From Mythology To Modernity: Inside The Idyllic Side Of Greece’s Party Island Mykonos

by Devinder BainsApril 1, 2023March 31, 2023

Famed Greek ‘party island’ Mykonos is transforming into a cultural hotspot. Devinder Bains discovers its journey to becoming a purveyor of good food, ultra-luxury, ancient history and the great outdoors

It’s 5pm on the last full day of my holiday in Greece and I’m sitting on one of hundreds of occupied loungers that have been tightly packed onto the sands of Paradise Beach on the island of Mykonos. There are seven beach clubs lined along this stretch of sand and the more laidback feel of the day has just stepped into something closer to being in a nightclub. The house music that’s been minding its own business in the background for the last six hours has been turned up, sped up and the vocals of a slightly shouty MC encouraging people to ‘get up and dance’ have joined in. Bikini-clad music lovers with their two-for-one cocktails begin to sway near the DJ booth. I’m not quite sure how I’ve ended up here. I like a quiet beach – if possible, completely deserted – and I like my music with more soul, more guitars or with someone spitting bars. This is certainly not my usual idea of fun but, truth be told – I don’t hate it.

What I’m seeing is what Mykonos is known best for worldwide, what has earned it the moniker of ‘Greece’s party island’, and what plays a huge role in attracting over a million tourists every summer season – 2022 seeing a 20 per cent year-on-year increase in visitors. But this is day six for me on the island and just the first time I’ve experienced anything like this.

Mykonos is consciously upgrading its offering. The beach superclubs are staying put, but there’s the finesse of ultra-luxury accommodation, fine dining and wellness being added to its portfolio, as well as putting more emphasis back on its rich and ancient history. In fact, you could easily spend your whole holiday on Mykonos without ever frequenting a noisy beach club or even knowing of their existence.

The Kivotos Hotel and Villas is one of the original boutique hotels on the island. Launched around 30 years ago, it offers a charming old-school family setting with those Instagrammable whitewashed walls and iconic Cycladic architecture

Six days earlier, my trip had started at the Kivotos Hotel and Villas in the more serene and breathtakingly picturesque Playa Ornos (Ornos Bay) on the south west of the island. Mykonos is seeing ongoing expansion when it comes to accommodation, in particular new super-luxury resorts, but Kivotos is one of the original boutique hotels on the island – launched around 30 years ago and still offering a relaxing old-school family atmosphere and traditional Cycladic architecture of whitewashed walls.

The view across the turquoise waters of the charming Aegean bay, which sparkles with the reflection of private yachts and small fishing boats, is unmatched elsewhere on the island and is why Kivotos it still one of the most sought-after destinations to stay. The quaint, maze-like corridors of the resort which has its own small church on-site has welcomed celebrities including Jean Paul Gaultier, George Michael, John Legend, Shakira, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Heidi Klum through its doors.

The hotel has 40 unique suites and villas that sit at different levels on the hilly edge of the coast and weave their way down to the large concourse with the always-inviting pool with swim-up pool bar, the restaurant, spa and small gym and then further down to the small private beach – something very rare along the bay and in many other parts of Mykonos too. The Kivotos beach provides luxury lounge beds and a floating seating area which doubles up as a jetty for the resort’s speedboat.

Our Junior Suite with sea view was on the highest level of the building with a balcony that probably had the best views from the hotel, and although the rooms aren’t super-luxurious they have a rustic charm and traditional Greek design that is hard to recreate. The staff are friendly and the service is relaxed – this is not the place for those who want anything in a rush, so order your food at the poolside Namah Restaurant at least a good half an hour before you’re hungry and then relax with a drink and enjoy the views over the bay. The salmon tartar with avocado and orange jam tzatziki, the shrimp carpaccio and the seabass ceviche with leche de tigre, passion fruit and yellow tobiko are all a must for seafood lovers.

Ornos Bay itself has plenty to offer and a short downhill walk from the hotel is the main hotspot and public beach for this part of the island. Choose from traditional Greek food, Italian pastas and pizzas, seafood and plenty of places to get a drink. Follow the bay around on foot and arrive at the floating Apaggio restaurant, perfect for a sunset drink or fish dinner, and brand new to that side of the bay is La Cantine Du Faubourg – the third instalment from the Paris and Dubai darling. As expected, the indoor-outdoor setting here is of immaculate design, using a mix of exquisite stone work, water features, foliage and complementing furnishings that congregate in the vicinity of a stunning outdoor bar. Go for the music, the beautiful people and of course the yellowfin tuna ceviche, the sushi, the salmon tacos and the burrata with peach and sweet plum tomatoes.

