Hotels

In summer, reserve a room 1 to 3 months in advance (or more), if possible. Ferry arrivals are often met by a throng of people hawking rooms, some in small hotels, others in private homes. If you don't have a hotel reservation, one of these rooms may be very welcome. Otherwise, book as early as you can. Many hotels are fully booked all summer by tour groups or regular patrons. Keep in mind that Mykonos is an easier, more pleasant place to visit in the late spring or early fall. Off-season hotel rates are sometimes half the quoted high-season rate. Also note that many small hotels, restaurants, and shops close in winter, especially if business is slow.

Mykonos Accommodations Center (MAC), 10 Enoplon Dinameon (tel. 22890/23-160 or 22890/23-408; fax 22890/24-137; www.mykonos-accommodation.com), is a very helpful service, especially if you are looking for hard-to-find inexpensive lodgings. The service is free when you book a hotel stay of 3 nights or longer. If you plan a shorter stay, ask about the fee, which is sometimes a percentage of the tab and sometimes a flat fee.

Out on the Island

Although most visitors prefer to stay in Hora and commute to the beaches, there are some truly spectacular hotels on or near many of the more popular island beaches and many more affordable ones.

The beaches at Paradise and Super Paradise have private studios and simple pensions, but rooms are almost impossible to get, and prices more than double in July and August. Contact Mykonos Accommodations Center (tel. 22890/23-160) or, for Super Paradise, GATS Travel (tel. 22890/22-404), for information on the properties they represent. The tavernas at each beach may also have suggestions.

At Kalafati -- The sprawling Aphrodite Hotel (tel. 22890/71-367) has a large pool, two restaurants, and 150 rooms. It's a good value in May, June, and October, when a double costs about 100€ ($130). The hotel is popular with tour groups and Greek families.

At Ornos Bay -- Elegant Kivotos Club Hotel, Ornos Bay, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/25-795; fax 22890/22-844; www.kivotosclubhotel.gr), is a small, superb luxury hotel about 3km (2 miles) outside Mykonos town. Most of the 45 individually decorated units overlook the Bay of Ormos, but if you don't want to walk that far for a swim, head for the saltwater or freshwater pool, the Jacuzzi and sauna, or the pool with an underwater sound system piping in music! Kivotos Clubhouse is small enough to be intimate and tranquil; the service (including frozen towels for poolside guests on hot days) gets raves from guests. If you're ever tempted to leave (and you may not be), the hotel minibus will whisk you into town. You can easily dine at the several restaurants on-site. The hotel also has a traditional sailing ship, at the ready for spur-of-the moment sails. In short, it's no surprise that this popular honeymoon destination appears often on Odyssey magazine's annual list of the best hotels in Greece. Doubles cost 290€ to 390€ ($377-$507); suites are priced from 650€ to 1,000€ ($845-$1,300). The enormous Santa Marina, also at Ornos Bay (tel. 22890/23-200; fax 22890/23-412; info@santa-marina.gr), has 90 suites and villas in 20 landscaped acres overlooking the bay. If you don't want to swim in the sea, two pools and spa facilities are available at the hotel, which has its own restaurant as well. Suites with private pool are available from 1,500€ ($1,950). If you wish, you can arrive here by helicopter and land on the hotel pad. Doubles cost from 395€ to 600€ ($514-$780); suites and villas from 625€ to 2,400€ ($813-$3,120). The more modest 25-unit Best Western Dionysos Hotel (tel. 22890/23-313) is steps from the beach and has a pool, restaurant, bar, and air-conditioned rooms with fridges and TV; doubles cost from 190€ ($247). The even more modest 42-unit Hotel Yiannaki (tel. 22890/23-393) is about 200m (656 ft.) away from the beach and has its own pool and restaurant; doubles begin at 125€ ($163). The nicest units have sea views and balconies.

Families traveling with children will find staying at one of the Ornos Bay hotels especially appealing. The beach is excellent and slopes into shallow, calm water. Furthermore, this is not one of Mykonos's all-night party beaches. If your hotel does not have watersports facilities, several of the local tavernas have surfboards and pedal boats to rent, as well as umbrellas. One minus: The beach is close to the airport, so you will hear planes come and go.

