Mykonos is certainly a beautiful island for beautiful people. It teems with sugar-cube chalk-white buildings accentuated with vibrant blue doors and shutters, pretty whitewashed villages draped in colourful bougainvillaea, historic ruins and restored churches, chapels and monasteries, picturesque windmills, swanky boutique hotels, dazzling colourful flowers and stunning beaches. It is progressive with gay and nude beaches and an enviable dining scene. It holds enduring appeal and has been popular since the Fifties and Sixties when stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Jackie Onassis became enthralled by it.
Both Mykonos Town and Ano Mera are picturesque and charming. Both ooze a warm and welcoming ambience as you wander the cobbled streets and peruse the charming shops and frequent the cosy cafes and bars. Label-laden boutiques crowd the streets in Mykonos Town, and cosmopolitan restaurants serve up anything from refined gourmet dishes to traditional Greek food. Little Venice is atmospheric with tables and chairs next to the turquoise waters and little souvenir shops aplenty. The whitewashed, dazzling Grecian jewel, the Paraportiani Church, is featured widely on postcards as are the pretty windmills sitting on the hill above Little Venice.
Overall there are over 800 chapels and churches in Mykonos plus several monasteries. The famous Panagia Tourlaina Monastery in the village of Ano Mera has been fully restored and boasts holy icons, paintings and a marble bell tower with intricate folk carvings. Close by the 12th-century Monastery of Paleokastro is also magnificent.
History lovers will enjoy a trip to the rocky island of Delos. Boats can be taken from Mykonos Town to the smallest of the Cyclades islands. The sacred Delos was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and is a fascinating, well-preserved archaeological site. The site remains a sanctuary to the gods. The on-site museum has one of the finest collections of ancient Greek sculpture as well as artefacts giving an insight into the daily life of the ancient inhabitants. You can take a guided tour of the island if you wish.