Mykonos - the reality.

[Baggy178]

If ever there was a cruise destination that warranted spending the day on board ship then Mykonos must be high up on the list.

We reluctantly spent a night in Mykonos town this week thanks to an ATC problem in the UK that delayed flights and our ferry connection to the nearby island of Tinos.

What we found confirmed our worst fears - it's a tawdry, tacky filthy rip-off facsimile of a Greek island that is a source of great embarrassment to many Greeks.

The restaurants serve over-priced Euro-slops, the bars blare incessant loud music, the shops sell overpriced tat often sourced from China and the whole place exists merely as a Greek theme park.

We caught the next morning ferry and witnessed the chaos of three cruise liners disgorging thousands of passengers via tenders in shambolic conditions in 32C heat.

Two were moored at anchor and a third in the new port which then required a scramble to board smaller boats to take passengers to the old port amid much shouting and gesticulating. 

Passengers then trudged in a never-ending conga line  around narrow streets entirely devoid of local people because most had moved out years ago as developers gobbled up homes to turn them into Gucci shops and €200 a night boarding houses.

From the tranquility of nearby Tinos, popular mainly with Athenian and French holidaymakers, we found a haven of old-fashioned Greece tempered with controlled modernisation.

Mention Mykonos and the locals shudder and whisper conspiratorially about corruption and criminality that has allowed the festering blot on the landscape across the water.

Seriously, enjoy a quiet day on board rather than plunging into this Aegean hellhole that simply cannot cope with the huge numbers of people descending on it every day from cruise ships.

I've been visiting the Greek islands regularly for 50 years and sad to say Mykonos and other popular cruise destinations like Santorini have come to represent the very worst examples of culture and identity being vandalised by greed.

If you love Greece don't add to the problem.

 

 

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

If ever there was a cruise destination that warranted spending the day on board ship then Mykonos must be high up on the list.

We reluctantly spent a night in Mykonos town this week thanks to an ATC problem in the UK that delayed flights and our ferry connection to the nearby island of Tinos.

What we found confirmed our worst fears - it's a tawdry, tacky filthy rip-off facsimile of a Greek island that is a source of great embarrassment to many Greeks.

The restaurants serve over-priced Euro-slops, the bars blare incessant loud music, the shops sell overpriced tat often sourced from China and the whole place exists merely as a Greek theme park.

We caught the next morning ferry and witnessed the chaos of three cruise liners disgorging thousands of passengers via tenders in shambolic conditions in 32C heat.

Two were moored at anchor and a third in the new port which then required a scramble to board smaller boats to take passengers to the old port amid much shouting and gesticulating. 

Passengers then trudged in a never-ending conga line  around narrow streets entirely devoid of local people because most had moved out years ago as developers gobbled up homes to turn them into Gucci shops and €200 a night boarding houses.

From the tranquility of nearby Tinos, popular mainly with Athenian and French holidaymakers, we found a haven of old-fashioned Greece tempered with controlled modernisation.

Mention Mykonos and the locals shudder and whisper conspiratorially about corruption and criminality that has allowed the festering blot on the landscape across the water.

Seriously, enjoy a quiet day on board rather than plunging into this Aegean hellhole that simply cannot cope with the huge numbers of people descending on it every day from cruise ships.

I've been visiting the Greek islands regularly for 50 years and sad to say Mykonos and other popular cruise destinations like Santorini have come to represent the very worst examples of culture and identity being vandalised by greed.

If you love Greece don't add to the problem.

 

 

 

So basically you are posting on a cruising website and asking readers not to cruise? 

 

While the issues of over-tourism are discussed here and many other places, your over-the-top language is likely to raise some hackles.

 

P.S. A worthwhile alternative to spending a day on Mykonos is a visit to nearby Delos as a daytrip. 

[John Bull]

Wow, the big ATC flight delay really got you down, you were clearly on a mission when you arrived on Mykonos - I haven't seen such bile on Cruise Critic directed even at the worst ports of central America or S E Asia.

