Tips to Know Before Traveling To Mykonos, Greece!
Hey guys! As some of you know, I just got back from a quick vacation to the island of Mykonos, Greece! I only had a short amount of time in Greece so we chose to go to Mykonos for a week! From this week, I gathered a couple tips that you MUST know before traveling to #Mykonos
We were quite sad that we didn't get to explore more of Greece due to the time restriction but I'll be there again in August to explore more of the country:) So be prepared for my tips for the other cities! For now, here's your tips to know before traveling to Mykonos!
Photo taken at Elias Beach
Whats included in this article
Public Transportation in Mykonos
Where to stay & Hotel prices
Where to eat! Restaurant recommendations
Best places to party!
Awesome Photo / Instagram spots
1. What you need to know about Public Transportation In Mykonos
Something that we didn't realize before landing in Mykonos is that there are only a small amount of taxis available to the entire island! It was very difficult to call taxis and when you get a hold of them all the lines are usually busy!
Hotels usually have to order you private transportation which usually costs around 30-40 Euros, no matter how short the distance is. This tends to be the main reason tourists spend almost all their money here, and the main reason my friend and I did too.
The first two days my friend and I ended up renting an ATV which saved us A LOT of money! ATV's or Mopeds/Scooters are available to rent throughout the island and it's a very smart move if you're looking to save money (it's also really fun!). Usually ATV rentals cost around 50-80 Euros a day, but it beats buying private transports all the time. In order to rent a ATV you only need a valid drivers license which makes the process a little easier than renting a scooter. When renting a scooter you need a valid scooter license as well; (type A1 for US citizens).
Ferrys In Mykonos
In my itinerary, I had planned a day trip to Santorini; which was a GIANT mistake on my part. A little tip on the ferry system in Mykonos.
-Ferry's to Santorini only run about four to five times a day and they stop around 4pm.
-The ferry's are around 50-150 Euros ONE WAY! So definitely not worth a day trip. They vary depending which island you want to go, but that is the average price.
If you want to take a ferry to another island, it is best to stay on the other island a couple days so you get your moneys worth and get to experience the beauty of the other islands.
In conclusion, the public transportation in Mykonos is EXPENSIVE! Best way to save money is renting something for yourself!
Where to stay and Hotel prices
Something to note about traveling to Mykonos... not only is transportation expensive, hotels are as well! I tried to find hostels to stay at before the trip but even the hostels are quite up there on the price range! My friend and I decided just to splurge a bit on getting a hotel (the cheapest ones we could find HAHA) but honestly, the cheapest ones were so nice as well.
My friend and I ended up jumping from hotel to hotel almost every day, but we had the chance to stay in each part of the island. The hotels here range from a price of 100-1,000 Euros a night (even more depending how nice the hotel is). To me, 100 Euros a night is quite expensive and I wasn't expecting the price to be so high EVERYWHERE here! The hostel was even that price! So we decided, well, looks like were going to splurge. The hotels we chose were around the price range of 100-200 Euros and I actually really liked all the hotels
we stayed at and so I'll write them down below! The good thing is, most of these hotels, if not all, offer free breakfast:)
Where we stayed:
We started at Sea Side Studios and Houses, which was South East of the island of Mykonos. This hotel was BEAUTIFUL, right next to an amazing beach and very close to Elias beach. This hotel was a little farther than most of the action and so we ended up driving a lot the day we stayed here. If you're looking for a more relaxed; beach vibe then the South East area of the island is definitely for you and I HIGHLY recommend staying here. The owner was very helpful and such a nice person... he gave us a map of Mykonos and also helped tie our suitcases to our ATV HAHAH. He was very resourceful and the hotel was just breathtaking!
We then stayed at Petasos Beach Resort and Spa for two days for a collaboration. They take such good care of you, and will always attend to your needs! The front desk was open 24/7 and the ladies were so sweet! This resort also offered a private beach which was usually empty and so we spent a couple hours a day there to get away from beach crowds; and it was just as beautiful! My favorite part about staying here was definitely the breakfast though. My friend and I ate about three plates each of the buffet every morning... even when we got full, we kept on eating because it was so good and we just couldn't stop HAHAH.
Next we jumped across the street and stayed at Petinos Hotel! We booked it since it was one of the cheaper ones we could find, but it was honestly so beautiful as well and literally right across the street from Petasos HAHA. I enjoyed the pool at this hotel and it was extremely beautiful as well. Only thing was Petinos and Petasos were both a little far from the action as well... but closer than Sea Side. We had to use private transfer one of the days we were here and man did it cost a lot!
taken at Petasos
Finally on our last day, we decided to book a random hotel that was close to the airport and ended up having the BEST hotel location EVER. On our last night, we stayed at Paradise View Hotel, and though not close to Mykonos town, it was close to the airport, the beach, and the main parties! We were so close to the parties we can just walk down the hill eight minutes and be right in the center of all the best beach clubs. I would highly recommend staying here if you want to be closer to the parties, and more #Mykonosnightlife!
Where I recommend to stay:
I did in fact love all the hotels I stayed at, but where you stay really depends on what you're going to Mykonos for. For example, like I said, for a more quiet location definitely chose Sea Side Houses and Apartments... it has a relaxing beach which is walking distance and is also very close to other beautiful uncrowded beaches.
