Tag: Kalo Livadi (page 2 of 2)

Mykonos set for 2015 season with over 100 new places to eat, drink, shop, sleep and party

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Cayenne Mykonos restaurant logo

Located at Tourlos, just a short walk from the New Port, Cayenne is among dozens of brand-new businesses on Mykonos this year. 

 

[Updated October 30 2015]

 “Crisis? What crisis?” That’s a question many regular visitors to Mykonos will probably ask when they see the more than 100 new and completely-renovated businesses that have opened on the island this year.

While Greece shudders through its sixth straight year of devastating economic turbulence,  Mykonos appears to be in a different world altogether, virtually unscathed from the recession that has ravaged the rest of the country.

Last year, the island enjoyed a record year for tourism — receiving more than 2 million visitors — and some longtime local residents told me they could not recall ever seeing the island as crowded and busy as it was during July and August. Hotels were filled to capacity, flotillas of luxury yachts were common sights at many beaches, and champagne flowed by the caseload at bars and restaurants across the island. As I reported in a July 16 2014 post, hotel rates reached higher levels, too, with the international online travel firm Trivago noting that prices had soared as much as 61% over the previous year.

 

 

International brands flocking to Mykonos

In anticipation that even more tourists with thick wallets will arrive in 2015, local and international companies have been pouring millions of Euros into the construction of new hotels, shops, bars, clubs and restaurants, as well as the renovation or upgrading of existing properties. Indeed, since late last autumn, Mykonos has been experiencing an unprecedented building boom as small armies of contractors swarmed around the island in a rush to finish dozens of projects. Global business brands flocked to the island in droves, scooping up any available real estate for their new Mykonos outlets.

With many of the new enterprises aimed at affluent travellers, Mykonos mayor Konstantinos Koukas has told local media he’s confident that the island is now well-poised to compete for a bigger share of the the world’s luxury travel market, and will successfully lure big spenders who usually flock to other Mediterranean hotspots like St Tropez, Monaco and Ibiza.

To see what’s new on Mykonos this year, please click on the convenient quick links below:

Click here for page 2 to read about new and newly-renovated restaurants in Mykonos Town,  Tourlos, and the Ano Mera area.

Click here for page 3, which describes  new and renovated beach restaurants, as well as the island’s two big new beach clubs, Monarch and Scorpios.

Click here for page 4, which highlights new and renovated nightlife venues in Mykonos Town, including bars, nightclubs, and shisha lounges; and

Click here for page 5, which introduces you to the island’s new spas, retail shopping establishments, and hotels.

 

Food Mall Mykonos image from the restaurants' Facebook page

More than two dozen new restaurants opened on Mykonos for 2015, and five of them can be found under one roof at the Food Mall Mykonos on the highway between Mykonos Town and Ano Mera.

 

Aerial view of Scorpios Mykonos

Widely recognized as the hippest new beach club on Mykonos for 2015, the Scorpios Beach Restaurant and Bar became one of the most popular places on the island within weeks of its opening in an “idyllic haven” on a peninsula between Paraga and Platis Gialos. 

 

Monarch Restaurant & Beach Club at Kalo Livadi Mykonos photo from its website

Another new beach club and restaurant is Monarch at Kalo Livadi, which boasts cuisine designed by a Michelin-starred chef, comfy beachfront lounge chairs, and occasional special events and big parties. 

 

Buddha-Bar Beach restaurant and bar at Santa Marina Resort Mykonos photo from the resort Facebook page

The world’s first Buddha-Bar Beach restaurant, bar and beach club opened on May 20 at the Santa Marina Resort at Ornos. 

 

Ling Ling Mykonos entrance

One of the most eagerly awaited new arrivals on Mykonos was Ling Ling, a Hakkasan-branded Cantonese fine dining restaurant and  uber-chic nightspot.  It opened in July in the premises that had been occupied for decades by the famous Philippi Garden Restaurant, which closed a few years ago after its owner died. 

 

Bonbonniere Mykonos nightclub

June 27 saw the launch of yet another new nightclub when Bonbonniere Mykonos threw its opening party in the ODE Mykonos club in the Tria Pigadia area of Mykonos Town. It’s a summer “pop up” version of the world-famous Bonbonniere club in London whose owner, Joe Fournier (wearing the white polo shirt) is pictured after signing a contract to bring Bonbonniere to the ODE space for the season.