 

So your worst fears were confirmed.

In other words you arrived with an agenda, the flight problem merely added to your attitude.

 

Tawdry?  Tacky? Filthy?

Nonsense 🙄, to the point of libellous defamation. The town's streets and alleys are kept immaculate.

 

Hellhole?

What utter tosh 🙄 You've clearly not been to Colon, or La Guaira or Trenchtown. They're proper hell-holes, where it's not safe to walk at any time of day or night.

 

Over-priced Euro-slops? 🤣 Try Venice or Capri or Paris or anywhere along Las Ramblas.

 

Two ships moored is unusual, but that wouldn't impact on the waterbus from the cruise berth 🙄.

 

"Passengers then trudged in a never-ending conga line around narrow streets" 🙄.

I'm pretty certain those folk were waaaay more positive than you about the place, and would have resented the nonsense about them  "trudging" 🙄

 

"Mention Mykonos and the locals shudder and whisper conspiratorially about corruption and criminality" 🤣. 

On corruption you've described most of Greece, so why pick on little Mykonos? 🙄. 

And you're saying Mykonos is a hell-hole of criminality ? 🤣

I've done my fair share of mixing with Greeks and have never heard a crossed word about Mykonos, so don't  try to reinforce your views by trying to cite the views of Greeks. 🙄 

 

Been visiting the Greek islands for 50 years?

And never been to Mykonos?

I find that hard to believe.

 

You say "Seriously, enjoy a quiet day on board" 

I say "Seriously, enjoy Mykonos - don't waste the day because of the ill-tempered  bile of one person who was in the wrong state-of-mind even before they arrived there ." 

Or ask the internet - I know what the vast majority of visitors think 🙂

 

Gotta go now, 've used up my quotas of 🙄 and 🤣

 

JB 🙂

[Baggy178]

" Two ships moored is unusual "

 

 

On August 22nd there were a EIGHT cruise ships in town, part of a staggering 895 cruise ships expected to visit Mykonos and the nearby island of Delos this year.

Surely even you can do the maths ?

 

https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/06/28/overcrowding-concerns-as-mykonos-faces-influx-of-cruise-ships-and-thousands-of-tourists/

 

 

 

 

[Baggy178]

Got chatting to the owner of the restaurant we ate at tonight on Tinos ( the grilled smoked mackerel and fresh squid were superb and reasonably priced ) who confirmed everything I suspected.

Like many others we talk to he's deeply embarrassed about the reputation that Mykonos has gained and its effect of Greece's tourist image as a whole.

When he has to visit it's for as short a time as possible.

" I feel ashamed to be Greek when I'm there " he said with an air of sadness " but it makes us more determined as an island not to repeat the mistakes of Mykonos."

Still, some English bloke on the internet reckons he's got it all wrong so what does he know ...

 

 

[mskaufman]

There were not 8 cruise ships when we were there (only 3) and we find Mykonos a very nice place to walk around and take photos.

[Hlitner]

Hmmm.  A failed UK Air Traffic Control system has a bloke taking it out on Mykonos?  Strange indeed.  Sure, Mykonos is an overpriced resort/tourist island just like many overpriced or over touristed places (have you been to Stonehenge or Lands End lately?).  For us, Mykonos generally means a nice beach day (at any of the many decent beaches) and some strolling around town, browsing some shops and perhaps stopping for a drink.  Now, if we want to talk about travel torture just try getting from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 at LHR for a tight flight change.

 

Hank

[Baggy178]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Hmmm.  A failed UK Air Traffic Control system has a bloke taking it out on Mykonos?  Strange indeed.  Sure, Mykonos is an overpriced resort/tourist island just like many overpriced or over touristed places (have you been to Stonehenge or Lands End lately?).  For us, Mykonos generally means a nice beach day (at any of the many decent beaches) and some strolling around town, browsing some shops and perhaps stopping for a drink.  Now, if we want to talk about travel torture just try getting from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 at LHR for a tight flight change.

