Why is Mykonos so white?

In the late 1930s, Greece was suffering from a cholera epidemic, and the nation's leader at the time, Ioannis Metaxas, ordered all Greek citizens to whitewash their houses. The whitewash used to paint the outside of citizens' homes contained limestone, which happens to be a potent disinfectant.



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The colors of Mykonos are famous throughout the world. Here, bright whitewashed buildings are complemented by blue, red or green doors and window shutters. Here's why.

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In response to a 1938 cholera outbreak, the government ordered citizens to whitewash their homes in order to slow the spread of the disease. At the time, disinfectant cleaning products were not widely available in the islands, but they had plenty of whitewash.

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At the beginning of the 20th century, during the war, serious deceases, like cholera, plagued the Greek islands. Whitewash is a cheap, disinfectant material that was used regularly to limit the contagion. Back to that era, it was probably the most effective or even the only medium available for disinfection.

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But because the drinking water is ocean water that has passed through desalination plants prior to reaching your tap, many people report that the water tastes brackish and salty. In fact, this is probably why so many places in Santorini's hospitality industry offer water bottles instead.

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But, it is fair to say that blue is a significant colour for the Greeks as it reflects the colour of the seas and skies in their everyday life. The widespread use also emanates from an ancient belief that the sky blue shade of turquoise has the power to keep evil away.

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The very successful movie of Hollywood and Universal Studios with the wonderful songs of ABBA and amazing actors , Mamma Mia was filmed in Greece in Skopelos , Skiathos and Damouhari Pelion . Many visitors to our island , request information about the locations where the movie MAMMA MIA was filmed.

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Black is a flattering color for everyone, and it will fit in well at the upscale beach clubs in Mykonos or by the pools in Santorini.

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Water. Tap water is not drinkable on the island. You can brush your teeth and have a shower but bottled water is suggested for drinking.

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The reason behind this color choice has to do with practicality. In the old times, Greek housewives would use a cleaning agent called loulaki (blue powder in English) which came in the form of talcum powder. It was widely and cheaply available across Greece.

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It mainly had to do with construction reasons. Domes in general are one of the first structural forms humans worked with in stone architecture. Spherical domes are used in Greece from appx. 5,800 BC.

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Yellow signifies “sadness” in Greece's culture and “jealousy” in France's culture.

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Restaurant workers in Greece don't expect you to tip, though the restaurant may sometimes charge a service fee. That fee can function as a tip instead, though it may go to the restaurant instead of the server. If you want to see your waiter receive the tip, you're better off leaving coins with the bill.

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Don't. Greek plumbing often consists of dated, narrow pipes which will easily clog if you flush toilet paper down them (and definitely clog if you flush anything else like tampons or baby wipes).

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Drinking water They in fact rely on having water delivered to them. Needless to say, bottled water is a popular product on Santorini! We recommend that you always use bottled water for drinking. Washing up and brushing your teeth can be safely done using tap water throughout the island.

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Jumping off our boat into the hot springs was a fun thing to do on our Santorini sunset cruise. Most cruises take you to the hot springs and stop for a while so you can swim. The hot springs are just off the volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, which were formed by a series of volcanic eruptions.

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