 

Caprice Bar Mykonos photo from inmykonos dot com website

Mykonos residents and visitors weren’t just buzzing about new business openings this spring — people were also chatting about the abrupt closure of the enormously popular Caprice Bar (pictured above) and its surprise reopening a few weeks later as Caprice, a restaurant-bar located just a few doors down from its old place at Little Venice. 

 

Mykonos No 5 Villas luxury apartments photo from the hotel website

Mykonos No.5 Villas is one of the island’s newest hotels, offering a selection of seaview apartment residences, lofts and maisonettes in the Kanalia district 3.5 kilometers from Mykonos Town.

 

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Going to Mykonos this summer? Check hotels now for early booking discounts & special offers

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De.light Mykonos

The gorgeous seaview swimming pool at De.light Boutique Hotel looks oh-so-inviting in this photo from the hotel website. De.light is among numerous Mykonos resorts currently offering early booking deals for summer travel.

 

 

Reserve now: If you plan to visit Mykonos this summer, consider booking your accommodations as soon as possible to get a good deal on the price — and ensure you get to stay at the hotel of your choice.

On New Year’s Eve, a travel tip entitled 5 things smart travelers should do in January caught my eye on the Condé Nast Traveler magazine website.  Item #5 recommended reserving summer hotel rooms on Mykonos and Santorini now to take advantage of early-booking bargains.

The article quoted Leftheris Papageorgiou of St Paul Minnesota-based Hellenic Adventures as saying this is the time of year many hotels on the two hugely popular Cycladic islands offer special promotions. “Not only will you get your top pick of hotels, but you’ll get them at a reduced rate,” he said.

 

 

Mykonos popular on travel website searches

But there’s another good reason to reserve soon — rooms at your preferred hotel could sell out quickly. Mykonos recorded one of its best-ever years for tourism in 2014, and the island’s popularity could soar even higher this summer.

In fact, Mykonos ranked in the world’s top 5 travel destinations for 2015 in data analyzed by Skyscanner, one of the major travel search engines. Additionally, Skyscanner found that Mykonos was the #2 most-searched destination for Australians, and #3 for travellers in the United Kingdom. (People around the globe conduct more than 30 million searches per month on the travel site. Working with trend forecasting firms, Skyscanner studied its treasure trove of data to predict the top places in the world “to be and be seen in 2015.”)

And just a few days ago, The Huffington Post singled out Mykonos and Santorini when it ranked Greece #4 in its Top 15 International Destinations for 2015. “These magnificent islands are every bit as gorgeous, romantic, laid back, and fun as any place you can find on earth. There’s Mykonos for romance, Santorini for breathtaking beaches, Crete for natural wonders, and so much more to discover.” the Huffington Post explained.

 

 Mykonos Town

A view of Mykonos Town and its harbour area. The Skyscanner travel search website has predicted that Mykonos will be one of the world’s top 5 travel destinations in 2015.

 

Random search for bargains at Mykonos hotels

To see if early booking bargains are indeed available right now, I randomly checked websites for dozens of hotels on Mykonos (sorry, Santorini fans — I just didn’t have the time to check hotels on that island, too). I discovered that many sites don’t explicitly indicate if any special promotions are available at all, while several still advertise early booking deals for last year. Quite a few sites have banners or navigation menus promising “special offers,” but the links took me to blank pages or basic online booking forms that didn’t indicate rate reductions. Clearly, many hotels haven’t updated their webpages in a long time! But with tourist arrivals expected to be strong on Mykonos again this year, I’m sure many hotel proprietors won’t need to offer discounts to fill their rooms. Nevertheless, I did find deals for certain room categories or specific travel dates indicated on the websites for several popular hotels and resorts.

What follows is summary of promotions I discovered during my random survey, listed by island location. If you’re interested in a different resort on Mykonos or any other island, for that matter, carefully check their websites for mention of early booking bonuses. If you don’t see any deals advertised, email or telephone the hotel to inquire if any benefits are available if you book now. It never hurts to ask, and many Greek hotels will be pleased to provide discounts if you reserve directly with them rather than through one of the major online third-party booking agencies.

Please click on the link below to continue reading on page 2 of this post.

 

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Singers Julio Iglesias, Anna Vissi and Conchita Wurst to perform at Mykonos beach clubs this week

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 Conchita Wurtz and Anna Vissi

Eurovision singing sensation Conchita Wurst, left, and Greek entertainer Anna Vissi, right, will appear at the Jackie O’ Beach club on Mykonos Saturday night. This image was posted with a recent protothemanews report about the event.

