Mykonos Island is one of the main tourist destinations in Greece for a reason. Picturesque little towns with whitewashed houses, beautiful beaches, boutique hotels, delicious food and bustling nightlife – isn’t it perfect?

We spent an amazing weekend in Mykonos and the highlight of our Greek holiday was the Windmill at Castle Panigirakis. The windmills are the defining feature on Mykonos landscape. They are dotted around the island, primarily concentrating in the capital Mykonos town and its neighborhoods. But did you know that a windmill can be your vacation home? Being one of the 11 windmills of the island, the windmill at Castle Panigirakis grounds offers the most unique and stunning accommodation on the island.

Castle Panigirakis is located just above charming Mykonos town, or Chora as locals call it, only 10 minutes walking distance from its center. And while walking uphill back from the town might require some effort, the reward is the most breathtaking panorama of the Aegean Sea and the town.

Little details make this place even more special, like a specious outside terrace with an outdoor sofa made from an old fishing boat.

The windmill has been renovated to a very high standard, and harmoniously melds with traditional Cycladic architecture. It consists of three levels: on the ground floor there is a kitchen with fireplace, fridge, built in sofa, table, small stove and a WC/shower. On the first floor, there is a living/study room with one more sofa, hidden in a wall closet, study table, safety box, and a vintage drawer. And on the top floor there is a bedroom and a WC/shower. An interesting additional feature in the bedroom is the metal wheel on the wall that makes windmill’s sails to move – it really works! We feel there are no words to describe how amazing this place is! As added benefits there is a good Wi-Fi connection and free airport transfer ;)

Breakfast is cooked to order with local fresh ingredients and served outdoors, at least in May, when it’s warm :)

The property has three dogs and a horse.

Anastasis, the owner, took really great care of us while we were there, and we liked our stay very, very much.

We’ve spent perfect two days at Mykonos town. Labyrinths of narrow streets, whitewashed houses with colorful doors and windows, and lovely chapels make for an enjoyable walks around charming Chora.

Numerous cafes and restaurants, like the healthy Smoothies Bar, help to enjoy the day.

The most famous resident of the island is pelican Petros. The original pelican was rescued by a fisherman in 1958 and lived on Mykonos for almost 30 years becoming the official mascot of the island, before it died. Nowadays three new pelicans are wandering around Chora town. We’ve seen two of them, and called both Petros, even they probably have different names :)

The Little Venice district is named after the Italian town because of the houses standing in the water. It is one of the most popular areas of the town, and is always full with tourists.

The windmills on the hill overlooking Little Venice are a great spot for enjoying the views.

The photo below made to the cover of National Geographic Traveller (India’s September 2015 issue) :)

There are a few restaurants in Chora that we have tried ourselves and can recommend :)

• The best one is Restaurant D’Angelo, located at Niohori Square about 50m from the famous windmills. Make sure you have a dinner reservation.
• For quick lunch, we went to Pepper restaurant located on Kouzi Georgouli, they serve amazing souvlakis (grilled meat on skewers).
• Katerina’s Restaurant in Little Venice, besides great seafood, offers impressive views over the windmills. Ask for a table on the balcony!

• Alegro restaurant has the best location possible for a sea view and people watching; otherwise the food is just ok.

• Karavaki restaurant in Vencia Boutique Hotel, has a super romantic atmosphere, good food, great service and nice views – what else you can ask for? :)

• For the best homemade ice cream in town, head to Gelarte.

How to get there:

Mykonos is easy to reach from Athens by plane or by ferry from Piraeus and Rafina ports. We took Olympic Air flight from Athens to Mykonos (30 min flight time). Some other European airline companies, BA or EasyJet for example, provide direct flights to Mykonos Island during the summer.

Visited May 2015