Little Venice | MY GREECE TRAVEL BLOG

Tag: Little Venice (page 1 of 4)

Mykonos springs to life as more bars & restaurants open, first cruise ship of 2019 visits

The beachfront of Tasos Taverna is seen in a photo posted on Facebook to announce its March 23 season opening. Located on Paraga beach, Tasos has been serving customers since 1962.

Season starts: Spring has only just sprung, but the tourism season on Mykonos has kicked off with a spate of bar and restaurant openings, plus the arrival of the first cruise ship of 2019.

During the period of March 15 to 25, at least 10 establishments were set to officially open their doors, including two beach restaurants and, in Mykonos Town, several popular eateries and a bar. March 15 also marked the start of cruise ship port calls into Mykonos, with a visit by the Celestyal Cruises ship, Olympia.

On most Greek islands, the annual tourist season is fairly short, and typically runs from the beginning of May until the end of September. With more than 10 places opening up during the third week of March, it might sound like Mykonos is getting things off to an unusually early start. But during the last four years, there has been a similar number of food and drink venues launching their seasons at this time, so I haven’t been surprised to hear of this month’s openings.

The cruise ship visits, on the other hand, have indeed commenced sooner than in previous years. A March 18 news report by Greek Travel Pages notes that Celestyal launched its 3- and 4-night Aegean cruises two weeks earlier this year compared to last. It also is extending its season by two weeks in the fall, in response to what Celestyal says is a rising demand for travel before and after the summer season.

I, too, have noticed a greater interest in off- or early-season travel to Greece this year, both in messages and inquiries sent to my blog, and from requests for advice posted on the TripAdvisor Greece travel forums. This year I have fielded more questions than ever before from people who booked trips to Mykonos for dates in February, March and April. Many of those who wrote to me, or posted questions in online forums, were worried they wouldn’t have anywhere to eat or drink on Mykonos because they heard rumours that the island’s businesses are shut tight as a drum until May. That’s simply not true, since there are restaurants and bars that stay open all winter to serve the local population. The good news for people travelling to Mykonos between mid-March and May is that they will now have a much wider selection of places to enjoy a drink or meal, with more businesses opening each week until summer.

Greece, Greek islands, Cyclades, Mikonos, Mykonos, Ornos, restaurant, seafood restaurant, estiatorio, Greek restaurant, Apaggio, Apaggio Mykonos, Apaggio restaurant Mykonos

Apaggio, located on the seaside at Ornos, is open every day of the year. In fact, it hasn’t closed since it opened in 2013. Apaggio specializes in fresh fish and seafood, but guests also can choose from salads, warm and cold appetizers, meat and pasta dishes, Greek dishes and more. It has an extensive wine list, and a vast selection of ouzo and tsipouro. During winter, Apaggio is open from 12 noon until 11 p.m. The restaurant has an indoor dining room as well as a large seaside patio, seen in the photo above from the Apaggio website.

Raya, an all-day restaurant and bar positioned on the harbourside promenade in Mykonos Town, is one of the island businesses that doesn’t close up shop when the tourist season ends — it stays open all year. And it’s not just popular for food and drinks: Raya is known for its special Sunday parties, with music by DJs from Mykonos and Athens. This photo is from the Raya page on Facebook.

Please click on the link below to turn to page 2, where you can see which bars and restaurants have opened on Mykonos this month, along with places that opened even earlier, or have been open throughout the winter.

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Even in severe winter weather, Greece’s scenic beauty shines through

January 20, 2018 / admin / 1 Comment

Surf sprays two storeys high as roaring waves crash ashore at the Little Venice area of Mykonos Town, flooding the entire seaside strip of cocktail bar terraces. This photo was posted on the Mykonos LIVE TV Facebook page on January 18, the day gale-force winds raged across much of Greece.

Storm scenes: When wild winter weather swept across Europe this week, Greece wound up in the path of powerful winds that pounded some places, including Syros island, with gusts reaching as high as 122 kmh — the equivalent to force 12 on the Beaufort wind scale.