If you're coming to party or want to be closer to more nightlife or day parties then I would recommend staying at Paradise View, Tropicana Hotel, Paradise Hotel, Etc. Those are my main suggestions since these hotels are so close to the beach parties that you can just walk.
If you want to stay closer to the sights, then I would chose a hotel that is close to Mykonos Town, or the famous Mykonos windmills! These hotels do tend to be more on the pricier side though!
Where to eat! Restaurant Recommendations
Yet another thing in Mykonos you will be spending some money on is #FOOD!
If you want to travel here on a budget, I really recommend just going to a grocery store and cooking your own food at your hotel. Restaurants are usually pretty expensive here, and an average restaurant will cost you 15-30 Euros per meal. There are some classier restaurants that will cost more, but my friend and I tried to steer clear of those. We saw one restaurant that cost 90 Euros for one bowl of SPAGHETTI! No. Just... no. HAHA, next please! Since I was with a friend and this was her first time to Europe, we did decided to eat out quite a bit... and so I ended up with some good food recommendations that are not as expensive!
picture taken at Blu Blu Lounge
My restaurant recommendations:
- I loved the food and the atmosphere at Blu Blu Lounge. We had the most amazing view while we ate and it just had such a great decor. The food was also so delicious and we finished it so quickly! I can recommend the shakes here, they were amazing!
-D'Angelo Restaurante was also an amazing find. The pasta here was UNBELIEVABLE! I've never had pasta with such flavor. It offered a variety of different foods but my friend and I decided to get different pastas and we just LOVED it! Mine came with little flowers on it which was so cute to me.
-Bakalo Restaurante was also on the top of my list with amazing Greek cuisine. It was located right in Mykonos town and had the best authentic Greek recipes!
-For a good dessert, head over to Macarena Gelato in Mykonos town! They had the best crepes of all flavors and great gelato! It was right in the center of the town as well.
-For a more expensive menu, Scorpios was AMAZING. The food there was great, but extremely pricey. It did have the best #dessert EVER though. My friend and I wanted to get the same dessert 3 times but we just couldn't since it was expensive so we were forced to savor it HAHAHA. Scorpios is known for being pricey, but it also has an amazing atmosphere; it kind of reminded me of Tulum a little bit. The decoration was beautiful and it was perched hillside by the beach.
Again though, if you want to travel here on a budget, I highly recommend getting groceries since the restaurants here are quite expensive and are a quick was of losing some money. I do recommend having at least one authentic Greek meal since hey, you are in Greece after all, but there are many grocery stores located around the town!
Best Places to Party!
Before going to Mykonos, my friend and I had no idea that this was a #PARTY city. Apparently, Mykonos has always been known for their famous day parties and beach clubs! Sadly, my friend and I got there ONE DAY AFTER they implicated new restrictions. I guess the Universe was telling us not to party that hard HAHAH. We still got to see nightlife though and the best party scenes in Mykonos even with the restrictions.
Here in Mykonos, where you have the most fun really depends on your party vibe or your age here.
Tropicana Beach Club: Hands down my favorite party that I went too. It was so full, and everyone was dancing. The music was amazing and had a live DJ. We could dance on top of tables, seats, the bar... it got CRAZY! The beach was also right there and so people went skinny dipping while partying at this club! I did see a wide age range here, from about 19 - 30 years old, so there were younger kids but also adults as well partying together.
Paradise beach Club: Another good one where the music was good and party was crazy! This one was more for the younger ages from what I noticed, but just as fun! A lot of people come here for their fun drink menu and CHEAP drinks! They also have a live Dj come out!
Cavo Paradiso: I did not have the chance to go here, but I heard before the restrictions that this was the place to be! DJs from all over the world come to play at this venue and it gets WILD. If you get the chance to check this one out, let me know how you liked it in the comments below;)
Scorpios Beach Club: More on expensive side, many people tend to go to Scorpios for a night out! Scorpios is famous for its sunset watching area, and nightlife! More people around the age range of 26+ come here to party. We went here to eat dinner, but we didn't see many people our age and so we ran away to Paradise Beach Club again HAHAHA.
Super Paradise Beach: This is apparently another good party place! We went once, but I think we went during the wrong night since it might have been locals night. It wasn't as crazy as the others but I might be wrong! Very Greek styled and was playing a lot of traditional Greek music which was cool! I didn't see many people my age as well here but maybe on other nights there were more!
Scandinavian Bar: In Mykonos Town lies the Scandinavian Bar. This bar goes CRAZY before the restrictions hit (or so that's what I heard). It's mainly where the younger people go to hang out, around 18-25, and they use to play the BEST music! We checked it out but since the town and bars were all sit down now, we didn't have that much of an experience of how it use to be. Let me know down in the comments how this use to be before the restrictions!
Awesome Photo/ Instagram Spots!
photo taken at Little Venice
Best photo spots in Mykonos!
-Little Venice
-The famous windmills
-Matogianni Street
-Mykonos Town (every single street is photogenic!)
-Cats of Mykonos! (Their favorite place to hangout is in front of the dessert restaurant Macarena!)
-Elias Beach
-Alefkandra Beach
-Agios Sostis Beach