Kalo Livadi holidays

Holidays to Kalo Livadi offer families an escape route from Mykonos' crowds. The town has got a long runway of sand and a slow-go night scene.

Rural spot

Kalo Livadi is less town, more farming community. It’s set in a valley spotted with cube-like homesteads, around 10 kilometres south-east of the island capital, Mykonos Town. The long ribbon of sand here is what’s put the place on the map. Like moths to a flame, it’s drawn a small band of hotels and bungalow-type apartments that spill down the hillside with the bay in their line of sight.

The beach

At Kalo Livadi, all eyes are on the beach. At around 600 metres long, it’s the island’s biggest. It’s also one of the most welcoming when it comes to families. It ticks off soft sand, shallow waters, and at least half a dozen rows of sunbeds with straw umbrellas for shade. A bamboo fence shields the shore from the northerly meltemi wind, so there’s plenty of scope for low-key watersports, too. A few tavernas and bars with beach service keep it really laid-back.

Local atmosphere

Ano Mera, a 5-minute drive away, is one of the island’s oldest villages, and it prides itself on maintaining a traditional way of life. It’s guardian to white houses and old-world coffee shops huddled around a large square, where locals pass the time of day. It’s also home to the 18^th-century monastery of Panagia Tourliani, which has a great collection of icons and a beautiful marble fountain in the courtyard to the front.

Close to Mykonos Town

Mykonos Town is 10 kilometres west of Kalo Livadi and is a must-see for its cubed houses cast in brilliant white stone and its spidery lanes that muddle their way up the hillside. It’s been lavished in designer boutiques and art galleries, and there’s no end of bars by the water’s edge. Here, you’ll find the glitterati sipping cocktails at sundown before giving the town over to the young and the loud beats of the clubs.