Condé Nast Traveler: 2010 Readers Choice Awards 18 October 2010 Mykonos awarded No 1 island in Europe by Conde Nast Traveller Readers Choice Award. If a person can name only one Greek island, it is bound to be this one. Famous in the 1960s, when Jackie and Ari Onassis put it on the map, it soon became the gay capital of the vacation world. Now, while still very rainbow flag, Mykonos is having a second coming as the chic see-and-be-seen Eurotrash island (jostling for first place with Ibiza). It is as whitewashed and pretty as its trillion pictures would suggest, and it is distinguished by a couple of unusual features: Mykonos Town, with its windmills and mazelike, stone-paved streets, as well as the gallery-bar-club neighborhood known as Little Venice for its Venetian-style houses lining the water. The island nightlife is infamous, particularly the dance-till-dawn nightclubs. The other draw of this island is, of course, the beach. There are several famous golden-sand stretches: Psarou is close to town and attracts a glam crowd; Panormos, on the north coast, is quieter and more protected from the wind; Platis Gialos is lined with hotels and popular with families. The most renowned beaches in the Cyclades—perhaps even in all of Greece—are Paradise and Super Paradise, two bacchanalian strands on the south coast. They are fun for a day, but once you get tired of the blaring disco soundtrack and Girls Gone Wild vibe, head to more grown-up Elia, which brings in a nice mix of straight and gay, nudist and clothed (all beaches on Mykonos are clothing-optional to a certain extent), has a good taverna, and provides access to water sports if you are feeling active. More info on Condé Nast Traveler: 2010 Readers Choice Awards Author : TtM