Traveling to the Greek Islands has been on my bucket list for at least ten years now, and I’m so happy I chose Mykonos and Santorini for my first time (yes, I’ll definitely be going back to Greece again and again to visit the other amazing islands!). Both of these islands were quite different so I’m dedicating this blog post to Mykonos and saving Santorini for its own.
When my husband and I travel, we like to do plenty of research so we can guarantee to hit all the right spots and have zero regrets. We did tons of sightseeing, enjoyed the spectacular beaches, and ate a ton of authentic Mediterranean food, of course! Keep reading to get the full view of where we stayed, what we did, and where we ate. You can view my Instagram Mykonos highlights here.
Mykonos Beach at Royal Myconian Resort
Where to fly into:
We spent a couple of days in Athens so we took one of many 30-minute day flights from there. Even if you aren’t planning on visiting Athens, I recommend this route anyway! There’s only one airport—Mykonos Airport (JMK) and it’s pretty small so can get busy during the high season. Our resort arranged a private transport, which I recommend setting up ahead of time, rather than having to wait for taxi service.
Where to stay:
We stayed at the Royal Myconian Imperial Resort, which was on one end of the island (about a 25 minute drive). The reason we chose this location rather than staying close to the town was because it was a quieter area and the resort has its own beach, which was a 1-2 minute walk down a small hill with resort beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, and food/drink service.
Royal Myconian Imperial Resort
I fell in love with this resort from the moment I arrived. The views from the lobby and walk to our room were spectacular and the staff was incredibly helpful throughout our entire stay. Since we chose a room with private pool, we were located on the very first floor—the lobby is at the very top so this felt like a million steps down to the room! Thankfully I’m all about staying active so this was a bonus for me to get in my steps for the day. HA! The room was beautiful, updated, and private. BUT, I will admit we ended up not using the pool at all because it felt like 30 degrees (we are from Miami, so this was brutal for us!). Next time I’ll opt for a room sans-pool, higher up with a better view.
Where to eat:
My husband and I are big foodies, so eating at the best restaurants is usually at the top of the list when we travel. Here are the five we dined at:
SISHU SUSHI BAR: Luckily, this was right in our hotel at the pool level. I will never forget the sushi we had here. Absolutely delicious! We shared several dishes and I cannot remember a single one I didn’t like.
CELEBRITIES SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: Also located in our hotel, this was a fancier fine dining experience with live romantic music and excellent service. I had a seafood and carrot soup as a starter and the shrimp, grilled and prepared table-side, for my entree. Check out my Instagram highlights for videos!
LA MAISON DE KATRIN: This spot was located in an ally in Mykonos town and is family owned—a twist on Greek cuisine with French gourmet cooking. This was a more casual, noisy restaurant but worth it! I took a break from the traditional Mediterranean food and ordered pasta that did not disappoint!
MATSUHISA MYKONOS: More sushi! It’s my favorite cuisine so I can never have enough. This restaurant is located in the Belvedere Hotel (in Mykonos town) and has a sexier vibe. The food was excellent as well. We stayed at the hotel bar after dinner to have a couple of cocktails, too. Highly recommend!
180º SUNSET BAR: This is a MUST if you visit Mykonos. You need to reserve ahead of time in the area you want to dine. Most seats require a minimum spend per person. We chose the Private Deck front row cushions for 200 euros pp. It was well worth the money because you can view the sunset without anyone blocking you, but you are sitting on cushions on the floor to eat which wasn’t comfortable. Oh yeah—the main reason to come is for the sunset, so make sure you reserve 6:30-7pm the latest (we went in September). The food wasn’t anything special—typical mediterranean but not the best we had.
What to do:
MYKONOS TOWN: We spend about a half-day walking around. There are tons of shops, restaurants, bars, and of course great photo ops! Don’t miss out on all of the kitties—they are everywhere and very cute and friendly! A trip to see the windmills is also something to put on your list. It’s an old town, but has a lot of character.
BEACH CLUB: There are a few beach clubs to choose from in Mykonos, but since we did not want to be in a party atmosphere, we chose a more private option—PRINCIPOTE BEACH CLUB. Two cushioned chairs with umbrellas was 160 euros for the day and it came with food and cocktail service and towels. A must-try cocktail is the “peppy skino” — cucumber-infused gin, mastiha, fresh cucumber, lime juice, and pink pepper—I was sipping on this all day! Instead of eating lunch right on the beach, we walked over to their restaurant and had one of our favorite lunches on our trip—hummus, pita, potatoes, calamari, and Greek wine.
The five nights and four full days was a perfect length for us, since we like to have a couple of days of beach and pool relaxing in the mix. Make sure you check out my Instagram highlights for full details and videos of our trip! You can always send me an email with any questions you have before planning your Mykonos vacation. Stay tuned for a blog post on Santorini next!