Our Week in Gay Mykonos: Beaches, Late Nights and a Private Pool

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We were eating moussaka and lamb shank by the waterfront at Pelican at about 2:30 a.m. I loved that we could still sit down to a proper dinner at that hour. Even later, some of the shops were open.

Beatus and I spent August 22–28, 2026 on Mykonos. We loved how gay it felt, and how safe we felt there. We could get dressed up for a night out, then spend the next day at the gay beach with very little on. There was an upscale side to the island that we really enjoyed, alongside casual cruising. We didn’t feel that enjoying one ruled out the other.

Our private-pool suite at Grand Beach Mykonos

We loved our Executive Suite with Private Pool at Grand Beach Mykonos (paid link), above Megali Ammos. The room was spacious, and we had our own pool outside. The rest of the hotel was just okay. I wouldn’t recommend Grand Beach nearly as enthusiastically without that suite.

The terrace felt private enough that we could be naked out there without worrying about who could see us. That, along with the pool and all the space, is what made the room so good for us. Privacy will depend on the room you book; this was our experience in this particular suite.

The hotel describes the Executive Suite as 60 square meters, with a separate living area and private pool terrace. There are several room categories, so check for Executive Suite, Private Pool when comparing reservations.

You can check Grand Beach’s rooms and rates on Booking.com (paid link).

Working out in Mykonos: Bodywork and Pump Gym

Grand Beach had no gym during our stay. I still wanted to work out, so I went elsewhere almost every day.

Most days I used Bodywork Gym in Vrysi. It was a decent size and had an outdoor training area. I liked it, and paid €15 per day.

If you’re going repeatedly, look at the passes. Bodywork’s published price list, checked in September 2026, showed €14.50 for one day, €39 for three days and €77 for seven days, including a towel. It also listed a €70 monthly membership with towels charged separately. Those options have different conditions, and the website’s day price was slightly below what I paid. Confirm the applicable rate with the gym.

On Sunday we went to Pump Gym in Mykonos Town because Bodywork was closed. Pump was much smaller. I think it was more expensive, too, although I don’t have the exact price.

The September 2026 hours listed by Bodywork were 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday. Pump’s gym page listed 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Sunday. Check before going, especially outside the summer season.

For equipment photos, have a look at Bodywork’s gallery and Pump’s gym page linked above.

Elia Beach: the place we kept returning to

We went back to Elia Beach on several days and rented loungers in the gay section. The water was so clear, and the beach itself was beautiful.

Loungers were available in both the regular and gay sections. We remember paying about €35 each during our August stay, or €70 for the two of us before food and drinks.

Facing the water, the gay section is to the right, toward the western end. It was clothing-optional during our visit. Keep going and there’s a smaller cove with no loungers. That beach is free; you can put down a towel instead of paying for a bed.

The cruising area is in the rocks beyond that cove. We enjoyed it and felt safe there, as we did throughout our stay. Having that casual side to the beach was part of what we liked about Elia. Respect other people’s privacy and put the camera away in the cruising area.

A private catamaran afternoon around Rhenia

On August 23 we took a private catamaran out from Ornos with Mykonos Catamaran, booked through Viator. It was a five-hour trip with a full meal and an open bar.

We anchored at coves around Rhenia, also spelled Rineia. We never went ashore; we jumped off the boat and swam, with other yachts anchored nearby. The photos give you a better idea of the water than another paragraph of me saying how beautiful it was.

The crew cooked a full meal on board. My favorite was the pan-seared calamari, which was absolutely delicious. There was plenty of other food to share, too, as you can see below.

This is the private Mykonos catamaran cruise with lunch and an open bar (paid link) we booked. The listed itinerary includes a south-coast alternative in windy weather, so booking this trip doesn’t guarantee Rhenia.

Mykonos Town, from the windmills to a very late dinner

We did the touristy things, including visiting the windmills, and enjoyed them. We took the photos, too. Walking through town at night was one of the things we loved doing here.

What really stood out was how late everything kept going. We found shops and restaurants fully open sometimes until around 4 a.m. You could still browse or get something to eat after going out. We loved that. These were our late-August visits, though, so don’t plan on those hours everywhere or in every season.

Where we ate: Pelican stood out

Pelican Restaurant at the Old Port is somewhere we’d recommend. The moussaka was excellent. The lamb shank and calamari were insanely good.

The portions at Pelican were massive. Keep that in mind when ordering for two.

We also had souvlaki and seafood at Lalamou in town. That was just okay. Given the choice, I’d go back to Pelican.

Jackie O’s Beach Club: the music was the draw

The resident DJ at Jackie O’s Beach Club was phenomenal: really good gay house music, mixed so well. We went one evening during our stay. This is the Jackie O’s on Super Paradise Beach, separate from Elia and the venues in town.

Athena Dion’s show was delightful, too. She had two guest drag queens performing with her, and both were excellent. I can’t remember their names. The still above is from our video of the show.

For upcoming events, check the Jackie O’s Beach Club website.

Jackie O’s Town Bar and Yacht Club

At Jackie O’s Town Bar, a lot of the night happened out on the street. People were dressed nicely and gathered by the waterfront to stand around and talk. It was cute. We enjoyed being part of that crowd.

We also spent a night at the Yacht Club, right next door. The music was good gay house again. It felt upscale without being pretentious, and we had fun there.

Nearby, behind the Jackie O’s waterfront area, are the Kastro rocks and ruins by Paraportiani. We enjoyed the informal cruising there as well. The church is a landmark for finding the area; the cruising we’re describing was around the rocks and ruins.

XLSIOR versus Gorgon City at Cavo Paradiso

We hadn’t planned the trip around XLSIOR. Our dates happened to overlap, so we went to the festival’s Cavo Paradiso event on the night of August 23. It was probably the most disappointing thing we did that week.

The circuit music was terrible to our ears. Add how crowded it was and what it cost, and it didn’t feel worth it. We’d gone because we were there and thought it might be fun; it wasn’t a night we’d repeat.

Cavo Paradiso itself was cute, though. We went back for Gorgon City on August 26 and had way more fun. It was much less crowded, which let us enjoy the venue in a different way. I’m glad XLSIOR wasn’t our only visit.

For another visit, we’d choose a night from the Cavo Paradiso calendar based on the music. Cavo is at Paradise Beach; Jackie O’s Beach Club is at Super Paradise.

Renting an ATV with Munchen

We rented our ATV from Munchen Rent a Car & Bike. The communication was very good, and their help getting us from the airport to the hotel made the arrival easy.

They picked us up at the airport and drove us to the rental office, about five minutes away. The waiver and payment took roughly another five minutes.

Then I drove the ATV to Grand Beach, about four minutes from the office. Beatus went in the owner’s car with our bags. We met at the hotel, unloaded and checked in. Having the owner take Beatus and the luggage was particularly helpful; we didn’t have to work out how to carry everything on the ATV.

We enjoyed having the ATV for the week and would recommend Munchen. If you want the pickup and luggage help we had, arrange it with them when booking. Confirm the rental’s licence and insurance requirements at the same time.

What we would go back for

We’ve since been researching other places that might give us the same combination we loved in Mykonos. We even asked ChatGPT for comparisons. So far, we haven’t found an obvious substitute for our particular tastes. Feeling safe mattered a lot, especially when we were out late or exploring the cruising areas.

I’d happily go back to those afternoons at Elia and the nights around Jackie O’s. I’d skip XLSIOR. And if we booked Grand Beach again, I’d want the same suite.

These are our experiences from August 22–28, 2026. Prices, event lineups and opening hours can change. All photographs are from our trip; the Cavo Paradiso and drag-show images are stills from our recordings.