It's All Greek to Me: Mykonos, April 2022

In the winter of 2019, I toyed with the idea of going to Greece for my birthday. It was my first one post-college, and I wanted to take advantage of my springtime birthday (read: during school vacation) to go somewhere warm. Preferably with a beach. Preferably a Greek beach.

But, as we have learned in the last two years, life doesn’t always go according to plan- I was stuck inside for my 23rd birthday due to national lockdown in France, and while it was surely a memorable one, it wasn’t what I had expected (or wanted, truthfully). I consoled myself with the hope that I would go to Greece the next year, but, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, my luck ran short yet again: we were in full lockdown once again for (only) the month of April. And even though that birthday was wild and wonderful, I still had this dream that one day I would sit on the beaches of Greece to celebrate another year around the sun.

Finally, my luck pulled through- 2022 was my year! What better way to embrace the ripe ol’ age of 25 than visiting Greece? And that’s exactly what I did- five days alone in Greece. First up on the docket: Mykonos.

I booked the cheapest flights I could find, not thinking that a 6:30am departure would faze me in the slightest. Now, if there’s one thing about Covid that completely changed my life, it’s my newfound inability to deter from my sleep schedule: I spent two years basically at home with a pretty mantra (early to bed, early to rise), and now I feel that the last two years of my life added 20 years to my age because I cannot function without my eight hours of rest. I simply don’t have the stamina- or the enthusiasm, really- to wake up for 6:30am flights anymore. I think I’m mature enough to admit that I would rather spend a little more to sleep a little more than take the cheapest flight that leaves at crazy hours. (But fear not, my shoestring budget days are not behind me quite yet!)

So, I left for the airport at 1:45am because I am the kind of traveler who would rather be three hours early to a flight than arrive ten minutes before boarding. I am on vacation; I do not want to stress about making my flight by having to run through the airport. I knew that the week of Easter would be a crowd the lines, so I gave myself plenty of time to make it to my gate and STILL ended up hustling a little to get there. But it was more than worth it because Mykonos was better than I had imagined.

The travel giddiness hit as soon as the plane touched down at sun-drenched JMK. We waited outside to go through customs (comprised of one agent sitting in the one-room airport), and it was nice to get some sun after cold and rainy London. I also got to see both a commercial flight and a private jet take off, which helped the wait go by. Once through ‘customs,’ I asked one of the car rental agents about the bus to the city- from what I understood from her answer, there was no bus at this time (at this hour? On this day, Sunday? At all in the off season?). I ended up taking a taxi with another couple to the Old Town, and we paid about 20€ altogether. I’d booked a room on AirBnb right in the center of town- I wasn’t excited about the hostel scene in Mykonos so I splurged for my birthday and got a private room. I think that maybe another sign of getting older is loving the peace and quiet you get from a private stay over a crowded hostel room... but crowd anxiety could also be another sign of my quickly deteriorating social skills post-Covid.

After grabbing a quick lunch (vegan gyros!! Yes, it was from a chain restaurant, but when you ball on a budget, you have to make sacrifices somewhere), I changed into my “holiday attire” and went exploring. It was more beautiful than my wildest dreams- the pictures simply do not do it justice. There are perks to traveling during the off season- I went in mid-April, so the weather was lovely the day I arrived, but the biggest lure for me was the emptiness of the island: the streets were tranquil instead of overrun with tourists. I walked along the shore, taking in the Cycladic architecture and jewel-blue waters before heading up to the windmills and taking in the view from above. Even just roaming the streets was a pleasant experience, every little nook and cranny filled with charm and sunshine. I bought mango sorbet to cool down during the hottest part of the day, and it was truly the cherry on top of a perfect afternoon.

After doing some research for a restaurant for dinner, I settled on Café Yialos, thinking it would be a good compromise for money and value. But let me tell you- there was no compromise. The food was great, for sure worth more than the low prices, and the views of the water were worth the wait for a table. A hearty Greek salad, slice of saganaki (pan-seared cheese), bread, and a glass of white wine set me back only 18€, less than what I would pay in Israel for a single dish of that quality. Sipping my wine, book in hand and glittering Mediterranean before me, I was stirred by a certain peace I haven’t felt in the longest time.

Catching the sunset in Mykonos was, to me, one of the most alluring parts of visiting the island- and I was not disappointed. I know that everyone who visits Mykonos raves about catching the sunset at one of the waterfront bars in Little Venice, and while those places are very cool, I decided to walk along the shore instead, content on getting a little lost. I stumbled upon the ruins of the Mykonos Castle and a church called the Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας Πρυανης (for those of us who don’t read Greek, that’s the Holy Church of Panagia Pryani), on a little curve of shore in between Little Venice and the Old Town. Right next to the ruins is a restaurant called Kastro’s, which is one of the restaurants you see plastered all over articles about Mykonos because of its absolutely perfect waterfront dining experience. I had wanted to go to, but it didn’t open for another three weeks... but that meant that their outdoor eating area was open for me to sit (loiter, really) and watch the sunset. Misted by the sea breeze from the water crashing against the rocks and with the bright orange sun in my eyes, I saw a sliver of the person I felt I was before Covid took over our lives: I was the adventurous explorer, the girl who left her small hometown to go see everything the world had to offer her. And it was glorious.

