The Matala Beach Festival has been drawing tens of thousands of music enthusiasts to Crete each summer, and this year’s event takes place June 22 to 24 at Matala — the legendary beach where hippies lived in caves during the 1960s and 70s. Follow the Matala Beach Festival page on Facebook to receive information about this year’s event when details are announced.
Parties in paradise: Music lovers looking to combine fun in the sun and sea with live music and DJ events can choose from several high-profile festivals being held at various locations in Greece again this summer.
So far, dates have been announced for four major events that will draw thousands of music fans to some of the most popular islands in Greece this summer — Crete, Ios, Mykonos and Rhodes.
They include the annual Matala Beach Festival on Crete, the Swedish Midsummer Festival on Ios, the Lindos Rock event on Rhodes, and the XLSIOR Festival on Mykonos.
I will update this post when the dates and locations of additional major music and party events are announced.
Check the links provided under each promotional image for further information and updates about those specific events.
The Lindos Rock live music event will be held from June 20 to 30 in Lindos village on Rhodes. Check the Rockers Reunited webpage for further details about participating acts and ticket sales.
One of the most popular party events on Ios island every year is the Swedish Midsummer Festival, which in 2018 will take place on Friday June 22. Check the Life is a Beach Party website for further details and announcements.
Attracting more than 30,000 gay and gay-friendly participants, XLSIOR Festival is the biggest annual party on Mykonos, and will take place from August 22 to 29 in 2018. Exclusive themed DJ events will be held every afternoon and night of the festival at venues in Mykonos Town and at the island’s top party beaches. See the XLSIOR Festival website for information about tickets and events.
This short video includes aerial views of Delos island, film of the excursion boats that ferry visitors between Mykonos and Delos and, at the 1:39 mark of the clip, a schedule of boat trips and prices for tickets and guided tours in 2017
Time changes: If you’re visiting Mykonos this summer and hope to take a daytrip to explore the historic ruins and museum at nearby Delos island, take note there has been a slight change to the time excursion boats will return from Delos in the evening during 2017. The last boat back to Mykonos will now depart Delos at 7:30 p.m., a half hour earlier than last year.
That’s the only significant change (so far, at least) to the information provided in my Visiting Delos in 2016 blog post. Prices for the boat rides remain at €20 per adult and €10 for children aged 6 to 12. Kids under 6 can still ride for free.
Guided half-day tours still cost €50 per adult and €25 per child between 6 and 12 years of age. There is no charge for kids under 6 to join the guided tours, which are available from May 2 until the end of October.
The ferry ticket and tour prices do not include the government-imposed fee for admission to the Delos archaeological site, which is €12 per person again this year, and which is payable at the entrance gate on the island.
For full details about Delos excursions from Mykonos, consult the website for Delos Tours — the company that operates the boat service between the islands.
An artistic illustration of the luxurious loungers and sunbeds that the new 5-star Branco Mykonos Hotel will offer its guests on Platis Gialos beach
More luxury: Visitors will have more choices of upscale accommodations for their Mykonos holidays as several brand-new luxury properties prepare to open for the 2017 tourist season.
But the arrival of some of the high-end hotels means fewer options for budget travellers, since at least two of the properties previously were mid-range hotels that have been thoroughly renovated and converted into first-class accommodations.
Gone are the Golden Star Hotel in Mykonos Town, which has been replaced by Absolut Mykonos Suites & More, and the Hotel Lady Anna at Platis Gialos beach, which has been upgraded and rebranded as the 5-star Branco Mykonos Hotel.
The Mykonos Bay Hotel at Megali Ammos beach also has rebranded and is now named Mykonos Bay Resort & Villas. Its social media pages recently referred to “art design” and “new premises,” and its online booking page mentions the hotel was renovated in December, but no further details of changes since last season are available yet.
Meanwhile, a noteworthy newcomer is Adel Private Suites, which will welcome guests to a quiet hilltop location with panoramic views of Mykonos Town, the New Port and beyond.
You can expect to see additional upscale hotels launching on Mykonos in the foreseeable future.
The Mitsis Hotels group, which operates the Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel, is planning a 100-bed complex of apartments and suites, for instance, while other premier chains like Four Seasons and W Hotels apparently have been eyeing and acquiring locations at some of the island’s major south coast beach resorts.
An Adel Private Suites promotional image showing the jacuzzi-equipped seaview terrace of one of its Cozy Suites
Please click on the link below to continue reading and see more of the new hotels making their debut this year.
Cyclades hopping, an animated video published by g travel, shows how to arrange a simple island hopping holiday in the north and central Cyclades
Island itineraries: If you haven’t been to Greece before but dream about taking an island hopping holiday there, you’re probably wondering where to go, and how to get from one island to the next. With dozens of destination options in six distinct island chains, plus an array of ferry schedules to sift through, it can seem intimidating to set up a vacation. That’s one of the main reasons why many travellers take a Greek Isles cruise or a package tour, or ask a travel agent to arrange everything for them. There’s nothing wrong with any of those approaches if you’re more comfortable with them or you simply don’t have the time to do your own planning. But it’s not that daunting and difficult to do it yourself.
