorts, beachside hotels,
superior town hotels, self-catering studios and apartments and top-class
fully serviced villas. Furthermore, M.A.C provides many other travel
services : air ticketing, car / jeep rentals, day trips, excursions and
bookings for surroundings Cyclades islands and Athens
(click the images to
enlarge)
MYKONOS ACCOMMODATION CENTER
Address: Enoplon Dynameon 10 (upper floor)
end of Matoyianni (the main street) - Mykonos
Postal Address: P.O. Box 58 - 84600 Mykonos - Greece
Tel: (+30) 22890 23160,23408,28160 & Fax: (+30) 22890 24137
summer working hours: all day from 08h00- 22h00 / 8 am- 10 pm
winter working hours: 09h00- 21h00 / 9 am- 9 pm
mac@mykonos-accommodation.com
Piccolo has been around since the 1980's, offering
great and unforgettable tastes. In the little laneway of gialou, in a warm
and friendly environment...More
Real Estate
The real estate agency "Cosmoland"
has a long experience in the real estate market of Greece. We have the
required expertise and reliability in order to complete successfully any
deal or service concerning your property More
If you don't have access to internet
during your vacations, don't worry. You can browse
Beach Report and see the
live web cams from your mobile phone, if it supports Vodafone Live! Just choose Fun & Info, Summer, Beach Report.
Also, don't forget that Snow
Report shows online the ski centers.
Many thanks to
Aggelis Xydakis - ARTiX graphic arts studio, Tel. 22890 27198
