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Words Naomi LeachPhotographs Lena Konstantakou

SHORES STARRYSHORES STARRYWhitewashed streets, fashionable beaches and a celebrity following – glamorous Mykonos, popular with the 1960s

jet set, is back in vogue with today’s yachting crowd

Words Naomi Leach Photographs Lena Konstantakou

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ackie Kennedy Onassis first arrived in Mykonos in 1961, and her subsequent enthusiasm for the Greek island transformed the diminutive, rocky outcrop into a glamorous enclave for the era’s elite. Movie stars from Grace Kelly to Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor were all charmed by this bohemian playground. And now, more than a half a century later, the “island of the winds” is whipping up a storm once again.

Mykonos has good looks and a serious sense of fun, luring the glitterati and Hollywood elite to its lively shores, designer shops and starlit revelry. Boasting a number of five-star resorts, world-class gastronomy from big names including Hakkasan and Nobu, and a beach to suit every taste, on this island you’re holidaying with the A-list.

While Santorini may be many people’s go-to destination in the Cyclades, it’s not the only stunning island in the Aegean Sea. Leonardo DiCaprio, Mariah Carey and Cristiano Ronaldo are just some of the celebrities to have followed in the footsteps of the former First Lady to discover these

JJackie Onassis Kennedy visited Mykonos in 1961 triggering its popularity with A-listers

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shores. But to truly see the island through Jackie O’s oversized sunglasses, Mykonos is best enjoyed by yacht.

Setting off from Ornos Bay, I meet Laurent Labarthe Medrano, the affable Frenchman who founded L’O Yachting in Mykonos back in 2010. Starting with just two VIP vessels, he was one of the first to recognise the island’s yachting potential. His exclusive charter service complete with crew and on-board dining now offers 30 luxury vessels in varying sizes from megayachts to catamarans, sailboats and ribs. He says medium-sized yachts are most popular with A-listers who don’t want to attract too much attention when docking, and seek a private, intimate escape with their closest friends.

We transfer, appropriately discreetly, from a small motorboat to Secret, a sleek white Ferretti 53 Flybridge featuring sleeping accommodation for six, a bathroom, a lavish living room and dinette bathed in cream leather and glossy wood. There are cockpit seats and a sprawling top deck ready to indulge

your vintage jet-setter fantasies – and to even pose for an impromptu photoshoot.

Holidaymakers often opt for two- to seven-day trips visiting a smattering of the Cyclades’ 220 islands such as Paros, Ios and – yes – Santorini. “Our crew are passionate people and love to show you an untouched island every day,” Labarthe Medrano explains.

As our yacht carves through the Aegean’s turquoise waters we’re met with jaw-dropping vistas of sunbaked rocks punctuating the inky abyss. We head to Delos, a UNESCO-protected island, considered one of the world’s most important archaeological sites and the birthplace of key characters in ancient Greek mythology. Once a vibrant city, home to sanctuaries, a theatre and a host of prosperous Athenians, it was abandoned in 426 BCE.

Now only day-trippers can explore the cobbled streets, encountering

remnants of opulent homes with statues of their owners, detailed mosaic floors and a terrace of lion sculptures still visible amid the dust and breeze. As you walk in the footsteps of this ancient community and voyage across the Cyclades, it’s easy to understand why the legendary king Odysseus spent so long lost in its unreal distractions.

The effortless freedom of the yacht becomes apparent as we pull into a protected bay on nearby uninhabited island Rhenia. Here, we can swim in the cool sea, enjoying the blues of the water and sky uninterrupted by the blemish of other boats on the horizon.

Later, cruising along the coastline, we’re given a preview of several beaches and their unique characters. Lively Paradise beach is bustling with sunseekers; at Paraga mellow music lilts across the air from “beachside lair” Scorpios; while a procession of yachts

From left: Glamorous Psarou beach; Mykonos Chora’s whitewashed winding streets; aboard the Secret yacht; and Alefkandra’s ramshackle Venetian pirate houses by the bay

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featuring waterslides – in eye-watering silver, fiery red and volcanic black – lines the bay at popular Psarou, and a man on a jet ski zooms by trying to take a selfie.

Psarou is where the style conscious disembark to mingle with celebrities, to unwind at Nammos restaurant and to peruse Psarou Beach Mall, where the international designer stores are open until 11pm each day.

Further up the coast, the fashionistas that this dreamy island attracts spend languid days at bohemian Alemagou on the remote Ftelia beach while those in the know dine inside a natural cave at Spilia restaurant next to Kalafatis beach, before heading into the capital each night.

On my last evening back in Mykonos Chora (town), I join the crowds along the waterfront vying for the perfect spot. Snaking from the water’s edge, Chora was designed to disorientate invaders centuries ago, but now visitors revel in

WHERE TO STAY

Kenshō Boutique Hotel & SuitesThe smell of lavender suffuses the air at this fashionable, one-year-old, hillside retreat set amid olive trees, whitewashed buildings and photogenic design features. Poolside cabanas and sunloungers overlooking Ornos bay are flanked by a pair of swings and a shisha lounge. The hotel’s Greek fine dining restaurant serves fresh Cretan and Mykonian cuisine. Each of the 35 boutique bedrooms has a unique design with the majority featuring a water element such as a hot tub. Guests can unwind at the hotel’s hammam and spa by day, or to the soundtrack of live jazz singers by night. kenshomykonos.com

getting lost among the Grecian blue doors and white walls. It’s a dreamy labyrinth of jewellery stores and designer boutiques framed by vivid bougainvillea.

Unperturbed by the frothy waves lashing at their ankles, the audience of tanned families, voguish couples and Instagram starlets is gripped: it’s sunset in Alefkandra, the colourful Venetian artists’ quarter, a coveted stretch of ramshackle, 16th-century pirate houses, overlooking the bay.

As the vermillion sun slips into the cobalt waves, a round of applause erupts and the sound of whooping and clapping sweeps through

Galleraki, Caprice, Sea Satin Market and the other chic cafés and restaurants fringing the shore. Whether you’re aboard a yacht, on a beach or up in the hills, whichever sunset panorama you find yourself enchanted by in Mykonos, it will undoubtedly deserve a standing ovation. loyachting.com

Mykonos PrincessBlissfully laid-back, Mykonos Princess, with its spacious, nautical-inspired suites and a swimming pool with sunbeds overlooking the sea, is the perfect base for relaxation. The 34-bedroom boutique hotel in white Cycladic architecture is five minutes from Agios Stefanos beach and an easy car journey to Chora. Friendly staff serve delicious Grecian fare at the restaurant. Suites feature balconies, a lounge, a bathtub and separate shower, as well as a bedroom filled with thoughtful extras such as a pillow menu and a classic Greek myth book.preferredhotels.com

The Terrace of Lions on Delos, a UNESCO-protected island and an important archaeological site

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“The passionate crew love to show you an untouched island every day”

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