Mykonos is known as the party island of the Cyclades, with its sugar cube houses, famous town, windmills, club and beach scene attracting thousands of visitors every year.

The atmosphere on the island is lively and fun with groups of people having a good time. There is a mixture of visitors backpackers, yachties, super yachties, celebrities, families and a gay scene. The beaches cater for families, nudist and gay nudist.

 

I spoke to an elderly Mykonion gentleman about the changes he has seen on the island. He said in the 1960’s he remembered not even having a toilet inside the house. For him the price of tourism was worth paying as, ‘life is better now’.

 

We decided to explore the island by scooter and to find the bay where the film Shirley Valentine was filmed in the mid 80’s. It is still a lovely bay and is called Ayios Ioannis.

‘Her’ hotel is now quite special and the road to the beach she walked along has substantially changed with development around it.

‘Costas’s’ taverna is still there but now extended and developed into minimalist chic and known as the ‘Hippie Fish’.

No longer are there ‘chips and egg’ on the menu but ‘linguine with shrimps and zucchini in a red wine sauce’.  A sign said that the movie had been filmed there and the walls had photos of the actors, Pauline Collins , ‘Shirley’ and Costas, ‘Tom Conti’.

We have to say the taverna was really fab, great holiday atmosphere, good food although expensive, great interior and the place where Shirley sat on the beach to watch the sunset is still as fab with views to the west, we now know are of the Island of Delos.

 

 

Mykonos town is a maze of alleyways built originally to ‘confuse’ marauding pirates.  It is a pretty but highly commercialised town, the old harbour is also nice but now cleared of all the local fishing boats and the famous windmills stand on a small peninsular.

 

Photos of.........

 

‘Shirley Valentine’s’ taverna, beach, hotel and bay with views to Delos

Mykonos town, old harbour and the windmills

Reality tourism at the windmills

 

Love to all

 

Tina and Tony x x