A Very Private Party

by Richard Matthews (New Zealand)

I didn't expect to find Greece

I didn’t expect to find…solitude. Not on the party island. But it turns out Mykonos is pretty dead in October. We’d seen friends’ Facebook photos where Paradise Beach was packed with partygoers, drinks in hand as the sun beat down on their bronzed bodies. Our Paradise Beach experience was much different. We had the entire stretch of sand to ourselves, drinks replaced with books. Ok, I still had a drink. Get off my back about it. Mykonos Town was much the same. A lot of the restaurants and clubs we’d heard about were closed for the off season. But what we discovered was even better. In the absence of tourists, we ate and drank where the locals did, never having to wait for a table. That picture-perfect spot to appreciate the Greek sunset? No booking required. #DreamScenario. I woke with the dawn. And while my wife still slept, I wandered those white-washed streets alone, every cute alley and idyllic boutique seemingly made for my own personal enjoyment. On those walks, I saw more cats than people. And together, the cats and I revelled in our private paradise, the windmills watching over us from the hill. Mykonos is everything you dream it will be. All the houses are painted a crisp white, punctuated by the odd red door or blue roof. I could get lost in those narrow streets forever. One day, a cruise ship landed and suddenly those streets were packed. I resented these fly-by-nighters. They didn’t appreciate the beauty of Mykonos. They were loud, garish, an offense to the island. They spent their money, took their photos, and then, as quickly as they had come, they left. I breathed a sigh of relief and the whole town seemed to sigh with me. I almost don’t want to tell you this, but October is the best time to visit the Greek Islands. There were free hotel upgrades nearly everywhere we went. A suite with a private spa pool on the balcony? Yes please! Our semi-private yacht cruise ended up being a fully private yacht cruise because we were the only customers. Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure party season is fun. But we had our own party, downing £1.50 shots of rum and pear, and stumbling back to our room, intoxicated with love for the island and for each other. And when we finally packed up, the cats had the town to themselves. They may be the luckiest creatures on earth.