The fierce winds raged relentlessly on Thursday January 18, toppling trees on several islands, damaging one of the iconic windmills on Mykonos, and preventing planes from landing at Syros airport. The storm disrupted ferry travel and shipping, too, as rough seas forced the cancellation of many sailings as well as the closure of the ports at Lavrio and Rafina. At Piraeus port, the passenger ferry Panagia Agiasou broke away from its moorings during the tempest, while waterfront areas at Mykonos Town, and Kini Beach on Syros, sustained damage from massive waves that walloped the shore.

Although most residents stayed indoors to avoid the incessant blasts of wind, which made walking perilous and even driving difficult, some did venture out to observe nature’s fury and photograph the stormy conditions. I found numerous pictures and videos on social media showing skies filled with massive dark clouds, and huge waves crashing onto seafronts and beaches in Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Syros, Rhodes, Lesvos, Samos, Skyros, Skopelos, Ithaca, Paxos, Kefalonia, Nafplio, Athens and elsewhere. Many of the images showed that, even in ferocious weather, the scenic beauty of Greece’s coastal areas still stands out.

Takis Vassiliou shot this view of the Nafplio waterfront and Bourtzi sea castle, and shared the image on his Nafplio Kalimera page on Facebook

Maria Alipranti captured sunlight illuminating stormclouds and waves at the Parikia waterfront on Paros. Her photo, and more than 20 others she shot, were shared on the ΠΑΡΟΣ like page on Facebook.

Eleonora Pouwels photographed this scene of waves, stormclouds and sunset at Psiriara beach on Lesvos

Please click on the link below to turn to page 2, where I have posted more photos and several videos that were shared on social media.

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Mykonos party events during September & autumn 2016

August 9, 2016 / admin / 23 Comments

Cavo Paradiso, the premier night party venue on Mykonos, will present major DJ events until September 23 this year

Late summer lineups: For weeks I’ve been receiving daily email requests for details of September party events on Mykonos, but haven’t been able to give anyone any information because nothing had been announced. Until today (August 9), that is, when Cavo Paradiso updated its summer 2016 DJ lineup to show events scheduled up to the middle of September (the club traditionally ends its season around mid month).

Cavo will be holding 13 parties in September, with the last set for September 23.

See page 2 of this post for more details of the events taking place at Cavo, as well as to see flyers for parties being presented at other clubs and bars.

I will be adding other September parties to this post, as well as events taking place in early October, once dates have been announced, so keep checking back for updates. Bear in mind that many clubs do not announce events until as little as 24 to 48 hours before they are scheduled to take place, and some events are not advertised at all.

Click here to see a list of live jazz, rock, Greek and other music shows taking place on Mykonos during September.

And click here if you would like to see party events that have taken place during other months of 2016.

This is the schedule for events being held on Thursdays this month at Scorpios

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Mykonos: Amazing for all ages

June 2, 2016 / admin / 3 Comments

Best of Mykonos ♥ – Greece 2016 is a short but sweet personal travel film that spotlights some of the gorgeous sights and scenery a couple and their young son enjoyed during a visit to Mykonos this spring

Age appropriate: Here’s a newly published video I’m sharing on the blog primarily for any parents out there who might be wondering: Should we take our kids to Mykonos?

Concerned by its well-established reputation as a “party island,” readers regularly ask me if Mykonos is suitable for families with toddlers, young kids and teens. These parents say they would love to visit the island, but they’re worried about exposing their kids to the drunken debauchery, street brawls and public sex they’ve heard about or seen on television shows like the What Happens in Kavos series on Britain’s Channel 4 several years ago.

Although Mykonos is justifiably famous for its adult-oriented attractions of restaurants, shopping and nightlife, the island does have attractions and activities suitable for people of all ages — and its popular party scene can easily be avoided.

