Welcome to Paradise!" says the handsome Greek man on reception.

Paradise Resort and Camping that is - at Paradise Beach Mykonos. The sun is shining and bikini clad girls (well they seemed to have mislaid their tops!) laze on sun lounges while boys in board shorts paddle with beer in hand. Aussie and NZ accents abound amongst Canadian, American, Italian and of course Greek voices. Our accommodation is a cute little beach cabin, spitting distance from the beach and extremely cheap at 30 Euros ($40A) due to the high season not beginning until 1st June. We've booked two nights and as we change into beachwear and stroll down to the water’s edge we realize it has been a long time since we felt the sand between our toes and felt the lapping sea water.

It is time for some sunshine!

A fast ferry ride had taken us in a howling gale from Santorini to Mykonos, then we were met on the pier to be taken for a short drive to Paradise Beach, luckily on the leeward side of the island. The good thing about the Greek Islands is that all the accommodation places meet the ferries so transport to your accommodation is taken care off. With a mixture of uncertain and concerning economic woes worrying the Greeks at this time, plus strikes and riots, and the lack of visitors as yet for the season, we are treated quite royally. Eating is cheap, which is quite unexpected for beach side dining. Here at Paradise Beach, we can sit and gaze at the ocean and have a 3 course meal with a big glass of wine for 9 euros ($12A) or a Souvlaki for lunch for 2.5euros($3.30) – unbelievable!

Today, we headed off to the archaeological site on the island of Delos. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Delos is not now inhabited and can only be visited on a day trip from Mykonos to protect the ruins. We spent an enjoyable morning walking around the ruins of the ancient city which was the birth place of Apollo and Artemis and in its hey day, around 1st century BC, it had 30,000 inhabitants and was known at the time as the greatest commercial centre of the world moving some 750,000 tons of merchandise a year. We climbed the small central mountain on the island and got a fabulous view then headed back to the ferry for a lunchtime trip back on the boat then a local bus back to Paradise.

We had a moment of sheer panic when we had been sitting at a table and chairs having an ice cream and using the wifi and we moved tables to get out of the sun. Avan's camera bag got left behind and when he realised and went back to look it was gone! 5 heart stopping minutes later it was found and returned to us by a worker at the resort! Kudos to the excellent staff!  

Settling in on sun lounges with books to read we spotted Ross walk past. We had met Ross and his daughter Anna on a ferry going to Santorini so we were pleased to catch up with them again, swap stories, and have dinner together.  

Travel Note: Paradise Beach Mykonos is listed on Trip Advisor as being voted the 6th most popular nude beach in the world.

Footnote: Delos is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.