The video at the top of this post, Cyclades hopping, shows how to arrange a simple do-it-yourself trip to one of the most popular island chains in Greece.
The animated film focusses on a few of the Cyclades, the islands instantly recognizable for their “sugar cube” white houses and blue-domed chapels perched on rocky slopes high above gorgeous golden sand beaches and the stunning turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea.
Home to Mykonos and Santorini, two of the most world-famous and popular places in Greece, the Cyclades is where the majority of first-timers get introduced to the island hopping experience. Many get hooked and keep going back, or instead venture off to hop around the other island chains — the Sporades, Saronic, Dodecanese, Northeastern Aegean, and Ionian.
Crete, the biggest island in Greece, isn’t part of a distinct island chain, and is so vast that visitors are typically advised to devote a full two- or-three week holiday there to explore its incredibly wide variety of beaches, historic sites and attractions.
When you watch Cyclades hopping, you’ll gain insights into travelling to Andros, Mykonos, Paros, Antiparos, Naxos, Ios and Santorini. I have posted several videos that highlight travel to those particular destinations on page 2 of this article, so you can see what each of those islands looks like, and get an overview of some of the top attractions and activities they offer. Additional videos offer peeks at other Cycladic island gems, including Sifnos, Folegandros, Syros, Amorgos, Tinos, Milos, Serifos and Kea.
A passenger enjoys early morning views from the upper deck of the Express Skopelitis ferry as it departs Egali port on Amorgos en route to Naxos
Please turn to page 2 to continue reading and to view videos of islands in the Cyclades chain.
A tour of the heavenly island of Mykonos!! With an exclusive and amazing video that highlights the unparalleled beauty of the island, the journalist and owner of Mykonos Live Tv Peter Nazos invites us to escape to Mykonos! Among the picturesque narrow streets, next to the churches and the monasteries, behind the freshly painted shutters, through the living tradition, the vitality of the night, the rocky hills and the heavenly beaches, the island of the wings can not hide its incomparable charm. Walk in the idyllic cobbled roads, dive into the deep blue and experience the unique atmosphere of the "queen" of the Cyclades. This is Mykonos, a top vacation choice!
This video by Mykonos LIVE TV shows some of the popular beaches and tourist attractions that draw huge crowds to Mykonos every year
Intriguing island: It seems everybody loves Mykonos, Countless people love its atmospheric beaches, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, and happily spread the word about how fantastic everything is. And there are likely just as many who love to criticize and complain, warning anyone who will listen not to go to Mykonos because it’s overpriced, overcrowded and overly commercialized. With so much talk, whether by exuberant fans or equally enthusiastic detractors, it’s no wonder Mykonos is the most famous of all the Greek islands. Remember the expression “There is no such thing as bad publicity?” Well, Mykonos gets plenty, yet its popularity continues to soar.
I think there’s a very simple reason: Mykonos has tremendous visual appeal. Watch the two videos I’ve published in this post, and it’s easy to see why millions of people want to go there. Professional photography helps, no doubt, but similarly enticing images of the island’s breathtaking sights and scenery have appeared for many years in news and social media, travel publications, lifestyle websites, fashion and design magazines, and hit movies all around the world. Heck, I’ve been to Mykonos more than any other place in Greece, yet these videos make me feel like rushing right back.
The film at the top of this post, produced by Mykonos LIVE TV, does a great job of selling the island’s good looks. It presents fabulous views of the iconic landmarks and attractions that have made Mykonos a household name over the past five decades: beaches, bougainvillea, brilliant white buildings, charming churches and chapels, the Little Venice seafront, the photogenic pelican, the impressive Alefkandra windmills, the incredible blue skies and turquoise seas, the sensational sunsets, and much more.
However, there is another popular expression that applies to Mykonos: “Beauty is only skin deep.” Although the narrator of the Tripment travel website film, below, makes a point of mentioning the island’s biggest blemishes, warts and flaws, the video views of bustling beaches, streets and bars do a convincing job of selling Mykonos as an incredibly attractive, exciting, and vibrant place to vacation.
Acknowledging that the island can be extremely expensive and overcrowded during peak season (July and August), the narrator describes Mykonos as “the ideal destination to boast one’s wealth and happiness.” Still, there’s that matchless beauty and alluring aura that make people dream of taking a trip to Mykonos..
“The all-white Cycladic architecture, in combination with the blue colour of the sea and sky, creates really beautiful scenery,” the narrator notes, adding that the 25 Mykonos beaches — “quite a large number” considering the island’s small size — are all “beautiful, with golden sand and crystal-clear blue water.” They might be jam-packed with rental sunbeds and umbrellas, too, but they still look so damned inviting!
Despite its drawbacks, Mykonos “definitely offers a unique experience to its visitors,” the narrator says, and “whether you like it or not depends on your personal taste and style.”
Nevertheless, “the fact is that it is the liveliest destination in Greece as people here enjoy themselves 24 hours a day, non-stop.” Mykonos, he concludes, is “a destination that has made Greece famous all over the world.”
And that’s a really good thing, in my humble opinion.
