A look back in photos and words at one of the world’s most iconic party destinations from someone who experienced it first hand. It covers Mykonos bars including Skandinavian Bar, plus Paradise Beach with Greece travel memories.
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Editor & Publisher
Whenever I think about or even hear the word Mykonos, I get a big smile on my face.
That’s because it was the first place I traveled to in Europe. Armed with information provided my my hairdresser Dugan, who had been there many times and verbally beat me up about it so much I had to go see it for myself, I got on a plane, traveled some 20 hours from Los Angeles and when I arrived, tossed my bags in the room and bolted out the door.
And I loved every moment on it, so much so that I went back five more times, always taking friends with me. I had the routine down and they followed me like ducks do their mother. Today some things have changed but the basics remain in place. The “big three” bars and places are still there and you can have a great time just going to Paradise Beach Bar in the daytime, the Caprice Bar at sunset and the Skandinavian Bar at night. This post is about looking back at Mykonos 15 or so years ago when I first visted it while also blending it with today.
It was at Caprice Bar, in fact, that I got my introduction to Mykonos. I was there drinking ouzo – I quickly learned that it’s best to mix a shot with water – because I thought that’s what people consumed in Greece. Some locals from Athens saw this and corrected me. “We don’t drink ouzo,” they said, although I saw them downing shots. And at Caprice Bar, you don’t buy it by the shot; you get a shaker and then pour that into shot glasses for others. After drinking, they threw the shot glasses on the floor and a couple minutes later a Greek kid was crawling around on the floor between your legs retreiving them. I notice he looked like the bartenders, who in turn looked like the owner. It was obvious this was a family-run business and you start by picking up shot glasses.
Anyway, when I asked what they were drinking, they yelled out in unision: “kamikazes!” They then included me and I stumbed back to the hotel Dugan had recommended to me in a pretty inebriated state. The next day, I went to Paradise Beach to “recover” only to discover that at as the afternoon progressed the soft music from the three bars got louder and louder and louder to the point you had to either join the party or leave. I joined the party of course. With all the international people there, I remarked to myself that this is “where the world goes to party.” When I started PubClub.com a few years later, I used that as my tagline.
Later at night, after a return trip to Caprice Bar, I wound up at a place where a lot of people were hanging out on a narrow street. There were two tiny bars with a small dance club above one of them. I had stumbled upon the world-famous Skandinavian Bar! It did not take long for me to realize that at some point after midnight that all roads in Mykonos lead to what regulars call the “Skandi bar” so to speak. And it remains that way today.
Dugan also told me about another place called Mykonos Bar. She liked it because it played a long set of Greek music and the Greeks would get on the dance floor, arms joined, and do Greek dances. It also played a lot of music from the movie Grease soundtrack – Grease, Greece, get it!? – so whenever I hear “Summer Nights” and the movie’s theme song, I think about the Greek Islands and those nights in Mykonos Bar. Alas, Mykonos Bar is no longer there.
Neither is Down Under. Now this bar was fun! I came upon it because I followed the sounds of that loud, ear-splitting techo music that nearly all bars play and saw it was so packed I had to squeeze inside it. It was a narrow bar, like many you find in New York City, and in order to get a drink, I had to hop up on the bar (everyone is singing and dancing on top of the bar in the Greek Islands) and shimmy my way to the bartender. As I did this, girls stated removing my clothes! By the time I reached the bartender I was literally only wearing my underwear. My shirt was tossed somewhere into the crowd and I looked up and say my shorts going around in circles on the ceiling fan.
There was a Down Under shirt pinned to the wall behind the bar so I got it and a beer. When the bartender motioned for me to pay her – it was so loud in there you had to communicate with hand signals –I pointed to my pants going around in circles on the celing fan. She laughed and nodded an “okay.” I eventually got my pants back and left with great memories.
The next year, I had met a girl and we were bouncing through Mykonos Town bar hopping, I took her there. Except when we arrived, we stopped cold. Not only was it a different place but was a gay bar! They invited us in anyway and we stayed a while and had a good time but still, I missed the Down Under.
Today, there are a few new and different spots. Many of them are more upscale than I prefer for such a party island at Mykonos but, sadly, that’s pretty much the case everywhere. I have a friend who goes to Mykonos every year. I call him my mole because he keeps me updated and a couple of his favorite places are Zuma, Cavo Tagoo, Scorpio and SantAnna. He also likes Pink Beach and Super Paradise, which when I was there was strictly the gay beach. All the straight people went to Paradise Beach.
Mykonos Then & Now
How Mykonos has changed?
Yes, it has gotten more modern with upscale lounges and bars. But its core remains much the same and that’s a big part of its everlasting charm.
Is it better?
That’s really up to the individual. Someone going to Mykonos today would likely thing it’s great while others like me tend to feel it was better 10 or 15 years ago. What do you think? Was Mykonos better in the past or do today’s bars, lounges and clubs make it even better? Leave a comment and share your favorite Mykonos memory!
Is Mykonos nore commercial now than in the past?
You could say so, yes, but it is still the Greek Islands and it will never be commercialized like, say, destinations in the USA.
Is Mykonos more expensive now?
Oh yes, it’s a lot more expensive now. Everything is but the biggest change was when Greece got off the drachma and switched to the Euro. Plus, celebrities began to arrive and that always drives up prices.
Is Mykonos still worth it?
Without a doubt!
If You Liked This Article, You May Also Enjoy These Posts:
• Paradise Beach, The Ultimate Daytime Party
• Why The skandinavian Bar Is Of The Best Bars In The Greek Islands
• Mykonos, Ios & Santorini: Answering Your Greek Islands Questions
• Santorini, The Complete Guide
Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and nightlife expert who has covered destinations, events and entertainment for more than two decades. While working as a newspaper reporter, he received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism. He has been to Mykonos and the Greek Islands several time.
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