Post-dinner, I was excited to check out Mykonos’ fabled club scene. My room was right next to the Scandinavian Bar, a famous party spot. On the way back from dinner, it looked like the club wasn’t open yet, and upon Googling the hours from my room, I learned that the club wasn’t open at all. (I couldn’t tell if it’s a combination of the Covid lockdowns or from it being the off season but learned it’s the latter.) All the clubs opened over the span of the next two weeks, the start of summer. It turns out that the downside of traveling during the off-season is that all of the clubs are closed, which means that I came to the party capital of the Mediterranean (and probably Europe) and couldn’t party. It was a bit of a bummer that I wouldn’t get that experience, but truthfully... I was afraid of going out dancing by myself. I am willing to do almost anything alone- going to museums and restaurants, going out for a drink, traveling for weeks at a time to countries where I don’t speak the language- but the thing I have always struggled with was going out dancing alone. While there’s the obvious security concerns (re: being a single woman in a crowded and dark place), my main fear was in the fact that I just didn’t know what to do. To me, going out is about twirling away on the dance-floor, losing yourself in the beat and singing at the top of your lungs... with your friends. And I know that there are plenty of people who aren’t afraid to enter clubs solo, but it was the last fear I wanted to overcome as a solo traveler. In the end, I think it worked out for me: I was exhausted from the last few days in London and the early flight to Greece, and I was deeply invested in my book. So I stayed in my lovely AirBnB and had a relaxing evening.

My second day was another day of exploring the Old Town. I normally schedule my vacations down to the minute to maximize my time, but for this trip, I just let myself be. Looking back on it, I probably should have done a little more research: when it’s just a touch too cold to sunbathe on the beach, and if you don’t have a car to explore more of the island, AND if you’re not there to blow a ton of money... there’s not too much to do in Mykonos. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I started off the morning with a breakfast of a Greek cheese pastry, a latte, and the most delicious baklava I’d ever eaten in my life before wandering around Mykonos, getting lost and not really caring. It rained for about two hours, but even under a gray sky, the island was still beautiful, and I was sad to be leaving the next day.

Since this was a birthday trip after all, I decided to have dinner on my last night at a nice waterfront restaurant, Raya. The atmosphere was very trendy and made me feel posh (a nice departure from my usual cheap eats while traveling). I enjoyed my fish-topped risotto by the sea, watching the sun dip behind the hill. I sat below the windmills to catch the sunset, in complete disbelief that that evening’s sunset topped the previous night’s. On the way home, I decided to stop for a drink at a chic bar next to my AirBnB (finally, something open!). Feeling courageous, I asked the bartender for anything Greek and ended up with a fruity cocktail made with mastika, an herby liquor that I’m glad I didn’t have access to in college. It was the perfect ending to a near-perfect solo trip to Mykonos. It almost made me forget how stressed I was about turning 25 that week. Almost.

Here are my final thoughts: is Mykonos worth the money? Is it worth going in the off season? Would I recommend going?

Honestly, it all depends.

My friends who have been to Greece didn’t put the island on their “must-visit” list, but I really wanted to see it for myself. I think that it’s nice for a short stay, if you can justify the price for just a short stay. And it was short; I felt like I did everything I could do without a car in one afternoon.

I’m glad I came in the off season (peak season is May-October): there were less tourists, and the weather was nice, if not comfortably chilly. However, because it wasn’t peak season, many restaurants and most clubs were closed. I did lots of research on where to stay so I could be close to the party scene, but I never once thought to see if the clubs would actually be open. And it was annoying to have so many restaurants closed, but since I was only there for two days, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

I would recommend coming to Mykonos in the shoulder season before the crowd hits but while the weather is still nice. If I could do it again, I would come in May when the clubs open to take advantage of the nightlife and the warmer weather.

As for the cost, it was what it was. Living in Israel (if you didn’t know- Tel Aviv was just named the most expensive city in the world, and, honestly, many other Israeli cities aren’t that far behind it), pricey cities don’t really faze me anymore, so when everyone warned me that Mykonos was expensive, it didn’t really register. Truthfully, Mykonos is expensive compared to many other European cities, made even more apparent in the shoulder season when so many places are closed and options were few. But I knew going into it that I would be shelling out the big bucks there. And the only thing I spent my hard-earned moolah on was food, so it didn’t bother me too much. I’m sure that there are more budget-friendly islands that are just as insanely beautiful, but I didn’t leave Mykonos feeling like I paid too much for the experience I got. In the end, I think you pay for the experience of Mykonos, and I’m okay with that.

Would I go back? I’m not sure simply because I want to explore more islands, but it’s not off the table. Am I glad I came? Without a doubt. Mykonos really is jaw-dropping gorgeous, and I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a gateway drug to the rest of the Greek islands: I saw one, and now I have to see them all. En route to the ferry to Athens, my taxi driver (a native Mykonian) told me that Naxos is his favorite of all the islands, and that Santorini was not worth it... and a little cursed. Do I believe him? I’ll have to find out for myself.