Even if you can get there only briefly, whether on a cruise, a day tour or a short stopover en route to another island, Mykonos is absolutely worth seeing. There’s nowhere else like it, and that’s a good thing, too.
This clip from the Tripment travel blog dates back to 2014, but little has changed in the interim, and the video still offers an excellent overview of what it calls “the most famous and expensive destination in Greece.”
Stormwaters surged across fields, farmlands and roads on Naxos after heavy rain lashed the island on Tuesday. This picture of an overflowing stream appeared in a January 23 2017 photo report published by Naxos Times.
After the Tuesday rains, this waterfront strip in Naoussa village on Paros was left a complete muddy mess. This was one of several photos that Kay Will shared on Facebook to show the aftermath of the storm.
Devastating downpours: Winter weather has been packing a powerful punch in Greece this month.
The mercury has since climbed and the snow in many places has melted, but Mother Nature wasn’t finished — she decided to pound some of the Cyclades islands with heavy downpours that lasted throughout the day on Tuesday January 24.
The rain, occasionally accompanied by hail, pelted Paros, Naxos, Tinos, Mykonos, Sifnos, Andros and other islands for more than 24 hours.
Paros was particularly hard hit by the storm and seems to have suffered the most water damage. There was extensive soil erosion as well as some landslides, and flooding caused widespread damage to farm fields, shops, homes, churches, vehicles, and roadways.
According to a January 25 report on the local news website ParosIn, damage to some areas was so severe, the island’s mayor has written to regional authorities requesting they declare a state of emergency so that resources can be deployed to assist with the massive cleanup and repair work that must now be undertaken.
The news story noted that the mayor’s letter described severe damage in the municipal areas of Naoussa, Kostos, Lefkon, Archilocus, and Marpissa, as well as places in and around Parikia.
According to the Naxos Times, the deluge doused Naxos with so much rain that streams turned into “rushing rivers” that “drowned” farms and fields, and flooded some roads. Near Koronida village, where wildfires had burned several weeks before, the water washing down the streams was black from all the soot being carried away, the January 24 Naxos Times report stated.
This short videoclip, shared by the Maistros Panormos Tinos page on Facebook, shows some of the rainwater damage at Rochari beach on Tinos
Click on the link below to continue reading and see more storm photos and video on page 2 of this post.
Cavo Paradiso’s DJ roster for September, including its closing week parties September 20, 22 and 23
~ Updated on Tuesday December 26 ~
While September’s arrival is a sign that summer is winding down, that doesn’t mean the party scene is finished on Mykonos. Although Madon ended its season during the last week of August, many bars and clubs are still going strong. It’s also a great time for major cultural events, including the Mykonos Biennale and the Mykonos Multimedia Festival, both taking place the first week of the month.
Although some venues will start to close up shop over the course of September, many bars in Mykonos Town will remain open throughout the month and into the first half of October, while some of the beach clubs will also stay in operation until at least early October.
You’ll find a day-by-day list of September and October parties below and continuing on page 2 of this post. Please note that most events for October entertainment events will not be released until closer to that month. This post will be updated whenever party details are released.
If you want to see what the party scene was like on Mykonos during earlier months this year, click here.
On Friday September 1, singers Antonis Remos, Ragheb Alama and Mustafa Sandal will perform in concert at Nammos in celebration of the Kurban Bayrami feast for Eid el-Adha. Also in the entertainment lineup for the evening is world-renowned belly dancer Oryantal Didem .
The 2017 Mykonos Biennale — a festival celebrating art, dance, music and short film — takes place September 1 to 5 at locations around the island.
Another major cultural event on the island this month is the Mykonos Multimedia Festival 2017, featuring multimedia performances, interactive installations and Internet art. It’s being held at the Sefanos Syrioti Hall on Meletopoulou Street each evening from September 1 to 3.
On Friday September 1 and Saturday September 2, Tropicana beach club is holding special parties to welcome the arrival of September and to celebrate Eid al-Adha
Claptone and Valeron play Cavo Paradiso on Friday September 1. See page 2 for a list of other events being held at the club this month
VOID‘s Hip Hop Nights continue on Friday September 1 with DJ Robbin Jefferson and DJ Hulk on the decks
Tropicana welcomes the arrival of August with a champagne shower party on Tuesday August 1
Orazio Rispo from New York’s Resolute club is guest DJ at Moni on Tuesday August 1
It’s Ladies First night at Madon on Tuesday August 1
DJ Behrouz brings his Miami club concept ‘Do Not Sit On The Furniture‘ to Scorpios on Tuesday August 1. Also appearing at the event are Birds of Mind, Powel and Viken Arman.
The Neverdogs lead the party at SantAnna on Tuesday August 1
On Tuesday August 1, VOID presents “techno legend”Jackmaster with support from DJs Jimmy Lainas and Nick Jojo
Bob Sinclar makes his annual appearance at Cavo Paradiso on Tuesday August 1
Singer Stacey King and her band will be performing poolside at the Belvedere Hotel for five nights — from Tuesday August 1 through Sunday August 6
Don Diablo and Tujamo take over the decks at Tru Paradise on Wednesday August 2
Please turn to page 2 to see the full listing of August party events.
