Elia, eight kilometres from Mykonos Town, has the longest sandy beach on the island. Mykonos is one of the smallest of the Cycladean Islands and also one of the most popular. The beach is well organised with sun beds and parasols and a wide variety of water sports are available. It is a purpose built resort with hotel and apartment complexes accommodating most budgets, and bars and tavernas catering for most tastes. A large part of the beach is dedicated to nudism and the western end is known as the gay beach.
If you are looking for guaranteed summer sun, an excellent sandy beach, warm clear water, sporting activities and a lively social life, book a holiday to Elia and you will not be disappointed. Elia has an active gay scene and is very popular with gay couples and groups. Being close to Mykonos Town, also known as Choro, you can enjoy the many vibrant evening venues where you can drink and dance until dawn.
Elia is most popular with the young who are looking for daylong sunshine followed by lively evening entertainment. Mykonos, in general, and Elia in particular are very gay friendly. Families enjoy the wonderful sandy beach with safe bathing for children and less confident swimmers. The water park is an added attraction for both adults and children.
The dry hot summers are the most popular time to visit Elia. Mykonos can be fairly breezy during the holiday season and this tempers the heat.
Elia has the longest and possibly the best beach on Mykonos Island. Situated only eight kilometres from Mykonos Town, it has many day trippers arriving by bus or by boat each day. The sand stretches for miles and there is a good range of water sports including water skiing, jet skiing and para-sailing. The beach shelves gently into the sea providing safe bathing for weak swimmers. Naturism is popular on this beach particularly towards the western end which is also popular with the gay community.
Water Manio is a water park in Elia popular with adults as well as children with its exciting range of slides and flumes.
The hotel and apartment complexes are set back from the beach and the hills around are dotted with white villas glinting in the sunshine. Elia is really a beach with accommodation, rather than a resort and there are few tavernas and shops. However, there is a regular bus service to Mykonos Town which has a wide choice of restaurants, specialist shops and boutiques. Mykonos is noted for its cosmopolitan life style. It was a popular place in the recent past with the rich and famous and there are many expensive restaurants that reflect this.
An Elia holiday offers a guarantee of summer sunshine, a wonderful sandy beach and an exciting choice of water sports. The proximity of Mykonos Town provides a wealth of evening entertainment.
Much of the evening entertainment in Elia is hotel based although there are a number of bars and tavernas where you can enjoy a meal and a drink on the waterfront. All night parties on the beach are a frequent sight. Many visitors take taxis to Mykonos Town where there are many relaxed bars, discos, and clubs offering a wide and sophisticated range of entertainment. There are many gay bars and clubs. Those seeking more sedate evenings will find many small restaurants and tavernas on the waterfront where peace and tranquillity can be enjoyed.
Elia has limited shopping with a mini-market for essentials and the occasional gift shop. If this is insufficient for your needs, take a short bus ride to Mykonos Town with its narrow streets and small squares filled with shops. Popular souvenirs are brightly coloured ceramics, embroidered linens, leather goods and soaps made from olive oil.
Elia has a limited number of bars and tavernas to provide them with sustenance during their hours on the beach. Many visitors eat in their hotels which are set back from the beach or, if they are day trippers from Mykonos Town, they return there to eat. In Chora there are very many restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets. The more exclusive provide a wide range of international cuisine while others provide traditional Greek food. Fish is obviously an important part of an island’s gastronomy and restaurants excel with their menus of fresh ingredients simply cooked. Local wines are pleasant and inexpensive.
Children are always made very welcome in restaurants and their tastes and portion size are usually accommodated.
