MYKONOS is Greece's trendiest island, the place to see and be seen, with irresistible shopping, super beaches and fabulous nightlife

Since the Sixties it is has been a haven for bohemians, jet- setters and millionaires - but those gorgeous beaches, dazzling white houses and windmills also worked their magic on Shirley Valentine in the hit movie. Anyone can sunbathe on the best sandy beaches in the Aegean - but those who prefer to keep their togs on may feel a bit self- conscious at bare- it-all Paradise Beach or the nude - and ever so gay - Super Paradise. Mykonos Town - just "chora" (the village) to locals - has a perfect natural harbour overlooked by a much-photographed row of windmills. Behind the harbour is a bewildering, kasbah- like maze of cobbled, car-free lanes.

 

This labyrinth was built to confuse raiders of old, and it does just as good a job with invading tourists. But it's not a big place, and you can't stay lost for long. Keep heading more or less downhill and you'll be back on the harbourfront in a matter of minutes. Chora's streets are packed with super boutiques, cafe bars and restaurants. You'll need your best shades, and not just to look cool. Those whitewashed walls can be blinding in the sun.

The shopping is impossible to resist. Look out for cool cotton clothes for the beach, and light stripey sweaters and knits for cooler evenings, well-made leather sandals, shoes and bags, and a huge choice of jewellery, from cheap and cheerful bangles to far from cheap silver bracelets and necklaces.

Morning and afternoon, these streets are crammed with cruise ship visitors. It's a marvel that some of the more generously- proportioned Americans don't get stuck like corks in some of the narrower alleys.

After dark Mykonos becomes the Ibiza of the Aegean, with clubs, cafes and bars to suit all tastes and age groups from gay bars and a vibrant club scene to quieter, more mature music cafes along with some of Greece's best restaurants.

For those tired of moussaka and fried squid there are smart Thai and Chinese restaurants, Mexican chilli spots, Italian trattorias