Not only is it the most famous island of the Cylades in Greece, it’s also the most gay-friendly. Lolling about this international hot spot that’s fully idyllic, romantic and very Calvin Klein (with its whitewashed homes and aqua-blue-domed doors and roofs), you can’t help but to feel like a Greek God after a long day of ruling.
Only a 20-minute flight from Athens (or 4 hour ferry ride), Mykonos attracts more than 100,000 visitors during peak season and it’s very likely you’ve seen the island as a backdrop in a magazine’s photo spread. With a population of approximately 6,000—the island itself is 85 square kms—locals are sincerely happy to accommodate, even if they practically survive on the tourism industry. Mykonos has become famous in the last few decades as it’s the Greek playground for the international jet set, including A-list celebrities who frequently summer here.
Mykonos is notorious for its criminal tranquility during the day and buzzing nightlife and rivals the likes of Ibiza and Rio. Homos can’t resist the island for its sprawling white beaches, mountainous landscape, the piercing blue sea that thins clear like glass at the shores and, naturally, the acceptance of full nudity. Get ready to pack your best lube because Mykonos is all about getting tan and getting laid.
Mykonos Town, the city center lined with bars, restaurants, clubs and tourist-driven shops, is a pretzel-twisted adventure. The stone pathways are tortuous, narrow and have little structure, but once you get a sense of the maze-like labrinth, you can’t help but feel like a mouse that’s unearthed it’s cheese or, as only in Greece, a scholar who’s found his pita.
As the gay oasis of Greece, Mykonos is effortlessly packed with droves and it’s often said you don’t truly experience Greece if you don’t make Mykonos an excursion from Athens. But I like to think it’s the other way around.
© Jimmy Im 2009 Trip Out
Lady Gaga has never been one to shy away from the topic of sexuality. Whether it’s her barely there outfits, her double-entendre-laden lyrics (infer from “I’m bluffin’ with my muffin” what you will), or her onstage escapades, she’s more than willing to discuss, dissect or display sex.
