The Hedonist's Guide to Mykonos

Seize the Endless Aegean Summer in style on Greece’s posh island escape for the jet set

- By Si Si Penaloza

Mykonos is all dressed up, ready to preen and party like it’s 1999. Or, at best, like it’s the summer before a global pandemic drove us apart into pods. Greece was among the first European travel destinations to welcome back foreign tourists without requiring them to quarantine, given they are fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test—thus the Endless Aegean Summer was born. Emirates resumed routes between Newark and Athens, enabling a tsunami of hope in the hearts of pale travelers thirsty for sunkissed Grecian shores. And according to Bloomberg, travel-related search terms for Greece hit peak metrics. By June, the Greek Reporter noted that the bays at Ornos and Psarou looked like “a parking lot for luxurious vessels designed for posh travel on the water,” with more than 50 yachts anchored in Psarou bay; while luxury travel network Virtuoso tallied a 225% jump in new hotel reservations across the mainland and Greek isles.

Luring glitterati for generations, Mykonos proves a seasonal staple with jet-setting celebrities and hot young things drawn to renowned dance clubs. Case in point, Mykonos is Kendall Jenner’s go-to summer chill-out island of choice. And momentum has only grown as Mykonos moves to reclaim its reputation as the prestige party capital of the Med, drawing coveted high-profile guests from around the globe.