 

Hank

 

Not sure a comparison between a small Greek chora and a large international airport is much of a comparison although having travelled through Miami recently I know what you mean.

Likewise comparing an unpopulated Stonehenge and Lands End with a tiny Greek town with narrow streets.

There are some fine beaches on Mykonos particularly if you can avoid the ones already busy on this party island.

But many passengers rarely venture further than the main town and as we witnessed this week and as you can read in the article upthread it can't really cope with the influx of multiple cruise ships.

The end result is you could be anywhere in Southern Europe instead of experiencing the real Greece where I'm sat now having a morning joe overlooking a harbour busy with ferries arriving throughout the day but not a single cruise ship.

And that's by the choice of the islanders who have seen what has happened in Mykonos - just 20 minutes but a world away by fast catamaran.

 

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

 

.......................

But many passengers rarely venture further than the main town and as we witnessed this week and as you can read in the article upthread it can't really cope with the influx of multiple cruise ships.

..................................

 

This is an unfortunate (for the person) truth.  As a very active independent traveler/cruise who seldom takes a tour, I have some difficulty understanding the thinking behind folks who are afraid (or unwilling) to be even a little adventurous in ports.  We have actually met cruisers who have expressed fear of getting off their ship, anywhere, unless they are part of an excursion.  They tell us of their uncontrollable fear of "missing the ship"  even if the ship is within sight of their destination.  On Mykonos, folks can simply take a local bus (very inexpensive) to many of the best beaches.  Rather than spending a few hundred dollars for a ship excursion to the beach, they can go to that same beach for about $2, rent loungers (for all day...not the typical 3-4 hours of a ship excursion) for about $30 (2 loungers plus umbrella or palapa).  That beach day suddently costs less than $50 (for a couple) compared to hundreds for an excursion.  And the bonus is you go when you want and stay as long as you please (allowing adequate time to get back to the ship).  On Mykonos the best strategy is to go directly to a beach, and than come back into town a few hours before you must be on the ship.  This gives you time to explore Mykonos time, perhaps stop for a drink or a snack, and have the knowledge that you can walk back to the tender (or even the ship..if necessary) without fear of missing the ship.

 

Our basic advice (which has worked, for us, more than 50 years) is to go to your furthest place early in the port day and than gradually work your way back to the port.  Bottom line is leave the areas closest to the ship for the end of the day (so you have the security of being able to easily get back to the ship on time).

 

Getting back to the OP, Mykonos is not a bad place.  It is simply a popular tourist island (as are many of the Greek Islands not even frequented by cruise ships).  Visitors have the option of avoiding the most popular areas if that is their desire.  When going out for lunch or a drink, always check the menu and prices BEFORE sitting down or even entering an establishment.  Not every place is a rip off, but you will need to do some picking and choosing to avoid the awful tourist traps.

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

Some pictures for those who have not been.

[sboh]

Sorry you had a bad experience on Mykonos. We were in Mykonos in June on a port stop and had a wonderful time. I went to the beach and thought it was one of the nicest beach experience I have ever had. The sand, the water, just lovely. I didn’t eat there, just ordered an iced coffee (€5.50). My two adult sons went to Delos then stopped in Mykonos town for a coffee and to wander a bit before returning to the ship. We would have been disappointed if we had stayed on the ship.

Edited September 3, 2023 by sboh

[Baggy178]

We stopped visiting Mykonos 10 years ago having seen the way it was going - we just happened to score a really cheap flight which required us to overnight so we weren't THAT surprised by what we saw.

My comments were really about Mykonos town and the problems caused by the influx of a huge number of cruise passengers all at once but also the type of tourism the island is pursuing as we didn't have time to visit elsewhere.

https://www.politico.eu/article/mykonos-greece-rich-and-famous-playground/

 

Of course there are wonderful beaches that are not all total rip-offs if you choose to explore them and as has been mentioned upthread these can easily be done independently without an expensive excursion.

