A traveler's guide to Mykonos
Stay in town if you want evenings. Stay on the south coast if the beach club is the point. The bus and the taxis argue with both plans in August.
Mykonos is a beach island that also has a famous town. The south-coast beaches are the reason the flights are full: organized sand, clear water, and a wind that blows the meltemi across the island all summer. The town is for getting lost on purpose in the evening.
When to go
June and September are the civilized peak. July and August are hot, windy, and packed. May is cooler and already swimmable. The meltemi can close a beach day without warning.
The beach
Paradise, Super Paradise, and Psarou are the famous south-coast names, each with a different volume. Ornos is the family bay. Elia is a longer beach with more room to walk. Sun beds are the business model. The sand and the water are still the product.
In the water
Swimming is excellent on the lee of the wind and abrupt when it is not. Ask which beach is sheltered today. A small-boat day is the way to see a cove without a taxi line.
If you only remember this
- Book the ferry or the flight and the room together. August does not forgive a loose plan.
- Scooters and the wind are a poor pair.
- Water taxis beat the road in high summer.
- Delos is a morning. Do not schedule it after a late beach.