 

Big-name acts: The Mykonos party scene will reach a midsummer climax over the next four days when several internationally-renowned singers make live appearances at two of the island’s top beach clubs.

Anna Vissi will perform at Jackie O’ Beach Saturday July 26 during a special concert event celebrating the 40th anniversary of her music career. She will be joined by “bearded lady” Conchita Wurst, who won the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest for Austria six weeks ago with the song “Rise Like a Phoenix.”

Jackie O’ Beach is located at Super Paradise beach. The popular straight-friendly gay club will open its doors at 7:30 for the event, which will feature warm-up performances by Greek singer Demy as well as Greek Eurovision participants Freaky Fortune, Risky Kidd and Apostolos Mitropoulos.

Tickets are being sold at Jackie O’ Beach as well as its sister bar, Jackie O’ Mykonos in Mykonos Town. The club’s website doesn’t provide ticket prices, but a Greek Reporter article published today said prices range from €100 to €450.

On Wednesday July 30, international singing superstar Julio Iglesias will appear with popular Greek performer Antonis Remos at Nammos by the Sea, the chic restaurant and nightclub at trendy Psarou beach.

The Facebook page for the Julio Iglesias Meets Antonis Remos event doesn’t list ticket prices, but one fan posted that she heard standing-room tickets start at €60 while tables are priced from €1000. Tickets can be ordered by contacting Nammos by telephone at: +30 22890 22440.

Please click on the number 2 in the link below to read about more events taking place on Mykonos.

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Mykonos food and drink 2013: Where to find the best summer beach parties and special events

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High on Heels at Guilty Beach Mykonos

The High on Heels all-female collective of DJs, musicians and vocalists gave a live performance June 24 at the Guilty Beach restaurant & bar at Panormos beach

 

[This is one in a series of reports about the Mykonos restaurant and bar scene this summer. The first part reviewed popular restaurants in and near Mykonos Town, while the second featured the top beach restaurants and tavernas. This post profiles venues and special events at Mykonos beaches.] 

 

Beach bashes: The names of some of the top party venues on Mykonos — including Skandinavian Bar, Paradise Club and Cavo Paradiso — are practically household words in many parts of the world. But those aren’t the only places on the island where tourists and locals love to kick up their heels and party to music by top-flight international DJs or live entertainers.

There are dozens of popular bars and clubs in the heart of Mykonos Town and several more at some of the island’s major beaches, while even a few upscale hotels and restaurants participate in the party spirit by hosting special entertainment events during the peak months of July and August.

Here’s a look at the most popular Mykonos party beaches this season, with a peek at promotional posters for upcoming events as well as some parties that have already taken place (to illustrate the scope and diversity of the island’s summer entertainment program).

 

Paradise Club Mykonos poster for Carl Cox event

From the Paradise Club Facebook page, a promotional image for DJ Carl Cox, who headlined at the Paradise beach venue on July 19. The party lasted right through the night, with Carl Cox spinning until sunrise.

 

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Mykonos food and drink 2013: The island’s most popular beach tavernas and restaurants

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 The view from Kiki's taverna at Agios Sostis beach on Mykonos

This view of a calm cove and tranquil beach on Panormos Bay is a major element of the sublime setting and laid-back, relaxed ambience…

 

The tree- and vine-sheltered dining terrace at Kiki's taverna at Agios Sostis beach on Mykonos

… that continue to draw scores of diners to cozy Kiki’s Taverna near Agios Sostis beach on Mykonos. But the taverna’s superb salads and great grilled meat dishes are the main reasons why Kiki’s remains one of the most talked about beach restaurants on the island. Click on the photos to view full-size pictures.

 

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[This is the second in a series of reports about the Mykonos restaurant and bar scene this summer. The first highlighted restaurants in and near Mykonos Town that have been generating lots of buzz so far this season. This instalment profiles popular restaurants at a dozen different beach areas on the island.]

 

Best of the beaches: Mykonos is one of the most popular beach destinations in Greece, boasting more than two dozen major beaches plus countless coves and secret swimming spots off the beaten tourist path.

The good news for visitors who work up an appetite while enjoying the sun, sand and sea is that very good restaurants — some of which are considered to be among the best dining spots on the island — can be found on or near at least 16 of those beautiful beaches.

Here’s a look at the restaurants and tavernas at a dozen different beaches that travellers and locals alike have been talking about the most this summer. (I will provide a more comprehensive list of dining establishments at all beach areas in a separate post still to come.)

 

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