We love to get away for a holiday in the October school half term and in 2023 we travelled for a 7 night stay in Mykonos, Greece.
We’re a family of six and at the time of travel the children were aged 16, 13 and 8 year old twins.
- Why Mykonos
- About Mykonos
- Is Mykonos Suitable for families?
- Platis Gialos Beach
- Mykonos Town
- Armenistis Lighthouse
- Vioma Organic Farm and Vineyard
- Ano Mera
- Where we stayed
- Cats of Mykonos
- Holiday run
Why Mykonos
Although Mykonos has a reputation for being an expensive celebrity playground and party island, we decided to holiday there for the following reasons:
- The warm, dry climate in October
- The sandy beaches
- The availability of affordable plane tickets
- We’d not visited Greece as a family before
- The flight time is under 4 hours
The biggest factor in choosing Mykonos as a destination was that at the time of looking for flights about six months beforehand flights to Mykonos were much cheaper than to other destinations in the Mediterranean. We flew from Heathrow with BA and stayed in a villa booked through Airbnb.
After much deliberation and research into public transport, we decided that we would hire a car (7 seater) which we pre-booked and picked up from the airport. This was a must as outside of Mykonos Town the island is very rural and bus timetables limited. We stayed on the east coast of the island in the small village of Kalafatis.
About Mykonos
- A small island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea, 96 miles south-east of Athens.
- Famous for windmills, nightlife and beach parties.
- Rugged landscape and sandy beaches.
- Population of 9,800.
- Lots of stray cats throughout the island.
There are no motorways or dual carriageways on the island but the main roads from Mykonos Town, the airport to Ano Mera and Kalafatis are well maintained. When exploring smaller villages and isolated beaches the roads tend to be narrow and single track in places.
Is Mykonos Suitable for families?
We had a really relaxing holiday in Mykonos enjoying the warm climate, beaches and Greek island culture and food.
We found that outside of Mykonos Town and the party beaches there are plenty of small villages with sandy beaches which are great for families. Outside of the town, the island is very rural and sparsely populated. There are plenty of places to visit in addition to the beaches that are suitable for the whole family.
We tried to explore the island and soak up some Greek culture, a country that we’d not all visited before. As well as lounging at the villa, in the private pool and nearby beaches we also visited the following places:
- Platis Gialos Beach
- Mykonos Town
- Armenistis Lighthouse
- Vioma Organic Farm and Vineyard
- Ano Mera
Platis Gialos Beach
We went for lunch at Platis Gialos Beach at a restaurant overlooking the beach and with its own private sun beds. The food was not cheap, however, once we had eaten we were able to use the restaurants’ sunbeds at no extra cost for the rest of the day. As Platis Gialos is reportedly one of the ‘most expensive beaches in the world’ the cost of the lunch was well worth it.
It was a new experience for myself and the whole family being on such an exclusive beach and with several designer clad international tourists who we speculated could be celebrities in their own countries. Good for an afternoon but there was not much room for digging holes in the sand or playing bat and ball.
Mykonos Town
We drove to Mykonos Town on a cloudier day and parked in the large, free car park – City Parking Mykonos. It was a short walk into the centre of the town and we explored the narrow streets of tightly packed white-washed houses and shops. Most of the shopping areas were pedestrianised and we felt quite relaxed with the kids.
There are lots of small boutique and designer shops and plenty of restaurants. Attractions not to miss include Little Venice, the traditional Mykonos Windmills and the outdoor theatre. We enjoyed looking at the huge cruise ships which were anchored just off-shore while walking to and from the car park.
It was definitely well worth a visit for the beautiful buildings and Greek feel of the town centre. We felt like we could have been on the set of Mama Mia.
Armenistis Lighthouse
Staying on the east of the island we didn’t get to see the sunset from the villa. Late one afternoon we drove to the Armenistis Lighthouse on the west coast of the island to see the amazing sunsets. It only took about 20 minutes to drive across the whole island!
The lighthouse, built in 1891 stands on a steep hill high above the sea and with far reaching views of neighbouring islands including Delos.