But it would be remiss of me not to point out that Mykonos and places like Santorini  really aren't indicative of the real Greece.

Like the wonderful island of Syros, a 30-minute ferry ride from Mykonos, where we're currently staying.

 

https://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/syros/

 

However as a Greece lover of old I'd still say visiting any island is better than no island at all.

 

 

 

 

[Hlitner]

Am sorry, but will again respectfully disagree with some of the posts.  Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, etc. all have one thing in common...they are part of Greece :).  Just like nearly any country, there are some places that are so "popular that nobody goes there anymore."   There are usually some good ways to deal with over tourism.  If you are on a party island, like Mykonos, you might want to avoid booking any hotel or Inn in Mykonos Town.  Like many towns on popular islands, there is night life which can continue into the wee hours of the morning and that is going to mean noise.  Instead, book a hotel/Inn outside of town (there are plenty on Mykonos) and take some time doing your homework to find an area without nightclubs or bars.  

s 

Santorini is an overcrowded mess because there are simply too many cruise ships allowed at the island.  If you are a cruiser, you can try to deal with the over crowding but the reaility is that there is little you can do about the cable car (Skala to Fira) or Oia!  For those who elect to fly (or take a ferry) to Santorini, the crowds can be handled by spending your day at a beach or on a part of the island away from Fira and Oia.  In the late afternoon, as the island starts to empty of cruisers, it is the time to venture into Oia or Fira.  It is the same in other touristy destinations, such as Venice.  In late afternoon, when the day-trippers and cruisers leave the city, Venice becomes a magical place.  We have walked in St Marks Square after 10pm and had the entire area to ourselves.

 

What I find fascinating are those who complain about places being overcrowded when they have chosen to cruise on a mega ship (with thousands) to ports that have several other ships.  What do you expect?  A great example are the tiny ports (all tender ports except Nuuk).  We have been there on the Caribbean Princess (about 3700 passengers) and it takes hours to move those folks ashore into a town of about 1000 people (who all hide to avoid the interlopers).  Recently we were in those same ports on a small ship with only 400 passengers and it was like heaven when compared to being there on a large ship.

 

My message is that rather than whine, do some good planning and make careful choices.  There are usually better options (although they might be more expensive) and the choice is yours.

 

Hank

[Baggy178]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Am sorry, but will again respectfully disagree with some of the posts.  Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, etc. all have one thing in common...they are part of Greece :).  Just like nearly any country, there are some places that are so "popular that nobody goes there anymore."   There are usually some good ways to deal with over tourism.  If you are on a party island, like Mykonos, you might want to avoid booking any hotel or Inn in Mykonos Town.  Like many towns on popular islands, there is night life which can continue into the wee hours of the morning and that is going to mean noise.  Instead, book a hotel/Inn outside of town (there are plenty on Mykonos) and take some time doing your homework to find an area without nightclubs or bars.  

s 

Santorini is an overcrowded mess because there are simply too many cruise ships allowed at the island.  If you are a cruiser, you can try to deal with the over crowding but the reaility is that there is little you can do about the cable car (Skala to Fira) or Oia!  For those who elect to fly (or take a ferry) to Santorini, the crowds can be handled by spending your day at a beach or on a part of the island away from Fira and Oia.  In the late afternoon, as the island starts to empty of cruisers, it is the time to venture into Oia or Fira.  It is the same in other touristy destinations, such as Venice.  In late afternoon, when the day-trippers and cruisers leave the city, Venice becomes a magical place.  We have walked in St Marks Square after 10pm and had the entire area to ourselves.

 

What I find fascinating are those who complain about places being overcrowded when they have chosen to cruise on a mega ship (with thousands) to ports that have several other ships.  What do you expect?  A great example are the tiny ports (all tender ports except Nuuk).  We have been there on the Caribbean Princess (about 3700 passengers) and it takes hours to move those folks ashore into a town of about 1000 people (who all hide to avoid the interlopers).  Recently we were in those same ports on a small ship with only 400 passengers and it was like heaven when compared to being there on a large ship.

