Wild Northern Beaches of Mykonos: Agios Sostis, Fokos, Panormos and Ftelia

If you want to experience what Mykonos looked like in the 1970s, wide stretches of golden sand with zero rows of paid sunloungers, zero DJ speakers and zero jet skis, head twenty minutes north of Chora around the deep natural inlet of Panormos Bay and the northern granite headlands. .

1. Agios Sostis Beach & Kiki's Tavern (7 km north of Chora)

Stretching below a whitewashed hillside chapel on the western shore of the Panormos inlet, Agios Sostis is widely considered by locals to be the finest natural beach on Mykonos. There is not a single rented umbrella or beach bar on its 250-metre crescent of soft sand; you simply spread your towel on the sand and swim in crystal-clear water:

• Lunch at Legendary Kiki's Tavern (Above the Northern Rocks of Agios Sostis): hidden under a canopy of tamarisk trees right above the footpath down to the beach is Kiki's Tavern, an landmark, off-grid Mykonos institution that has no electricity, no telephone and no reservations. Every dish (famous pork chops, marinated octopus, grilled sea bream and aubergine salads) is cooked over open charcoal embers. Arrive at around midday or around midday (doors open around midday) to put your name down and enjoy complimentary chilled rosé wine in the shade overlooking the cove while your table is prepared.

2. Fokos Beach, Mersini & Panormos / Ftelia

• Fokos Beach & Mersini (12 km north-east, past the Fokos Reservoir): reached by a scenic country road winding past the island's inland freshwater lake (Fokos Dam), Fokos is a deep, wild cove of coarse sand and smooth pebbles backed by a wonderful family-run seaside taverna, with the completely deserted twin coves of Mersini just ten minutes' walk over the eastern rocks.
• Panormos & Ftelia (Inside the Deep Northern Bay): sheltered further inside the bay, Panormos offers calm, boho-chic waters, while flat-bottomed Ftelia at the head of the bay is both the #1 windsurfing beach in Mykonos and the site of a 5000 BC Neolithic settlement (revered in Greek legend as the tomb of the Trojan War hero Ajax the Lesser).
• Kalafatis & Lia (On the South-East Coast): if you want a peaceful, uncrowded eastern beach that IS sheltered from the northern wind and reachable by KTEL bus from the Old Port, head to pine-fringed Kalafatis or pebble-and-sand Lia.