At Plati Yialos -- The large and comfortable rooms of the 82-unit Hotel Petassos Bay, Plati Yialos, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/23-737; fax 22890/24-101), all have air-conditioning and minibars. Doubles go for about 150€ ($195). Each has a balcony overlooking the relatively secluded beach, which is less than 36m (132 ft.) away. The hotel has a good-size pool, sun deck, Jacuzzi, gym, and sauna. It offers free round-trip transportation to and from the harbor or airport, safety-deposit boxes, and laundry service. The new seaside restaurant has a great view and serves a big buffet breakfast (a smaller continental breakfast is included in the room rate).

At Ayios Ioannis -- Mykonos Grand is a 100-room luxury resort a few kilometers out of Hora in Ayios Ioannis, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/25-555; www.mykonosgrand.gr). With its own beach and many amenities -- pools, tennis, squash, Jacuzzis, a spa -- this is a very sybaritic place. The Mykonos Grand regularly appears on Odyssey magazine's list of the 50 best hotels in Greece and is popular with Greeks, Europeans, and Americans. Doubles start at 225€ ($293). The St. John Hotel, Ayios Ioannis, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/28-752; fax 22890/28-751; www.saintjohn.gr) has doubles from 310€ ($403) and suites from 590€ ($767). It's a breathtaking hotel on a hillside over the Aegean with spectacular sea vistas and a stunning infinity pool with views over the cliff and into the sea. The St. John resembles a traditional blue-and-white village complete with its own chapel. With 148 guest rooms and 9 opulent suites, the rooms are huge, stylishly decorated in warm hues of deep peach, with simple and elegant furniture, large marble bathrooms overflowing with products and with their own Jacuzzi, and grand balconies with sea vistas as far as the eye can see. With a superb restaurant and fitness spa, three pools and its own private beach, this is an experience in itself.

At Ayios Stephanos -- This popular resort, about 4km (2 1/2 miles) north of Hora, has a number of hotels. Most close from November to March. The 38-unit Princess of Mykonos, Ayios Stephanos beach, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/23-806; fax 22890/23-031), is lovely. The Princess has bungalows, a gym, a pool, and an excellent beach; doubles cost from 180€ ($234). Hotel Artemis, Ayios Stephanos, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/22-345), near the beach and bus stop, offers 23 units from 115€ ($150), breakfast included. Small Hotel Mina, Ayios Stephanos, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/23-024), uphill behind the Artemis, has 15 doubles that go for 80€ ($104). Mykonos Grace, Ayios Stefanos, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/26-690; www.mykonosgrace.com), 230€ to 330€ ($299-$429) double; 320€ to 420€ ($416-$546) junior suite, is an intimate yet undeniably stunning boutique hotel. Some of the hotel's 39 rooms might be on the small side but the glass that separates the bathroom from the bedroom adds depth and the illusion of extra space, and huge balconies with stunning views more than compensate. Rooms range from standard to VIP suites, all with minimalistic design. Elegant and sophisticated, the Mykonos Grace won Odyssey magazine's "Best New Entry" award for 2007 and was singled out by The London Sunday Times as one of the hippest new hotels of 2007 after its complete face-lift that year. Guests can swim in the sea off Ayios Stephanos beach, or in one of several hotel pools, or soak in the spa Jacuzzis or their suite's hot tub. Decor, food, privacy all get high marks -- as do the prices, which are less extravagant than at some of Mykonos's other boutique hotels. It's only a 5-minute walk to town to boot.

At Psarrou Beach -- Grecotel Mykonos Blu, Psarrou Beach, 84600 Mykonos (tel. 22890/27-900; fax 22890/27-783; www.grecotel.gr), is another of the island's serious luxury hotels with award-winning Cyclades-inspired architecture. Like Cavo Tagoo and Kivotos, this place is popular with wealthy Greeks, honeymooners, and jet-setters. The private beach, large pool, and in-house Poets of the Aegean restaurant allow guests to be as lazy as they wish (although there is a fitness club and spa for the energetic). Doubles run from 250€ to 450€ ($325-$585).