Mykonos part 2: Beaches and Countryside
I feel like there are so many posts on Mykonos Town and the crazy party scene, however, I experience another side of Mykonos that many people don’t talk about. I was so surprised to see Mykonos has so much open and country space! It’s truly so beautiful and was definitely my favorite part of my Greece trip. Once I was finished with breakfast, I headed to the front desk to see how easy it would be to get my hands on a four wheeler….turns out it was way too easy, suckers.
I asked the hotel where they recommend I rent a four wheeler from, they were everywhere! The front desk recommended Moto Speed Mykonos, called them for me and made sure I had the proper information ahead of time and they came to scoop me up in their shuttle van. The employees there were super friendly and showed me how to operate the four wheeler and where to get gas. I was super nervous about driving around Mykonos on a four wheeler, the way people drive there is insane. I asked the employee if he would let me do this if he were my dad, he asked how old I was. I told him I was 26 and he just smiled slightly and said, “wow, my son is your age, just be careful and go slowly.” This did NOT reassure me. I asked If they had helmets and the apparently don’t get asked that often because they said, “We will give you one but you don’t have to wear it.” I was like, “Oh no sir, safety is my jam!” After receiving my super stylish helmet, I was on my way. I drove like a grandma and pulled over to let cars pass me by. I would 1,000 times do it again. It was such a fun and easy way to explore the island! You can go around most of the island on a tank of gas and it was only $31.45 USD for 24 hours. I headed back from Mykonos Town towards Super Paradise Beach. The drive is so beautiful and the roads were narrow country roads with breath taking views of rocky hills on one side and beautiful water views on the other.
Since it was the beginning of May, the beach was pretty empty…which was perfect! After relaxing and looking at the gift shop, I hopped back onto my four wheeler and headed for Agrari Beach. Check out my drive below. Pictures just do not do it justice, I wish I had a GoPro strapped to my helmet.
The drive to Agrari offered more elevated ocean views! It was incredible.
Once I made it to Agrari, it was time to drive down another steep grade. I was so thankful there were no other vehicles on the road with me as the road down has a semi blind turn and buses, well, they are very laid back when it comes to driving. As someone who grew up driving four wheelers at my Grandparent’s house in the country, I know how dangerous it can be just driving on flat land, but if you stall out going up a hill, that can be bad….it happened to me once when I was 16 and that’s all I could think about climbing these crazy roads. My hands were so sweaty….but I’d totally do it again.
After Agrari, I headed back towards Mykonos Town. After getting lost, I ended up near the airport…I was just taking the scenic route. Also, the four wheel company gives you a map of the roads on the island. Some roads are strictly for locals only.
When I got back to town, I found this beautiful hill over looking the bay. I headed back to my hotel to clean up. The four wheeler leaves your whole body smelling like fuel.
Once I cleaned up, I relaxed by the pool and enjoyed a drink. Since drinks in Mykonos can be so expensive, I had stopped at a little convenient store near my hotel and picked up a bottle of vodka and orange Fanta. You could also exchange money for bus fare. The bus was super easy to navigate and in Mykonos and Santorini are the equivalent to American charter busses, they are very nice.
At the pool I made friends with a couple of awesome ladies from NYC and we ended up going to dinner together! We headed down to eat at Avil Tou Thodori on Platis Gialos Beach. The girls had previously made friends with the Chef at our Hotel’s kitchen and we just so happened to run into him at the restaurant. We invited him to have dinner with us and were treated like queens! He was friends with this restaurant’s owner and had the kitchen keep bringing us food and drinks! We of course drank Ouzo but also tequila…after all, It was Cinco De Mayo. The food was amazing and the staff was so accommodating. It was definitely a special night that I will never forget. I love meeting new people while I traveling and getting to know the locals!
The picture quality is terrible but the memories are grand!
The next morning was a so hard to wake up and I almost missed my ferry to Santorini, however, with the hotel staff rallying around me I was able to return my four wheeler and was shuttled off to the port in record speed. The staff of Kamari Hotel were the real MVPs that day.
Off to Santorini!
