| The
beaches on the south shore of the island have the best sand, views, and
wind protection, but these days are so popular that you'll have to negotiate
a forest of beach umbrellas to find your square meter of sand. A few (Paradise,
Super Paradise) are known as party beaches, and guarantee throbbing music
and loud revelry until late at night. Others (Platis Yialos, Psarou, Ornos)
are quieter and more popular with families. With all the south coast beaches,
keep in mind that most people begin to arrive in the early afternoon, and
you can avoid the worst of the crowds by going in the morning. The north
coast beaches are less developed but just as beautiful. Since the buses
and ca?ques don't yet make the trip, you'll have to rent a car or scooter;
you'll be more than compensated for the trouble by the quiet and lack of
commercial development.
For
those who can't wait to hit the beach, the closest to Mykonos town is Megali
Ammos ("Big Sand"), about a 10-minute walk south--it's very crowded and
not particularly scenic. The nearest to the north is 2 kilometers (1.2
miles) away at Tourlos, where a new cruise-ship pier was recently completed.
Ornos, about 2 1/2 kilometers (1.6 miles) south of town, has a fine-sand
beach in a sheltered bay with extensive hotel development along the shore;
buses run hourly from the south station between 8am and 11pm. This beach
is popular with families.
Platis
Yialos is the best first stop: Although the beach is unexceptional and
likely to be extremely crowded, from here you can catch a ca?que to the
more distant beaches of Paradise, Super Paradise, Agrari, and Elia. The
bus runs every 15 minutes from 8am to 8pm, then every 30 minutes until
midnight. Nearby Psarou is less overwhelmed by resort hotels and has a
lovely pale-sand beach that remains reasonably uncrowded except in high
season. Its water-sports facilities include the Diving Center Psarou, waterskiing,
and windsurfing. Paranga, further east, can be reached easily on foot via
an inland path from Platis Yialos; this small cove is popular with nudists,
and usually isn't too crowded.
* Paradise,
the island's most famous beach, is accessible by footpath from Platis Yialos
(about 2km/1.2 miles), by bus, or by ca?que. This was the original nude
beach of the island, and still attracts many nudists. A stand of small
trees provides some shade, and it's well protected from the predominant
north winds. Several bars line the waterfront and pump out loud music throughout
the day and night.
Super
Paradise (Plindri) is in a rocky cove just around the headland from Paradise;
it's somewhat less developed than its neighbor, but no less crowded. The
beach is accessible on foot, by bus, and by ca?que; if you go by car or
moped, be very careful on the extremely steep and narrow access road. The
left side of the beach is a nonstop party in summer, with loud music and
dancing, while the right side is mostly nude and gay, with the exclusive
Coco Club providing a relaxed ambience for its chic clientele. Further
east across the little peninsula is Agrari, a lovely cove sheltered by
lush foliage, with all states of dress common and a good little taverna.
Elia,
a 45-minute ca?que ride from Platis Yialos and the last regular stop, is
a sand-and-pebble beach with crowds nearly as overwhelming as at Paradise
and minimal shade. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful beach, and one of
the longest on the island. It's also accessible by bus. The next major
beach is Kalo Livadi ("Good Pasture"). In a farming valley, this long,
beautiful beach is accessible by a scramble over the peninsula east from
Elia and by bus from the north station. There's a taverna and a few villas
and hotels on the hills adjacent to the beach.
The
last resort area on the southern coast accessible by bus from the north
station is at * Kalafatis. This fishing village was once the port of the
ancient citadel of Mykonos, which dominated the little peninsula to the
west. A line of trees separates the beach from the rows of buildings which
have grown up along the road. This is one of the longest beaches on Mykonos,
and less crowded than its neighbors to the west. Adjacent to Kalafatis
in a tiny cove is lovely Ayia Anna, a short stretch of sand with a score
of umbrellas. Several kilometers further east, accessible by a fairly good
road from Kalafatis, is Lia, which has fine sand, clear water, bamboo wind
breaks, and a small taverna.
Most
of the north coast beaches are too windy to be of interest to anyone other
than windsurfers--the long fine-sand beach at Ftelia would be one of the
best on the island if it didn't receive the unbroken force of the north
wind. There are, however, two well-sheltered northern beaches, and because
you can only reach them by car or moped, they're much less crowded than
the southern beaches. Head east from Mykonos town on the road to Ano Mera,
turning left after 1 1/2 kilometers (0.9 miles) on the road to Ayios Sostis
and Panormos. At Panormos, you'll find a cove with 100 meters of fine sand
backed by low dunes. Another 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) down the road
is * Ayios Sostis, a lovely small beach just below a village. There isn't
any parking, so it's best to leave your vehicle along the main road and
walk 200 meters down through the village. There's an excellent small taverna
just up from the beach that operates without electricity, so it's open
only during daylight hours. Both Panormos and Ayios Sostis have few amenities--no
beach umbrellas, bars, or snack shops--but they do offer a break from the
crowds. |