True, Mykonos has a few beaches where celebrations can sometimes turn wild, crazy and salacious — Paradise, Super Paradise, Paraga and Psarou among them — but the parties usually don’t start until 4 p.m. That means mornings and early afternoons are ideal for families to enjoy the sun, sand, sea and sensational scenery at each of these picturesque beaches. Moreover, there’s plenty of “non-party” beaches that are perfect to take kids, including Platis Gialos, Ornos, Agios Stefanos, Kalo Livadi, Kalafatis, Agia Anna/Kalafatis and Agios Ioannis, some of which offer a variety of water sports activities in which children can participate.

And unless they take the kids on a midnight (or later) stroll through the labyrinthine streets of Mykonos Town, parents probably won’t even notice the night-time party scene at the dozens of bars and clubs scattered throughout the town center. (Families can avoid peak party season altogether — and peak crowds and prices — by travelling to Mykonos in late April, May, the first half of June or during September and early October.)

Getting back to the video, you’ll join the Pfeifer family — Vanessa and Ben, and their young boy, Vincent — as they experience picture postcard-perfect places like the Little Venice seafront and the charming lanes of Mykonos Town, as well as the impressive coastal scenery and stunning turquoise sea at Agios Ioannis (better known to many people around the world as “The Shirley Valentine beach”).

Ben is a professional photographer with Fotostudio Lichtecht in Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany, and his skills are on full display in the video as he captures beautiful scenes and images from around the island and at their accommodations, the luxurious Mykonos Grand Hotel at Agios Ioannis– one of the island’s top resorts.

The video is only three and a half minutes long, so it offers a rather quick glimpse of Mykonos. But besides highlighting some of its most popular attractions, I think it shows parents that Mykonos is a place their kids will be able to enjoy, too.

Mykonos bar and beach club parties in July 2016

May 27, 2016 / admin / 1 Comment

Paradise Club’s 2016 summer DJ lineup, released July 14

This is Kalua Bar‘s party lineup for July and August. An event for July 21 has been added since this list was released.

Cavo Paradiso‘s international DJ lineup for July and August

The creator of the Cafe del Mar music collections, Jose Padilla, will make three appearances at Liasti Beach Resort in July — on Monday the 11th, Friday the 15th, and Saturday the 23rd

This post features promotional flyers for party events taking place on Mykonos during specific days in July only. If you want to see events for other months during summer 2016, click here.

Daily party events

The island’s main party beaches are Paradise, Super Paradise and Paraga, where beach parties start in the afternoon and continue into the evening. At Paradise, parties start around 4 p.m. at Tropicana Club and at Guapaloca, while partying can begin as early as mid afternoon at Super Paradise Club at Super Paradise beach. Guapaloca also throws a body painting partyk every night at 10 p.m. At Paraga, you’ll find afternoon beach parties at Kalua, daily pool parties at 5 p.m. at Sueno Village, and music entertainment events most days of the week at Scorpios. Parties can spontaneously erupt at Psarou beach, as well, when guests at Nammos beach bar and restaurant feel the urge to let loose (and they often do).

In Mykonos Town, Semeli Hotel holds a Sun:Set party at 6 p.m. every day in its Semeli Lounge. The Elysium Hotel in the School of Fine Arts district presents its famous Sunset Cabaret on its seaview pool terrace every evening starting at 8:30 p.m., while @54 Club has nightly drag shows starring Roxy Brooks and dancer Matthew Malia at 1 a.m. At the 4711 live music club, Dionisis Sxoinas will perform nightly (except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) from July 21 through to August 21.

Regular weekly events

Besides special one-time events featuring leading Greek and international DJs, some bars and beach clubs hold regular theme parties on specific days of the week. Here are some of the regular events being offered during July and August this summer:

Monday: Kalua holds its Skin Orgasm Party with Ms Lefki starting at 5 p.m., while at Kalo Livadi beach, DJ Maga spins chill tunes at the new Chinawhite by Rakkan, starting at 4 pm.

Tuesday: Scorpios hosts the Yoruba Soul Experience music event, starting at 5 p.m. Madon presents its weekly Propaganda party starting at midnight. Vinos bar features live jazz music from 10 p.m., and Dome Club has its Showtime Tuesdays party.