 

My message is that rather than whine, do some good planning and make careful choices.  There are usually better options (although they might be more expensive) and the choice is yours.

 

Hank

 

 

Or avoid the Greek Disneylands altogether.

We've just returned from a five-hour lunch in a taverna on a quiet beach on Syros involving a couple of beers, 1.5 litres of good wine, crab salad, fresh calamari, lamb chops with roast potatoes, complimentary desserts and coffee that cost us €52 for two people followed by a dip in the sea with about 2O other souls in total.

That would probably rent you a couple of sunbeds for the afternoon  on Mykonos.

The reality is any small destination where your cruise ship is not the only one in port is going to be challenging given the few hours you have ashore.

Syros could welcome cruise ships tomorrow.It prefers not to because it would destroy their way of life and the already very lucrative tourist industry they have for mainly Athenians and Italians.

Edited September 4, 2023 by Baggy178

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Baggy178 said:

 

 

Or avoid the Greek Disneylands altogether.

We've just returned from a five-hour lunch in a taverna on a quiet beach on Syros involving a couple of beers, 1.5 litres of good wine, crab salad, fresh calamari, lamb chops with roast potatoes, complimentary desserts and coffee that cost us €52 for two people.

That would probably rent you a couple of sunbeds on Mykonos.

The reality is any small destination where your cruise ship is not the only one in port is going to be challenging given the few hours you have ashore 

We hear you and have often taken the various Greek ferries to spend a few days on various islands.  But we are here on CC where many folks are not willing to walk down a single flight of steps (on their ship) much less drag their luggage (sometimes for blocks) to get on an off ferries and deal with the normal issues involving independent land trips.  Fortunately, for those of us willing to do the deed, there are dozens of fine Greek Islands (some with only a few hundred residents) that will never see a cruise ship :).

 

Bottom line is that many cruisers only go where their ship takes them, and do not do a lot of exploration outside of cruise ship ports and/or their overpriced excursions or a private tour.  We used to be shocked at how many folks lack any spirit of adventure or the willingness to venture out on their own, but now accept that many folks are so risk adverse that doing independent things is not in their DNA.  Different strokes for different folks :).  Just returned from a Seabourn cruise where a basis walking tour, in a small Greenland port (fewer than 2000 residents) cost $90 per person.  Anyone could have walked every street in that town in less than 2 hours.  But some were willing to shell out $180 a couple for a guide to point out the small local fish store (it had a sign), grocery store (had a sign) or senior citizens residence (had many wheelchairs and walkers outside).

 

Hank

 

Hnak

[Vineyard View]

On 9/4/2023 at 6:19 AM, Hlitner said:

Am sorry, but will again respectfully disagree with some of the posts.  Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, etc. all have one thing in common...they are part of Greece :).  Just like nearly any country, there are some places that are so "popular that nobody goes there anymore."   There are usually some good ways to deal with over tourism.  If you are on a party island, like Mykonos, you might want to avoid booking any hotel or Inn in Mykonos Town.  Like many towns on popular islands, there is night life which can continue into the wee hours of the morning and that is going to mean noise.  Instead, book a hotel/Inn outside of town (there are plenty on Mykonos) and take some time doing your homework to find an area without nightclubs or bars.  

s 

Santorini is an overcrowded mess because there are simply too many cruise ships allowed at the island.  If you are a cruiser, you can try to deal with the over crowding but the reaility is that there is little you can do about the cable car (Skala to Fira) or Oia!  For those who elect to fly (or take a ferry) to Santorini, the crowds can be handled by spending your day at a beach or on a part of the island away from Fira and Oia.  In the late afternoon, as the island starts to empty of cruisers, it is the time to venture into Oia or Fira.  It is the same in other touristy destinations, such as Venice.  In late afternoon, when the day-trippers and cruisers leave the city, Venice becomes a magical place.  We have walked in St Marks Square after 10pm and had the entire area to ourselves.

