Mykonos - The party island

Thursday, October 06, 2011
Mykonos, Cyclades, Greece


Mykonos - October 6 - 7

Returning our Spiradakos Toyota Yaris without damage deserved a pat on the back. The driving on Santorini is crazy and not for the timid driver. We boarded the Fast Cat catamaran heading to Mykonos. With 80 miles and a stop in Paros we made in 2 1/2 hours. These ferries are very efficient in getting the passengers on and off in record time.

Mykonos is very different than Santorini. No calderas or big mountains looming over the port. The town of Mykonos is laid out with a maze of narrow streets. No cars are allowed, so cars must be parked and you must enter the city by foot. Shops are jammed together with small hotels, bars, tavernas and restaurants.  
 

Given our experience of finding a hotel in Santorini, we actually planned ahead and reserved rooms at the Alkyon Hotel that was situated on the hillside above the town. We could park our rental car at the hotel and have an invigorating 10 minute walk to the town.


Mykonos is another cruise ship destination (did i mention, I really love cruise ship towns). But Mykonos had much more charm than I expected. The hodgepodge of narrow streets, some excellent restaurants and a nice little port lined with tavernas, makes for a good destination.  


The historical / archeological highlight of Mykonos is the island of Delos. With a 30 minute ferry ride to Delos, visible from the Mykonos port, you are on an island dedicated to its archeological significance. No automobiles or overnight stays are allowed. The Ionians occupied Delos around 1000 BC, dedicating it to the god Apollo and making it a site of religious pilgrimages. It continued to expand with the league of Greek city/states basing their operations and their treasury on the island and while the Romans occupied the area, they made Delos a "free port". The small island grew to a population of 30,000. Sacked by some folks who really disliked the Romans and occupied by pirates of the Aegean, Delos fell into ruin. The excavations and museum provide a solid half day of activity. Well worth the time.


We took a drive around the Mykonos island. It is one of the driest islands and with its minimal rainfall, it is mostly brown with sparse green vegetation. Except for the lack of green fields it is similar to an Irish landscape. Property owners, going back centuries, erected stone fences to outline their property and field boundaries. These fences are still standing and cover the landscape.


Mykonos is known for its jet setters and party atmosphere. Apparently the word got out that we were arriving, because the parties and jet-setters did not seem to exist while we were present. A better reason is that we are on the ragged edge of the end of the tourist season. Some hotels were already closed and thankfully the tourist crowds were very low. I like it. We did visit Super Paradise beach which was supposed to be the ultimate in party activity. The place was on "end of season life support". Loud music playing with a bunch of middle aged people lying on the nice little beach tucked back into a cove. We did not dance the night away in Mykonos.
All in, we liked Mykonos but with the crowds at a low level, we hit it right for our tastes. If it had lived up to its reputation of being jammed with people, with loud music playing nonstop and parties going all night, our opinion may have changed. October in Mykonos is good.

  
Other Entries

Comments

2025-02-11

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank