Which Mykonos Beach Club are You

THE ICON

Blue Marlin Ibiza Mykonos

Best for: stylish sybarites

What’s the story: It was only a matter of time before Ibiza’s most legendary beach club came to the party. Mykonos watchers have been breathlessly awaiting the touchdown of Blue Marlin Ibiza at the svelte new Aegon Mykonos (an Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott International due to open its doors July 2019). Expect your days to slip past in a hedonistic haze of Champagne, sun, Balearic beats and exceptional nosh as this Ibizan icon brings its trademark social footprint to the star-spangled shores of Kalo Livadi. Yachties can park their rides directly at the private Blue  Marlin jetty, leaving more time to enjoy all the high-grade fun.

THE QUEEN BEE

NAMMOS

Best for: party peacocks and celeb-spotters

What’s the story? Anything can happen at shiny happy Nammos. And usually does. From Kate Moss on the decks to Lionel Ritchie dancing on a table to one of his own tunes. Roll back two decades and Mykonos’ most headline-grabbing club was a humble bucket and spade beach, tucked at the end of a reed-lined dusty track on Psarou. Now its name is as familiar on the haute hedonist circuit as Le Club 55 in St Tropez. Nammos blew out its first 15 candles last summer with a star-studded bash and a makeover that included a new luxury shopping village (no excuse now not to dress the part).

Arrive before noon to see handsome waiters ferrying revved-up club sandwiches to super-styling sun worshippers under stripy parasols. By early afternoon, Nammos morphs into an elegant lunch destination where international fashion designers and sport stars hold court over iced magnums of Dom Perignon Rosé. By 6pm, a flotilla of luxury boats is berthed out front and the party is at full tilt. (If the kids are still about, it’s time to pack them off with Nanny). Most celebrities who pass through Mykonos will drop in at Nammos at some point to see what all the fuss is about. It’s a heady Bacchanalian mess that shouldn’t work but somehow does. In the right dosage.

THE BOHO-LUXE HAVEN

Alemagou

Best for: fashion-forward beach bums and chill-seekers

What’s the story? Ditch the diamonds and gold watches. You won’t be needing them at this bohemian hotspot with an addictive off-thebeaten-track appeal. Alemagou rocks a refreshing “take us as we come” attitude, paired with a languid New Mexico aesthetic. Nestled on a dreamy curve of sand at Ftelia, fronted by protected turquoise seas, it’s where millennial beatniks and mellowed-out beach babes (think 70s Farah Fawcett) pitch up in black jeeps to neck rosé and flirt beneath a sea-grass canopy, to hypnotic tribal sounds.

The Alemagou vibe might be set firmly to “chill” but there’s nothing half-hearted about the excellent food dished up here (try the clams from Halkida or the sea urchin spaghetti). Take the kids along for the ride too; they’ll have fun climbing all over the Wild West rocks.

THE ZEN MASTER

Scorpios

Best for: aesthetes and those wanting to awaken their “chi”

What’s the story? Spending a day at Scorpios is like hanging out at your best friend’s beach house (if your best friend happens to be someone like Giorgio Armani). Resting on five pillars – music, food, design, healing and art – this ultra-classy, cactus-clad compound sits on a craggy 7,000 sq metre peninsula overlooking Paraga beach in southern Mykonos. It’s a highly-snappable scatter of wooden beach cabanas and sofas, spilling down multiple tiers, framed by African palms, sea grass and a windfall of cactus figs, nudged onto the warm sand by errant Mykonian breezes. Scorpios joined the Soho House global tribe this summer as their first stand-alone beach club (or “beach experience” to use the proper lingo). Choose from a spectrum of “emotionally themed” spaces with different energy profiles: tune out on the Nomad’s Terrace, or hit the Slope to be right in the whirl.

Wherever you settle, you’ll be tended by smiley, inked up Greeks, artfully draped in organic threads, hand-loomed by Mayan villagers from the Yucatan (snap some up for yourself at the bazaar). If it all feels like you’ve entered some effortlessly cool seaside shala, it’s one commune you’ll be happy to join. Don’t miss the weekly Sunday Sunset Ritual. You’re as likely to be dancing barefoot in the sand next to a shamanic healer as Kendall Jenner.

THE SCENE STEALER

Ftelia Beach Club

Best for: cosmopolites and the sporty set

What’s the story? Over on windswept Ftelia Beach in the north, the newly-minted Ftelia Beach Club has been clocking up the fans by dialling back the swagger. Emerging Italian architect Fabricio Casiraghi has created a relaxed echo of the famous 60s and 70s resorts of Southern France and coastal Italy by planting a sophisticated weave of burnt orange sunbeds around a hip Greek-style hacienda. Linger on the top deck over refined beach grub like grilled octopus with beetroot puree from the Interni restaurant, then take a post-prandial snooze in one of the cool vintage Gae Aulenti armchairs. Or sip on a stylish sundowner while watching the buff windsurfers who flock to Ftelia riff off the strong “meltemi” breeze. The whole set-up oozes a sultry insouciance that’s sexy as hell.

THE FLAMBOYANT

Kensho Psarou Beach Bar

Best for: barefoot hedonists

What’s the story: On an island that never learned understatement, old-school decadence fits right in. While Myconian clubs are still going full-throttle with big dance-music names dominating the decks, what Kensho excels at is an unequivocal chic that permeates everywhere from its locavore leanings to its crafty cocktails and flawless Instagram game. Go for the full day-to-night beach club experience, with pitchers of mojitos and other potent elixirs to keep you socially lubricated well past sundown. Guaranteed bragging rights, celebrity spotting and barefoot fiestas at one of the most coveted stretches of sand on Psarou Beach. If you really want to steal the show, arrive by helicopter and touch down in full view of fellow-revellers.

THE FOODIE’S FAVOURITE

Solymar

Best for: gourmands, families and “The Day After”

What’s the story? If Nammos is the cause … Solymar is the remedy. Tom Hanks is a big fan of this relaxed and un-pretentious mid-range alternative at prime Kalo Livadi beach, on Mykonos’ south-eastern flanks. Shallow iridescent waters and a flat sandy shore make Solymar a popular choice for families; while its outstanding modern Med fare draws fashionable foodies from all over the place. Book a sunbed for noon; then migrate at 3pm for a long leisurely lunch Mykonian-style in Solymar’s scaled-up beach hut restaurant with its mandatory boutique.

Order the beef tataki with summer truffles; the spicy King crab with chili avocado and green apple; and the watermelon salad with feta spearmint and smoked tomato dressing. Wash it down with a minerally Santorini Assyrtiko (or one of the many delicious non-alcoholic cocktails pitched at the sober curious set).

THE ALL-ROUND PLEASER

Principote at Panormos

Best for: families, friends and beach purists

What’s the story? Enough dash to make a splash; the recently rebooted Principote is also low-key enough to satisfy those who want to take a breather from the Mykonos party hearty scene.

Tucked inside the north coast’s horseshoe bend, Principote is a near perfect beach hangout where you can pick your preferred speed. Indulge in chic “barefoot on the sand” restaurant dining. Sprawl more convivially with your mates on slouchy sofas over elevated beach bites. Or by the sea under one of the pearly crocheted umbrellas that seem to have sprouted all over the Island of the Winds. Panormos beach has a splendid natural beauty that trumps many of its rivals. Gaze out over the lagoon-like bay to Ftelia or drift along the shoreline to the stunning strip of free unspoiled beach adjoining Principote. You can plant your pareo on the sand and pretend you’re a castaway. Even in August.

SEA & BE SCENE

Jackie O’ Beach

Best for: extroverts and flirts

What’s the story? Truffle and mozzarella sarnies at the beach? Ecological body oil for managing the perfect tan? No problem at this perennially popular Super Paradise social retreat that packs the essence of an eternal Mykonos summer to a mostly-gay clientele (and is sister to the legendary Jackie O’ club in town).

Fun and universally welcoming, with an infectious vibe that’s Vegas Lounge meets Club Tropicana. Party central is a 25m round bar with lounging cushions overlooking a sculpted infinity pool. Golden sand, clear water and non-stop music and dancing make this the best hangout on the island hosting all-nighters that attract hardcore partiers and drag queens. Shy types need not apply.

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