 

What I find fascinating are those who complain about places being overcrowded when they have chosen to cruise on a mega ship (with thousands) to ports that have several other ships.  What do you expect?  A great example are the tiny ports (all tender ports except Nuuk).  We have been there on the Caribbean Princess (about 3700 passengers) and it takes hours to move those folks ashore into a town of about 1000 people (who all hide to avoid the interlopers).  Recently we were in those same ports on a small ship with only 400 passengers and it was like heaven when compared to being there on a large ship.

 

My message is that rather than whine, do some good planning and make careful choices.  There are usually better options (although they might be more expensive) and the choice is yours.

 

Hank

Could not agree more with you. We spent 4 nights pre cruise in Venice this May. Midday was a  zoo. We had a room with balcony and found it relaxing. The early mornings and evenings were magical. We don’t cruise on mega ships for a number of reasons, but one is the impact they have on your experience while in port. We have a couple cruises we are looking at next Spring. One is a ‘larger’ ship of 1200 people, and it includes Santorini, where 10,000 pax will be there that day. We haven’t been there before but do not want that memory so we are looking at steering clear of the island and being on a boat for the day. 
Last time we were in Mykonos was in 2014. We were on a smaller ship in October and were the only ones in port that day. It was a wonderful memory. 
I believe that regardless of how one feels about the mega ships, they are seriously changing the travel experience in a negative way for port experiences. There are a lot of places discussing how to handle that impact in the future. Even if that affects where we travel due to reduced allowable ships in port, I am all for that. 

[Vineyard View]

On 9/4/2023 at 11:31 AM, Hlitner said:

We hear you and have often taken the various Greek ferries to spend a few days on various islands.  But we are here on CC where many folks are not willing to walk down a single flight of steps (on their ship) much less drag their luggage (sometimes for blocks) to get on an off ferries and deal with the normal issues involving independent land trips.  Fortunately, for those of us willing to do the deed, there are dozens of fine Greek Islands (some with only a few hundred residents) that will never see a cruise ship :).

 

Bottom line is that many cruisers only go where their ship takes them, and do not do a lot of exploration outside of cruise ship ports and/or their overpriced excursions or a private tour.  We used to be shocked at how many folks lack any spirit of adventure or the willingness to venture out on their own, but now accept that many folks are so risk adverse that doing independent things is not in their DNA.  Different strokes for different folks :).  Just returned from a Seabourn cruise where a basis walking tour, in a small Greenland port (fewer than 2000 residents) cost $90 per person.  Anyone could have walked every street in that town in less than 2 hours.  But some were willing to shell out $180 a couple for a guide to point out the small local fish store (it had a sign), grocery store (had a sign) or senior citizens residence (had many wheelchairs and walkers outside).

 

Hank

 

Hnak

Again, agree with you completely. Like you, we are independent travelers in port…or on land. I believe it brings a different perspective. We know others who prefer organized ship tours, or even organized land tours, which we avoid at all cost, but it works for them. 
 

[Hlitner]

22 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Again, agree with you completely. Like you, we are independent travelers in port…or on land. I believe it brings a different perspective. We know others who prefer organized ship tours, or even organized land tours, which we avoid at all cost, but it works for them. 
 

Over the years we have learned to just give a nod nod wink wink to folks that complain about excursions and, yet continue to book more tours/excursions.  Just consider beach days.  Most cruise line excursions take folks to relatively commercial/crowded beaches and include a lounger for 3-4 hours.  We have heard folks complain they want more time, less time, a different beach, etc.  The easy answer is "just go on your own" when you want, for as long as you want (given the time in port) to where you want.  But then you usually get the response, "we worry about missing the ship,"  "we are afraid to go on our own," etc.  On Mykonos, we can get to most of the beaches usually the relatively inexpensive local buses, carefully choose where we want to rent loungers, choose where we have lunch, and leave on our own schedule.  This island does have some "issues" with over tourism, and some restaurants ripping off tourists, but that is easily handled when on one's own.  The old independent travel rule applies, "do your pre-trip homework."

