Ornos holidays

Holidays to Ornos are first and foremost about a great beach scene. But there's also Mykonos Town on the doorstep when you want dressy restaurants and party-hard clubs.

The full package

Ornos is only a shoulder width away from the island capital, Mykonos Town, but it has developed in to a large, self-contained family resort in its own right. Its coarse sandy beach loops around a wide bay, which is sheltered from the island’s strong northern summer winds. Looking back, the view takes in a big range of shops, restaurants, and smart hotels. And behind them, the sugar lump-like houses on the surrounding low hills are watched over by 16^th-century windmills – all part and parcel of the Mykonos landscape.

Family credentials

A wide arc of sand, pricked with palapos and wooden loungers, and a gentle shelf in to the sea, makes Ornos Beach a great find for young families. For more grown-up tastes, there’s no shortage of things to do, either, whether it’s water-skiing or windsurfing, or taking it easy with a cold drink at a beach bar.

Out and about

To one end of the bay there’s a small fishing harbour where visiting yachts drop anchor and water-taxis ply their trade, shuttling passengers back and forth between the south coast beaches. Caiques also stop here en route to the UNESCO-listed islet of Delos, which is swamped with ruined temples and statues dating back to the days of Apollo and Artemis.

Close to Mykonos Town

The island’s capital is practically on the doorstep – a 5-minute bus ride away. Its haul of bars and clubs and its 2 beaches playing around-the-clock beats have earned it a reputation as a see-and-be-seen party HQ. But it’s also got bags of charm. Whitewashed buildings – shiny as a new pin – line a maze of slender streets. The area known as Little Venice, meanwhile, is flooded with art galleries and chic restaurants tucked between tall Venetian houses.