Elite Traveler March-April 2018

EXPLORE MYKONOS

GUIDE TO MYKONOS

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Fokos Taverna Set back from Fokos, one of the last bare beaches on Mykonos, this laid-back family-run taverna takes classic Greek dishes up several notches. Mykonian louza (cured pork) is served with arugula and figs, red peppers are stuffed with local goat cheese, and the pork chops are grilled to perfection. Look out for owner Marissa’s handmade ceramics, which make pretty souvenirs. fokosmykonos.com Katrin Run with unassuming grace by the same family since the 1970s, Katrin is such a classic that it doesn’t even need a website (let alone a Facebook page). Tucked in the tangle of back alleys in the island’s main town, Chora, the restaurant serves up sublime sea bass carpaccio, chateaubriand and tarte tatin on white linen beneath a flush of hot-pink bougainvillea. Spilia Hidden on the rocky shoreline below the Anastasia Village hotel in Agia Anna, this seafood restaurant is the ultimate setting for a date. You almost have to walk the plank to get to your table, but the lobster spaghetti is out of this world. spiliarestaurant.gr

As the ancient Greek geographer Strabo pointed out, “Mykonos has it all.” Strabo probably wasn’t referring to personal shoppers and beauty salons, high-end jewelers and sushi bars, superyachts and 24-hour clubs. But it is indeed impossible to be bored or jaded on this high- energy island, the free spirit of the Cyclades. Once little more than a stopover en route to the majestic ruins of Delos, a half-hour boat ride away, Mykonos now attracts over two million tourists every year. The tiny airport is finally getting a major upgrade in 2018, with a bigger runway and better terminal. Originally a retreat for the gay and bohemian jet-set, today the island is the playground of supermodels, athletes, fashion designers and A-listers who like to see and be seen. Every summer, Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared 2 and shoe designer Brian Atwood throw bacchanals featuring togas, fire jugglers, and male models in golden speedos. Although there are still a handful of wild beaches hidden between rocky headlands, on Mykonos, the maxim seems to be, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

by Rachel Howard

Photo George Fakaros, Ed Reeve