The recently renovated Kouros Hotel and Suites resort is within walking distance of the capital city of Chora. Its contemporary decor and modern amenities pair well with the sea view overlooking the new marina where cruise ships often slide into view

Three days passed quickly and enjoyably relaxing at Kivotos but we also found time to get out for a bit of walking. One of those hikes was to the breezier beach in Ornos that sits in the opposite bay, which, unlike the heavily populated beach, has no facilities, bars or restaurants but is a great place to watch (or join in) the windsurfers making the most of the huge waves and heavy gusts.

Next we headed north for the more contemporary (and recently refurbished) Kouros Hotel and Suites situated a 10-minute walk from the capital of Chora, also known as Mykonos Town, on the west of the island. The hotel sits on a hill overlooking the new marina where cruise ships come and go on a daily basis and fit magnificently into the sea view. The hotel has undergone a full-scale facelift which started back in 2018 and we were lucky enough to have one of the newest deluxe suites with sea view.

The room was incredibly spacious with a modern colour scheme that uses whites, black and blues with dashes of primary colours to keep everything looking clean and bright. The hotel is built on a number of levels so it can be accessed from the road on the hill and also closer to marina level, and at the heart of Kourous, bang on the middle level, is the pièce de résistance – the hotel’s infinity pool. It’s as perfect for lengths as it is for just staring at while you laze on the luxurious and seriously comfy loungers. Set behind the pool is the Narcissus restaurant and bar which serves through from breakfast to dinner. Choose from a mix of healthy dishes, smoothies, seafood and something that’s more fine-dining in the evening as you watch the sun set. A breakfast recommendation would be the avocado open toast with sweet chilli and lime, and dinner would be the rack of lamb – but keep room for the dessert: banana with caramelised pecan, banana sorbet and compote, chocolate crumble and dulce de leche which is worth a visit to Kouros alone.

A level up from the pool and restaurant is the gym which still needs renovating and also the rather lovely Zoe Spa which offers a wide range of treatments, a hydrotherapy area with built-in jacuzzi and also a hammam. I opted for the full-body massage and my partner, the back and shoulder massage – we’re both polar opposites when it comes to the pressure we like and we were equally impressed by the same masseuse.

Although it would be very easy to chill by the pool all day at Kouros, its location so close to Mykonos Town means we did make a daily visit into the beautiful cobbled streets filled with independent restaurants (Pasta Fresca Barkia is a must), fashion boutiques, souvenir shops and galleries – the blue and white of their exteriors perfect for Instagram. The town itself sits on the edge of the water – bookended by two beaches, the main public beach surrounded by restaurants and a second smaller beach which is more difficult to access, making it a lot quieter.

The newly opened La Cantine Du Faubourg is the perfect blend of great food, great views and great tunes. The restaurant is a feast for the eyes, ears and, of course, tastebuds

If you’re after some history, then wander through the streets and you’ll stumble on the stunning Church of Panagia Paraportiani which dates back to the Byzantine era. It’s actually made up of five smaller tightly packed churches that sit next to or on top of each other. The church is rarely open but it’s great to admire against the backdrop of the sea. Another site to take in is the collection of Mykonos windmills that sit side by side on the edge of Chora. Many date back to the 16th century and utilised the island’s strong winds to mill wheat, although they are now out of action. If you have a half day spare then a short boat trip to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Delos island is highly recommended. Ancient artefacts found on the island show that it has been inhabited since the third millennium BC and Greek mythology has it as the birthplace of Greek and Roman god Apollo and his twin sister, the goddess Artemis.

Getting around the rest of island from Kouros is very easy by way of the bus station in Mykonos town and this is exactly how I end up at Paradise Beach – the trip was too simple and too cheap not to check out what all the fuss was about. My visit at the start of September meant it was closing season, so the parties were quietening down, the beach was still packed but the crowd was a mix of older couples and backpackers coming to enjoy everything from full-on dance music one end of the beach to Beyoncé and Spice Girls the other end. The crowd is friendly and not at all intimidating – which comes as a surprise after some of the reviews I’d read before visiting and I’m glad I made the trip despite them.

As I headed home, I realised that although Mykonos embraces its reputation for being the home of super-parties, super-yachts and supermodels, it’s actually so much more. It’s for the romantics, the history lovers, the foodies, and those who seek luxury and wellness too. There’s something for everyone; so you can go ahead and take the bits that interest you, or dare to try it all.