Hostel Review: Paraga Beach Hostel in Mykonos, Greece
Many hostels fly under the radar as not being super special or unique, but I will not soon forget my time at Paraga Beach Hostel in Mykonos. This hostel is beachfront and brings the party atmosphere to the forefront. Let’s take a deep look at what it’s like to stay at Paraga Beach Hostel.
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Getting to Paraga Beach Hostel
To start with, they offer a free shuttle from the port and from the airport which is ideal in that you don’t have to know where you’re going, you simply look for their sign. The other nice part about this is you meet a lot of other people headed to the same hostel. In a lot of ways, it felt almost like we were on our way to summer camp. Upon arrival, check-in is somewhat of a disaster as you have a whole busload of guests who arrive at the same time.
An Inside Look at the Paraga Beach Hostel
At check-in and on our long walk to our dorm, we found out a few important details:
- The showers at the front always have hot water but the showers in the middle only have hot water sometimes. Anyone fancy a cold shower?
- The wi-fi only reaches the pool area. But we later learned there really isn’t wi-fi. It connects maybe every 5 hours and will take you 15 minutes to send a text message with no hopes of sending photos or actually using the Internet. If you must use wi-fi, you can try at 5am or just go into town.
- The walk to our dorm was at least 5 minutes as we were the very last rooms and overlooked Paradise Beach versus Paraga Beach. On the way we passed dozens upon dozens of dorms, permanent tents, and camping tents. This place is huge.
The Rooms Available at Paraga Beach
Upon entering our room, a few more things became clear:
- There are no bunk beds, all normal beds.
- There are lockers for each bed – bring your own lock. Theft is really high here.
- There is only one outlet in the room for 8 people and truly it’s meant for the fan. Â Expect your electronics to be dead all of the time. The only other outlets in the whole hostel appear to be at the front bathroom for things like shavers, blow dryers, etc. and of course dead phones and cameras. Don’t leave them unattended.
- The rooms are very basic and get hot during the day. (Hence the fan)
- Due to the location of my room and many others, you can hear pounding music from the beach clubs on Paradise Beach and the club Cavo Paradise all day, all night, and all morning.
Paraga Beach Hostel’s Pool
The best part of the hostel is the pool area which overlooks Paraga Beach and the sea. There’s a DJ there almost around the clock, a bar with some daily drink specials (€12 for 5 Blue Island beers), and it is a very social area. In the evenings people hang out in the upper area having a few drinks before setting out for the parties on Paradise Beach. A quick heads up, the path to Paradise Beach is very rocky and dark – use the flashlight on your phone and don’t wear stilettos.
The Location of Paraga Beach Hostel
The location of Paraga Beach Hostel is both ideal and less than ideal as it is between Paraga Beach and Paradise Beach both of which offer a couple of bars, restaurants, and beach chairs, but the main restaurant and market of choice is at the hostel. Note that with a captive audience they can and do overcharge for things.
The other alternative is to take the bus into town €1.60 each way and about a 15 minute ride to go to the market or restaurants there. For example a bottle of juice at the hostel market is €3 and in town €1.20 or a bottle of vodka at the hostel €23.00 and it’s only €15 in town. The hostel does have a rule that if you bought it elsewhere you can’t consume it in the pool area which is the social area of the hostel.
Conclusion of My Review of Paraga Beach Hostel
If you’re looking to party hard in Mykonos, this is your place. If you want a more chill out place, I suggest looking elsewhere on the island. Your sleep will thank you.
