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MYKONOS MAGIC - 8 Best Kept Secrets To Discover On Your Holiday

Magical Mykonos: the island jewel that conjures up images of cubist houses, chic boutiques, bespoke jewellers and crushed honeycomb sands. The island is well-known for party-going night owls that only tuck in when wide-eyed larks rise to sprawl across the island's beaches, but it also tucks away some secrets of its own.

Magical Mykonos: the island jewel that conjures up images of cubist houses, chic boutiques, bespoke jewellers and crushed honeycomb sands. The island is well-known for party-going night owls that only tuck in when wide-eyed larks rise to sprawl across the island's beaches, but it also tucks away some secrets of its own.

Cosmopolitan Chora:
Mykonos' amphitheatrical capital is the queen of Cycladic architecture. Between the cerulean Aegean and the island's rugged, granite interior, Chora dresses the harbour like a glittering tiara. Its pint-sized houses tumble down to the shore like a knocked-over sugar-bowl. Get lost in the flow of sinuous bodies, donkeys and goats that stroll through the warren of Mykonos' flagstone-paved lanes. And admire the doors, balconies and balustrades lovingly painted in jades, scarlets and peacock blues.

Icon:
Let your camera off its leash at the 15th-century Church of Panagia Paraportiani on Kastro Hill, home to the most classic Mykonian backdrop. Inside, are protected ecclesiastical heirlooms, including a half-century-old silver iconostasis. Climb down to the shore behind it to spot Mykonians fishing by hand.

Artisan:
To watch a charming and super-talented artist at work, find Richard North at The Studio on Panachrantou Street. His unique style of pop art, created from layering acrylic paints onto wood, is truly captivating. Ask Richard about his background in painting the album covers and instruments of the famous (including a stage for David Bowie). Look through his kaleidoscopic recent works, and see if his quirky (painted!) paint brushes are still for sale!

Feast:
If your grandmother was Greek, and wanted to open up her living room to guests, she'd do it at M-eating Restaurant Bar on Kalogera Street. Succulent fish, goat, pork and lamb dishes come with wine-pairing, served in the sophisticated dining room, veranda or garden setting. "Yamas!"

Peace:
Visit the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani at the village of Ano Mera in the island's heart. Whisper a wish at its 18th-century marble fountain in the flower-festooned courtyard, littered with purring cats. Inside, is a must-see: a 19th-century carved wooden temple.

Coast:
Park up the moped at Platis Gialos and explore the island's southern beaches by traditional caique. Give the ear-drums a shake at party-centric Paradise and Super Paradise beaches where inhibitions don't exist. Or want a healthier kind of wild? Head to Kalafatis beach. Exposed to the summer Meltemi winds, this is prime windsurfing territory.

Dive:
Become a mermaid! With superb visibility, dive into the blue with Mykonos Diving Center. At their dive-spots at Paradise Reef or Grouper Rocks, prepare to come nose-to-nose with wrasse, octopus and barracuda. Or dive to the wreck of Anna II to frolic with the island's pelagic creatures. The owner knows where to find submerged archaeological artefacts!

Sundown:
Dip your toes where Mykonos' most romantic row of Venetian-style houses dip theirs. Montparnasse at Little Venice is where cocktail-sippers watch the sun grill the bewitching horizon to a fiery close. This intimate bar, just big enough to shake a pina colada in, features a live pianist. Sit at its suspended balcony where the waves lick beneath.

All who land on Mykonos's shores sense unlimited escapism. One is free to be their own free spirit on the Island of the Winds.

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Marie Barbieri is a freelance writer and photographer with an unquenchable thirst for travel. When she's not writing up assignments, she can often be found island-hopping in Greece and the South Pacific, hiking in the Outback or stalking Australian wildlife.

Visit her at: www.mariebarbieri.weebly.com and on Google +

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Have a wonderful Mykonos holiday! Reveal a secret of your own in the comments below. If you want them to be revealed that is :)

Anita & The Girls @
Sequins and Sand

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