Located in the Cyclades, situated alongside other paradise islands such as Santorini, Mykonos has had a long history attracting artists, the rich and the famous, from as early as the 30s. Towards the 70s, Mykonos attracted more of a hippy crowd, before re-establishing itself as one of the most glamorous destinations in Europe.

With an abundance of designer clothing and jewellry stores, Mykonos is home to some of Europe’s most vibrant nightlife, where revellers stay for weeks on end partying in one of the many bars and clubs across the island and, later, hitting one of the many fabulous beaches, often a lot later the next day.

If you’re thinking of visiting the island, there’s a plethora of established luxury hotels such as Bill & Coo and Grace Mykonos, which is the first choice for many.

For our trip we spent some time researching the options and decided to stay at the Myconian Utopia, which is part of the Relais & Chateaux resort. We made a wise choice. Situated high up on top of the hill above Elia beach, the resort has incredible views of the Aegean Sea. With plenty of white buildings, as you would expect on any Greek island, it is situated around a huge infinity pool with wooden sun loungers and palm trees. Utopia is part of the wider Myconian Collection complex, with each resort having their own benefits.

We walked through the Avalon resort and it was quite different from Utopia. It’s not clear whether you can mix and match and spend time by another pool on another resort in the complex, but we’d doubt this would be an issue.

From the complex, you can take a free hotel shuttle to Mykonos town, to Elia beach or even venture up the hillside around the resort for some exercise, should you be so inclined. We’d advise taking the shuttle or another form of transport as the hill is rather steep. We had issues getting our rental Fiat 500 up to Utopia and had to take a running start to get the momentum to get us up the hill – it’s that steep.

The Utopia rooms are impressive, clean and with a luxurious edge, with top of the range linens, Greek Korres toiletries and in our case a a huge personal (and rather deep) plunge pool. There is a brilliant restaurant on the premises where we enjoyed a lunch on arrival. At breakfast there is a well-stocked buffet with cold cuts and seasonal fruits that always taste much better than home, you can also order hot dishes direct to your table. You can visit the other restaurants across the complex if you want variety and you can’t easily leave the area. It’s worth noting that the complex is a drive from the nearest town.

Mykonos island offers several beaches to visit, most being far superior to those you’ll find on Santorini, so you don’t just have to sit by the infinity pool all day. From the Myconian Utopia, there is Elia beach which is a short walk down the hill. Elia is the longest beach on Mykonos, it is also in pristine condition. Being a longer beach, it is more peaceful with areas on the beach for different types of beach user. Myconian has it’s own area, although we found this part to be the worst section of the beach. There’s various water sports to enjoy, and a couple of beachside restaurants to lunch al-fresco.

There are plenty of other beaches, but it’s advised to hire a car if you want to explore. These include Super Paradise or Psarou. We found these beaches to be well-kept and pristine, but offer far wider party atmosphere, especially toward the end of the day. Super Paradise has the famous Jackie O’s, which is a restaurant, bar and club, but swarming with people during the Summer months. Similarly, on Psarou you can get a really good bite to eat at Nammos, followed by a dance or an evening swim if you prefer. We had a rather enjoyable evening at Nammos!

Wider afield, Mykonos Town has plenty to offer and there’s quite a few hotels based around the town centre. Down by the old harbour you can visit the iconic windmills. The windmills were built in the 16th century by the Venetians and can be seen from every point in the town and are visible as boats enter the harbour.

Amongst the narrow streets, expect to find all the luxury brands you’d expect, plus plenty of restaurants and cafes. If you are after a good lunch or afternoon snack you should stop by Il Forno di Gerasimo, where you will be able to sample pastries to your delight or even a tasty donut.

If you are after a coffee, there aren’t too many specialised coffee shops but we were pleasantly surprised with Aroma. Expect to find an old-school European coffee vibe (think people smoking mixed with an espresso) while enjoying a decent coffee.

On the restaurant side, one standout was Funky Kitchen. Situated in a quiet area of the town, the open kitchen creates Mediterranean fusion dishes with an innovative twists such as seared tuna with aubergine mouse!

Finally, should you want to enjoy a few drinks and a night out, you do not want to venture out to the beach clubs, there are several venues in the town including Bonbonniere, which is a sister to the famous namesake in London. Here you can enjoy shisha, cocktails or take a seat in the Grey Goose lounge to enjoy vodka based drinks.

 Have you been to Mykonos? Thinking of going? Share your thoughts with other Short Motivation users in the comments section below.