Greece - Korina Miller [304]
Also recommended is the Green Dollars Bar on the beach road, for daytime snacks and music while you drink. Rock and reggae are favourites from 10am to 4am.
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AROUND SYROS
The beaches south of Galissas all have domatia (rooms, usually in a private home) and some have hotels. Some beaches are narrow, roadside strips of dullish sand, but they’re not too busy. They include Finikas, Posidonia and Angathopes. Back on the main road and on the south coast proper, the town of Megas Gialos has a couple of roadside beaches.
The pleasant Vari Bay, further east, has a sandy beach with some development, including a couple of hotels and a beachfront taverna.
Kini Beach, out on its own on the west coast, north of Galissas, has a long stretch of beach and is developing into a popular resort with standard modern hotels, apartments, cafes and tavernas.
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MYKONOS ΜΥΚΟΝΟΣ
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Mykonos is the great glamour island of the Cyclades and happily flaunts its camp and fashionable reputation with style. Beneath the gloss and glitter, however, this is a charming and hugely entertaining place where the sometimes frantic mix of good-time holidaymakers, cruise-ship crowds, posturing fashionistas and preening celebrities is magically subdued by the cubist charms of Mykonos town, a traditional Cycladic maze. Local people have had 40 years to get a grip on tourism and have not lost their Greek identity in doing so.
Be prepared, however, for the oiled-up lounger lifestyle of the island’s packed main beaches, the jostling street scenes and the relentless, yet sometimes forlorn, partying. That said, there’s still a handful of off-track beaches worth fighting for. Plus, the stylish bars, restaurants and shops have great appeal, and you can still find a quieter pulse amid the labyrinthine old town. Add to all this the archaeological splendour of the nearby island of Delos, and Mykonos really does live up to its reputation as a fabulous destination.
Getting There & Away
Mykonos is well served by air connections to Athens, Thessaloniki and Santorini. There are also direct Easyjet flights to London from about May to mid September.
With Mykonos being such a major tourist destination, ferry connections to the mainland ports of Piraeus and Rafina are very good, as are connections to neighbouring islands. Links south to that other popular destination, Santorini, and to points between are also excellent.
Mykonos has two ferry quays: the Old Port, 400m north of town, where some conventional ferries and smaller fast ferries dock, and the New Port, 2km north of town, where the bigger fast ferries and some conventional ferries dock. There is no hard-and-fast rule, and when buying outgoing tickets you should always double-check which quay your ferry leaves from.
For further details Island Hopping.
Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
Buses from the southern bus station serve Mykonos’ airport (€1.40), which is 3km southeast of the town centre. Make sure you arrange an airport transfer with your accommodation (expect to pay around €6) or take a taxi ( 22890 22400, airport 22890 23700).
BOAT
Caïque (little boat) services leave Hora (Mykonos) for Super Paradise, Agrari and Elia Beaches (June to September only) and from Platys Gialos to Paradise (€7), Super Paradise (€8), Agrari (€7) and Elia (€7) Beaches.
BUS
The Mykonos bus network ( 22890 26797; www.ktelmykonos.gr) has two main bus stations and a pick-up point at the New Port. The northern bus station (Remezzo) is behind the OTE office and has frequent departures to Agios Stefanos via Tourlos (€1.40), and services to Ano Mera, (€1.40), Elia Beach (€1.70) and Kalafatis Beach (€1.90). Trips range from 20 minutes to 40 minutes. There are two buses daily to Kalo Livadi Beach (€1.50). Buses for the New Port, Tourlos and Agios Stefanos stop at the Old Port. The southern bus station (Fabrika Sq [Plateia Yialos]) serves Agios Ioannis Beach (€1.40), Ornos, (€1.40), Platys Gialos (€1.40), Paraga (€1.40) and Paradise Beach (€1.40). Trips