Mykonos, Greece

Author: olgalapazza
Date of Trip: July 2006

From new age-trendy beach clubs to all-night dance stages, and from relaxed bars to wild gay venues, Mykonos is a virtual paradise for insomniacs and all kinds of party-animals, having everything to offer in a nightlife scene where Ibiza meets St Tropez and where the only problem you are going to face is running out of your own energy. The rhythm is frenetic and the scene is ever-changing, so it’s best to check once you are there on the hippest places du jour, or, shall we say, de nuit.

The poetic setting of Little Venice is the ideal place to start in the late afternoon with cocktails and chill-out music in one of its many romantic bars to prime your mood for after-midnight reveling. Among them Caprice is a classic, offering stunning sunset views by the water. Galleraki (Little Gallery) is another one in a poetic-artistic ambience. Further along the harbor front, next to Paraportiani Church, you can also enjoy sunsets and drinks at Kastro. By the port, Nine Muses “specializes” in Greek-tinged fun.

At the other end of the old harbor, with superb vistas to the marinas and Chora, El Pecado is a requisite stop. Right above that, overlooking the open Aegean sea, you’ll find the cute Oniro on the road to Tourlos. Bustling with energy, “downtown” Mykonos is where a number of clubs are gathered offering anything from transvestite techno to mainstream rock music. Pierro’s, at the little crowded square of Ag. Kyriaki, is the very first gay bar to have opened on the island and still retains its “good” reputation, while Manto and Ikaros are also on that same spot next to each other. Spacedance Experience, at Lakka square, as its name suggests, offers non-stop partying all night long with various DJ sets and an agenda full of events.

On the central Matoyanni street there are several to-see-and-to-be-seen bars like the Anchor (Agyra), Egli, Astra, Argo, Uno and Celebrities, attracting diverse crowds ranging from celebrities to backpackers. Cavo Paradiso, built on a rock above Paradise Beach like a theater expanding on the extraordinary landscape, is a unique dance-music “shelter” leading the trends since 1993 when it first opened, the ultimate after-hours club on the island with an ever impressive lineup of guests. Also offering high-energy levels of partying at Paradise beach is Tropicana. At Paraga Beach, Kalua has helped to establish this lovely small beach as an alternative to Paradise in partying terms.