 

For us, those excursions are a big plus.  Since we usually "do our own thing" we often will avoid going to places used by excursions/tours,  So, for example, when on the island of St Maarten, we might rent a car and spend part of the day at Happy Bay Beach, because we know it is unlikely we will see a single cruiser on that excellent beach and the place will always be relatively empty.  Even when we have stayed on St Maarten (for 2 weeks at a time) we avoid places like Orient Beach, because we know it will be packed by cruisers (except on many weekends).

 

Sometimes you cannot avoid the crowds because everyone has the same goal.  A great example is the so-called Golden Circle near Reykjavik.  But again, with our own rental car we manage to time most things so we avoid being in places crowded with tour buses (we simply learn to arrive earlier or later).  There are lots of strategies that have been followed by independent travelers to minimize the impact of over crowding in a particular area.

 

Hank

 

 

[Baggy178]

We're returning to Mykonos on Friday.

Our ferry gets in at 11.45am and our flight departs at 22.45pm. How to fill the time.

One email to a small family resort we found on Booking.com with a great pool has got us being picked up from the port, all day at the resort with a room to change in, we'll buy lunch and drinks at the resort then be dropped off at the airport around 9pm.

The cost ? €40.

It pays to think out of the box to avoid the crowds.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Baggy178

[susieq76]

On 9/6/2023 at 3:27 PM, Baggy178 said:

We're returning to Mykonos on Friday.

Our ferry gets in at 11.45am and our flight departs at 22.45pm. How to fill the time.

One email to a small family resort we found on Booking.com with a great pool has got us being picked up from the port, all day at the resort with a room to change in, we'll buy lunch and drinks at the resort then be dropped off at the airport around 9pm.

The cost ? €40.

It pays to think out of the box to avoid the crowds.

Was it a good time?  I am looking to do similar in Mykonos.  My adult kids are planning to go to Delos as they have never been, but hubby and I just want to hide from the other Americans visiting the Island with us.  

[Baggy178]

19 hours ago, susieq76 said:

Was it a good time?  I am looking to do similar in Mykonos.  My adult kids are planning to go to Delos as they have never been, but hubby and I just want to hide from the other Americans visiting the Island with us.  

 

 

We had a superb day by the pool and a very good meal in the restaurant at night before being dropped off at the airport.

First week in September I would imagine there was plenty of availability for us - at busier times not so sure but worth asking.

A very good family-run resort.

 

https://aeolosresort.com/en/

[Baggy178]

This was our dinner appetizer - a tower of mushrooms in garlic topped with a thick slice of grilled halloumi cheese and a slice of toast.

Simple but effective.

[pjwaz]

On 9/3/2023 at 12:13 PM, sboh said:

Sorry you had a bad experience on Mykonos. We were in Mykonos in June on a port stop and had a wonderful time. I went to the beach and thought it was one of the nicest beach experience I have ever had. The sand, the water, just lovely. I didn’t eat there, just ordered an iced coffee (€5.50). My two adult sons went to Delos then stopped in Mykonos town for a coffee and to wander a bit before returning to the ship. We would have been disappointed if we had stayed on the ship.

Which beach did you go to and how did you get there? Thx

[sboh]

I did the beach excursion through the ship, it cost $39. When I researched this trip I looked into booking a cab to a beach through Welcome Pickups but it would have cost more than that to go one way and since I was going to the beach by myself it made sense to use the ship’s excursion. If the three of us had gone I might have booked the cab. I believe it was called Elia beach.

[bennybear]

We took the bus to Kalafati beach,  also popular with the locals!