How the Greek island of Mykonos has become the playground for the mega-rich and famous

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With luxury beach bars selling Armand de Brignac champagne for £125,000 a bottle and boutique shops displaying £20,000 Rolex watches, it’s no wonder the Greek island of Mykonos is now the undisputed holiday destination for the super-rich. 

Football stars, Hollywood A-listers, singers and models alike have all flocked to the party isle this summer to leave the Covid-blues behind and spend big in the sun – including England heroes Luke Shaw, Declan Rice and Mason Mount, actress Demi Moore and reality stars Amber Turner and Montana Brown. 

Arguably the new playground of the rich and famous, high-rollers have been partying at swanky spots like Paraga Beach, an idyllic bay which is shielded from the island’s powerful winds and home to exclusive bars like the SantAnna beach club.

The popular spot is filled with millionaires downing bottles of vodka and champagne as they dance around a private VIP island in the middle of a swimming pool that has a minimum spend of over £17, 000 (20,000 Euros). 

When FEMAIL visited earlier this week, revellers were spotted gyrating to loud dance music and R&B as they clutched bottles of Aperol Spritz and sipped Mojito cocktails at £14 (16 Euros) a go.

The most expensive item on the drinks list, however, is a bottle of Armand de Brignac Brut Gold Midas champagne, which costs an eye-watering £106 (125,000 Euros) – while even a bottle of Sol lager costs a staggering £8.50 (10 Euros).

England heroes Luke Shaw and Jack Grealish were spotted at SantAnna last week fresh from their Euro 2020 heartbreak.

Aston Villa ace Grealish and his model girlfriend Sasha Attwood met up with Manchester United defender Shaw, his long-term partner Anouska Santos and mutual friend, former Love Island contestant Josh Denzel.

They downed £215 bottles of Disaronno and £250 magnums of Perrier Jouet champagne, reportedly racking up a bar bill of £7,000.

A club regular told FEMAIL: ‘Mykonos has always been popular with celebrities because it is a beautiful island with hot sunny weather but this year there have been so many.

‘We see a lot of football players here, Jack Grealish and Luke Shaw were here recently. They were on the VIP section of the club with their girlfriends and entourage for seven hours last Tuesday.

‘They drank champagne, danced and were happy to pose for pictures with other guests. Before them we had France international Kylian Mbappe, we have a lot of NBA stars, singers and actors.’

Next to the SantAnna beach club, is the equally impressive Scorpios, owned by exclusive London club Soho House.

The beach-side bar-restaurant is not as raucous as its neighbour but on party nights can still attract up to 2000 people to see some of the biggest DJs in Europe.

A refreshing bottle of Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru will set you back £500, but to be able to book a table overlooking the charming Psarou Bay will cost another £10,000.

Robbie Williams is one of a number of star names who have graced Scorpios this summer.

He partied there with a large group of friends earlier this month, staying for just an hour or so, with his bodyguards reportedly warning other patrons to put their phones down and to not take photos.

On the other side of the island is Panormos Beach and the Principote beach club, where just hiring a sun lounger costs nearly £85 (100 Euros).

At the weekend, well-toned, bronzed young men could be seen quaffing £60 (70 Euro) bottles of vodka with beautiful bikini-clad women while older visitors ate some of the finest seafood in the world, all the while gazing out into the sparkling Aegean Sea.

Culinary favourites include grilled octopus on fava bean puree with caramelised onion, moussaka served on a smoking dish alongside matchstick potatoes and seabream on saffron fregolata.

Teak loungers with charcoal-hued cushions are spread across the shore shaded by cream crochet parasols while comfortable sofas, positioned away from the glare of the punishing Greek sun, invite guests to unwind and relax with a signature hand-crafted cocktail.

Yachts – which can be specially chartered for as much as £20,000 a day and include your own private chef – bob up and down by the jetty, which takes customers back to the bars and restaurants after an afternoon at sea.

Grealish and England team-mate Ben Chilwell took out a yacht for the day recently while West Ham loanee, Jesse Lingard, hired a jet ski for the afternoon when he stayed at Principote last month.

A lifeguard on duty at the time said: ‘I had to warn Jesse that he was too close to someone swimming, I told him off!

‘He is one of many football players who come to Principote. We’ve had a lot of Manchester United players here and Chelsea stars Jorginho and Thiago Silva.

‘We get a lot of American stars, sportsmen, singers and actors. It is not uncommon to see someone famous or hugely wealthy soaking up the sun – even this year despite the Covid restrictions.’

Away from the beaches, the most popular spot on the island is Hora or Mykonos Town, an enchanting warren of narrow whitewashed streets lined with bars, restaurants and boutique gift shops.

Up until Monday, when COVID-restrictions were lifted, bars had a 1am curfew but rather than head home or back to their hotels, revellers bought drinks from shops and continued the party into the small hours out on the street.

Trendy bars – like the Skandinavian Bar and Disco – offer bottles of Irish whiskey for £100 and spiced rum for £210 with drinkers flocking there from all around Europe.

Former Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Scherzinger and Scottish boyfriend Thom Evans enjoyed a romantic dinner in Mykanos Town to celebrate her 43rd birthday earlier this month.

They stayed one and half miles from the town and port at the plush Kensho resort – also popular with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton.

The couple had one of the top rooms which came with its own private hot tub and plunge pool.

The boutique hotel is perched on a rustic hillside overlooking Psarou Beach, which has crystalline waters and white sand and is one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece.

Next to the hotel is the 100-metre long Nammos Beach Club and Restaurant, where bar bills regularly exceed £100,000 thanks to the sale of Cristal Exclusive Limited Edition champagne from France for £55,000 and a three-litre jeroboam of Cristal Rose Vintage 2007 for £32,000.

It’s not just the bar prices which are sky-high, a trip into Nammos Village will see shops selling Gucci handbags for more than £4,500, jewellery for £700,000 and Rolex or Panerai watches for as much as £20,000.

One Mykonos visitor who would not balk at the price tags is singing legend Lionel Richie – worth a cool £160million – who stayed on a private mega-yacht moored just off the rocky outcrop last month.

He celebrated his birthday on June 20 with children Sofia Richie, Nicole Richie and Miles Richie aboard ‘Ulysses’.

The extravagant yacht boasts a large swimming pool and hot tub, a dining room, a wine cellar, several posh seating areas, enough bedrooms to accommodate 36 guests, a gym, a movie theatre and a fully functioning helipad.

Actress Demi Moore also joined her family on the Greek island. The 58-year-old star of Ghost and Striptease, was spotted taking a dip in the sea with 32-year-old daughter Rumer Willis at the popular Nammos beach.

With its stunning sunsets and unique Greek architecture, Mykonos has always been a hit with reality TV stars and influencers who s​hare photographs of their adventures on Instagram.

TOWIE babes Amber Turner, Chloe Brockett and Chloe Meadows posted images of themselves at a Cliffside restaurant overlooking the sea as the sun began to dim in the background.

Greece is currently on the British Government’s amber list of countries, meaning that fully vaccinated holidaymakers do not have to self-isolate at home for 10-days when they fly home to the UK.

However there are fears that the government may place Greece on the amber-plus list, meaning that those who are double-jabbed may now have to enter quarantine when they get home.