Walking from the small, free car park close to the lighthouse, we spent an hour watching passing boats far below and the setting sun – taking copious amounts of photos and selfies.
The next morning we set an alarm to get up and watch the sunrise from our bedroom balcony which faced east(ish). This was well worth the effort, particularly as sunrise was about 07:30 so not too early – but only one of the kids was up to join us at that time.
Vioma Organic Farm and Vineyard
We visited this farm / vineyard which was a short drive from our villa and had a lovely, authentic Greek meal and short tour of the vineyard. This was a great place to visit with the kids who got to feed the donkey and goats after the meal.
Some of our kids are not very adventurous with food but we try to get them to try different things. The traditional Cycladean / Greek cuisine on the menu included delicious cold meats, local cheese, olives, salad and breads which we all enjoyed. The wine was also good and we bought a couple of bottles to enjoy back at the villa.
We would recommend booking a table before visiting as the restaurant is quite small https://www.mykonosvioma.com
After our trip to the vineyard we drove the short distance to Fokos Beach which takes you along the side of a reservoir river bed. This partly made track along a steep valley definitely gave James Bond film set vibes. It was worth the drive as the beach was practically deserted and we enjoyed a couple of hours of sunbathing, digging and snorkelling before heading home to the villa …and the wine which by that time we felt we had earnt.
Ano Mera
Ano Mera is the second largest settlement on the island, after Mykonos Town. This was also the closest civilisation to our villa and where we found a small supermarket.
We had an evening meal in the village square at an authentic Greek restaurant and enjoyed the atmosphere of a Greek wedding reception at a neighbouring restaurant.
Where we stayed
We booked a villa through Airbnb in Kalafatis, a small village on the south east coast of the island. The first thing we noticed on arrival at the villa was how spacious it was with a large living / dining / kitchen, 3 large double or twin bedrooms, 2 shower rooms with WC and a family bathroom with WC.
Outside, the grounds were gated so perfectly secure for small children and included a parking area, large patio, seating area, large outdoor dining space and a heated swimming pool.
Set on the side of a small hill the villa was approached along a private drive and with no near neighbours was not overlooked. There were sea views from the first floor bedrooms and balcony.
We would definitely recommend the villa and the host Alexandra was very helpful and accommodating
Cats of Mykonos
If you don’t like cats then Mykonos might not be the place for you. There are a lot of stray cats everywhere, including in the grounds of our villa. Luckily we’re all animal lovers and after realising that we couldn’t shoo them away from the garden we made friends, the kids even gave them names (not sure they understood English although they would come if called by their new names).
The two cats who ruled the roost in our garden were very affectionate and not at all aggressive. After trying to keep them off the patio furniture for the first day we had to give up and embraced them as outdoor pets by the end of the week. We had to draw the line at letting them inside the house as they tried to sneak in at every opportunity.
As I said before if you have an aversion to felines then it is unlikely to be a relaxing holiday.
Holiday run
When away from home I love to get out and go for a run around the sites or local countryside. I run a lot at home around the same few routes so it is really good to go for a run with more interesting sites to see along the way.
I managed to go on three 5 mile runs over the course of the week and two shorter ones with the boys. The island is quite quiet and it felt safe enough running on the roads. The route out of the village was hilly and very steep in places but this resulted in some great views as I stopped to catch my breath.
You can see the route of my 5 mile runs on Strava on the following link – https://www.strava.com/activities/10071245807
Unfortunately, six days after getting back from Mykonos I suffered a double leg break playing football for an over-35s 11 a side team. This required surgery and and I’ve now got a metal plate and ten screws in my right leg. At the time of writing, 16 weeks on, I’m still receiving physio and unable to jog at all. I’m really looking forward to be able to get back out there and start running again, hopefully by the Easter holidays.
About Us
After the shock of finding out that we were expecting twins in 2015, one of the first things that we realised was that …we’re gonna need a bigger car!
We’re a family of six with two girls and two boys aged 16, 13 and 9 year old twins.
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