Kalikatsou Rock stands sentry at the tip of a narrow spit of land separating Grikos Bay (foreground) from Petra Bay on Patmos. The Grikos side of the spit features a curved sandy beach, but the Petra beachfront is covered with stones and rocks. Below is a brief videoclip showing views from Kalikatsou Rock.
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The soft golden sand and wonderful turquoise water at Mylopotas beach
Golden arc: What a great beach! For years, I heard and read that Mylopotas regularly ranks as one of the top beaches in all the Greek Islands. In May I found out why, when I finally got to see it for myself. My first glimpse of Mylopotas was from our hotel — the Hermes Ios — high up one of the mountains that ring Mylopotas bay, beach and valley. The beach’s broad golden arc of sand and the bay’s appealing clear turquoise water looked impressive enough from a distance. Up close, they looked amazing.
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Overlooking Kolitsani beach and bay from a nearby mountainside
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Scene of tranquillity: Beach lovers would probably consider the accommodations where we stayed on Ios in May — the Hermes Hotel at Agios Ioannis — to be ideally situated. To the left of the hotel, and visible from its breakfast room and bar, is the island’s most famous beach: Mylopotas, a gorgeous curved strand of golden sand. About a 20-minute hike down the mountain valley to the right is Kolitsani, a secluded small beach accessible only on foot or by sea.
Kolitsani beach spans the foot of a long, narrow bay with shallow turquoise water. There is a large white private villa and some 12-meter cliffs on one side of the bay, and a steep hillside covered with wildflowers, herbs and low scrub bushes on the other. The beach itself is divided into two separate sections by a rock outcropping and giant boulder that jut into the sea. One side has soft brown sand, while the other is covered in large stones and rocks.
Sign at the top of the trail that winds down the mountain to Kolitsani beach
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Joanna’s Niko’s Place at Megali Ammos Beach was the taverna getting the most buzz amongst travellers to Mykonos this past spring
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Rave reviews: Mykonos has such a wide variety of restaurants — serving virtually everything from traditional Greek cooking to Italian food to contemporary international cuisine — that it can be difficult deciding where to eat, or what to recommend to other travellers. It’s also tough keeping track from one tourist season to the next of what’s hot and what’s not, what’s new and what’s gone. A favourite from one visit can be a big let-down next time around, or it could disappear altogether. There are tavernas in remote beach areas that can’t be reached without private transportation because the local buses don’t serve every corner of the island. Some restaurants don’t even open until June, so regular May travellers like us never get a chance to try them. And, of course, personal taste has to be factored into the equation. Some people prefer expensive haute cuisine, while others want cheap ‘n’ cheerful Greek comfort food. Some abhor obvious tourist traps, yet others can’t get enough of them.
Each year, there’s a handful of restaurants that attract a lot of attention in travel magazines and websites, and in conversations between visitors, hotel staff and local residents. This year was no exception.
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A hotel and resort area just a 15-minute bus ride from Mykonos Town, Platis Gialos is one of the most popular beaches on Mykonos island …
… with hundreds of rental sunbeds and a good selection of bars and tavernas at the front of hotels stretching along the sandy beach
Family friendly: If you want to spend time with your kids on a beautiful Mykonos beach that has a good selection of restaurants, bars and water sports facilities, but none of the raucous and raunchy partying that some of the island’s beaches are famous for, then you’ve got two excellent choices on the island’s south coast.
You could visit Ornos beach, which I profiled in my July 24 2011 post, or you could go to Platis Gialos beach. They’re not the only family-friendly beaches on Mykonos, of course, but they are two of the easiest to reach from Mykonos Town — especially if you don’t plan to rent a vehicle during your island visit and will be relying solely on buses or taxis to get around.
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