Wednesday: Kalua presents its Spirit party starting at 5 p.m.; Pinky Beach at Super Paradise hosts an After Beach Dine & Dance party with music by DJ Thanos starting at 6 p.m.; Toy Room Club hosts Toy Room on Fire, where the dress code is Red and music is by DJ Silence; and Rock N’ Roll Mykonos hosts special parties presented by Sintillate, with hip hop, RNB and house music by DJ Skaterboi.

Thursday: Hippie Fish at Agios Ioannis beach throws its Peace Love Music parties starting at 1 p.m.; and Scorpios presents its weekly Movements music event at 5 p.m. And starting at 10 p.m., Vinos bar presents live jazz music.

Friday: Scorpios holds its weekly Ceremonia music event beginning at 5 p.m.; Kalua holds its weekly Obsessions party with DJ Agent Greg starting at 5 p.m.; Blu Blu Lounge presents its Blu Sunset party with “eclectic” music by DJ Dest starting at 7.30 p.m.; and The Dublin pub at Agios Stefanos presents live Greek rock music with local band the VBros starting at 10:30 p.m.

Saturday: Monarch at Platis Gialos beach holds its weekly Blackrock Sinful Sunset beach party starting at 5 p.m.

Sunday: Liasti beach resort offers live saxophone music and jazz vocals in its restaurant area. The weekly day-to-night Sneaky Sundays music event takes place at Scorpios beginning at 5 p.m.; Toy Room Club hosts its weekly Incognito Masked Ball; and DJ Giannis Zissis from Athens spins at Dome Club.

Party announcements are added to this post whenever they are released, so check back regularly for updates. I usually add new events every day, and sometimes more than once a day. Note that most bars and clubs don’t post their full party schedules for the summer, and sometimes announce special events or DJ appearances as little as one to three days before they take place.

Please click on the link below to turn to page 2 of this post, where you will find a day-by-day list of party events taking place throughout July.

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What’s new on Mykonos for summer 2016

April 16, 2016 / admin / 2 Comments

~ updated on Monday September 5 2016 ~

Overlooking the Mykonos Town harbourfront from one of my favourite vantage points on a hill behind the Remezzo area of town

Boom town: Many of the tourists who visited Mykonos last summer must have been wondering why they didn’t see obvious signs of the economic crisis that has ravaged the country for more than five years.

Seemingly unscathed by the financial problems that have plagued the rest of Greece, Mykonos was absolutely thriving in 2015, with more than 100 new travel-related businesses opening up on the island last summer alone. The unprecedented renovation and building boom saw the arrival of new hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, galleries and personal services, many of which were aimed at the island’s rapidly growing luxury travel market.

It would be hard to top 2015’s astounding array of brand-new businesses again this year, but recent announcements about more upcoming new openings suggest the resilient Mykonos economy is poised for even further prosperity and growth.

So far there have been announcements on social media to herald the imminent debut of several new restaurants, retail shops, beach clubs, hotels, bars and nightlife venues, while rumours abound that many more are in the works.

Please click on the link below to read about the new businesses that have opened or been announced so far. I will update this post regularly as I receive more information about the newcomers.

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Soar with the bedazzling beauty of Mykonos

December 20, 2015 / admin / 0 Comments

I love this fab drone aerial video of Mykonos, my first and still one of my all-time favourite Greek islands. The 4-minute film features some of the island’s most picturesque places, including the Mykonos Town harbour, the rustic Little Venice seafront, Paraportiani church, the world-famous windmills, and gorgeous Psarou and Super Paradise beaches. (The ultra-luxe hotel with the private plunge pools is the Grecotel Mykonos Blu resort at Psarou, in case you were wondering.) Click the arrow to admire the Mykonos beauty from above.

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

May 8, 2015 / admin / 6 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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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Tag: Little Venice (page 1 of 4)

Even in severe winter weather, Greece’s scenic beauty shines through

Mykonos party events during September & autumn 2016

Mykonos bar and beach club parties in July 2016

What’s new on Mykonos for summer 2016

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