Andrew Warren’s modern “Mean Girls” guide to surviving Mykonos
Andrew Warren and some of his closest gal pals went to Mykonos two weeks ago. This is their story, as told through the lens of one of the greatest movies of our time: “Mean Girls.” Be dazzled by their exploits, thrilled by their surprise celebrity encounter, and educated by their expert travel tips (not to mention Andrew accidentally breaking his social media arm). Here are the deets in Andrew’s own words.
So the trip starts off…
But wait, before I start telling you about how to survive and thrive in Mykonos, you’re probably wondering: who are the Plastics? I mean, the Just Drew girls?
Let’s introduce them one by one.
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First we have Danielle Naftali.
Danielle is the daughter of Miki Naftali, a real estate and hotel developer whose projects include the redevopment of the iconic Plaza Hotel, you know where a fictional little girl named Eloise lived. Now his company, The Naftali Group, where Danielle works and plays a major role in the company, is focused largely on high-end residential projects in Manhattan.
Instagram: @daniellenaftali
Wearing: The white beach wrap by Just Drew
Photo Location: Mykonos Grand Hotel
Favorite Mykonos Spot: “Scorpios — putting any other recommendations in the shade.”
Travel Tip: “Avoid airplane food!!! (yuck…)”
Mykonos Tip: “If you are flying during the peak season, make sure to have enough time in between your connecting flight! Otherwise, to get to Mykonos it’ll end up taking you 28 hours traveling, 3 airports, 4 delayed flights, a drive through Bologna, Italy and joining a teen tour to just barely make it.”
Truth. That’s really happened to us.
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Next meet Charlotte Bickley.
Charlotte is the daughter of Ian Bickley, the president of the global business development & strategic alliances at Coach. You know, like the bag. And now Charlotte is one of the bloggers behind Yin 2my Yang, a blog about Charlotte and her sister’s journey to expand their horizons together.
Instagram: @chbickley and @yin_2my_yang
Wearing: White beach wrap by Just Drew
Photos Location: Mykonos Grand
Favorite Mykonos Spot: “Solymar for lunch — they had an amazing DJ and vibes but wasn’t as wild as Nammos. Also it has a beautiful beach for you to tan on post lunch and drink rosé : )”
Travel Tip: “TRAVEL through Athens only! Unless you plan on stopping for a few days in another part of Europe to avoid delays and being stranded.”
Mykonos Tip: “For all us ladies, only bring flats or wedges. The nightlife is a lot of walking on cobble stone and dancing on tables, so stilettos are a safety hazard.”
And of course, you have me, Andrew Warren.
Well, I’ll let you take it from here on describing me, Galore!
Hey there, guys. It’s Galore again.
Andrew Warren is best known for being the leader of the Snap Pack, a group of well-to-do New Yorkers who aren’t afraid to show off their life and the various shenanigans they get up to on social media. But there’s more! He was just honored at a charity gala fundraiser (so classy), and he’s the designer behind Just Drew, although you probably put that together by now because you’re all smart little gluten free, dairy free, low sugar cookies, aren’t you?
OK, take it away again, Andrew.
On the first night, we went to Buddha Bar, where we picked up an unexpected fourth member of our trip.
And I was all like:
And then we were all like, “We want to invite you to have Nammos lunch with us for the rest of the week!”
Then of course it was time for the quick Just Drew makeover:
Meet, but you already know, Lindsay Lohan.
Instagram: @lindsaylohan
Wearing: The black beach wrap by Just Drew
Photos Location: Mykonos Grand Hotel
Favorite Mykonos Spot: Alemagu and The Private Villas at Nammos
Mykonos Tip: “Look at that girl wearing heels in the sand, that is literally so embarrassing.”
So yeah, don’t wear heels. You’ll stand out in the worst way possible and everybody will notice.
Lindsay doesn’t go anywhere without her car (Herbie Fully Loaded). No matter who you are, you’ll be waiting for a cab or private driver for a while, so if you have a car, it’s the ultimate travel tip.
Now that we’ve made our introductions and gotten a few basic tips out of the way, you’re probably waiting for a more comprehensive guide.
Well wait no longer!
For lunch we recommend going to:
Spilia: A restaurant perched right above the beautiful clear green waters — and the food is delicious and fresh! Though it does become a party spot in the late afternoon, you can request a table in their section higher up the mountain where it’s simply serene. After lunch, ask the maître-d’ to call down to the beach for you so that by the time you pay your bill and walk over the adorable footbridge, your day beds are ready and waiting for you.
Scorpios: One of the newer hotspots, Scorpios has become famous for their perfect sunset views and “ritual” parties on Sundays. The venue is gorgeous, the food is delicious, and the events are a blast. Yes, they’re capitalizing on selling tables and bottles for New York City prices, but regardless, it’s worth going to and you’ll still have fun blending into the Burning Man vibes with face painting and dust.
Alemagou: On the beach with a bunch of beach beds, Alemagou is in an enclave with picturesque rocks that get lit up when a performer comes on around sunset. It’s a safe bet for its consistently good food, cocktails and ambiance.
Moni : If you can get in to the most popular club in town, walk upstairs to find a space of familiar faces and your favorite music. Feels more like a club in a city than a Mediterranean island until you see all the shisha
Nammos: The most well-known party lunch on the island, Nammos is the place you need to be! Everybody who’s been knows that you need to choose the 3 p.m. seating over the earlier one. If you do manage to get the reservation, know that they’re usually overbooked by 2,000 people so if you don’t have a hook up there, your wait time will probably be around 2 hours. If you’re willing to spend the money, the Nammos private villas have private pools on the beach with unlimited alcohol and the same menu as the restaurant.
For dinner, you have to check out:
Ling Ling: Mykonos’ newest hot-spot is definitely the place to go (or try to get into) because everything is Insta-worthy. Opened by the Hakkasan group, Ling Ling is the best of the best for food, drinks, and atmosphere. The place is gorgeous. Everything is perfectly crafted to make your friends at home jealous, and thankfully it’s actually really good too.
Sea Satin: If you’re looking for the true Mykonos experience, this is the place you wanna go to. After amazing pasta and fish is served, the music gets louder, and every chair or table top is danced on. Traditional Greek music gets blended with the best popular songs and the party keeeps going all night. If you’re lucky, they may even let you throw a plate or two
Okay, back to us now.
Of course it wouldn’t be a trip to Mykonos if we didn’t pick up a few more friends along the way.
Meet Karen Shiboleth and Victoria Baker-Harper.
Karen is a Manhattan socialite whose parents are lawyers.
Victoria is a British socialite and star of the reality show “Made in Chelsea.”
pictured left to right: Karen Shiboleth.and Victoria Baker-Harper.
Instagram: @karenshiboleth
Wearing: The butterly mini slip dress
Photo Location: Solymar
Favorite Mykonos Spot: “Alemagou was definitely my favorite this year. I saw one of my fav DJs (Tale of Us) play there last week and it was an amazing party. Plus the beach is beautiful and different than the other places. Also they have unreal food. There’s pretty much nothing not to like.”
Travel Tip: “ALWAYS back up your phone. Losing or breaking a phone in Mykonos is highly likely as there are always a lot of people around and the terrain is pretty unforgiving. I’ve definitely learned this the hard way.”
Mykonos Tip: “Personally, and maybe this is just me, when traveling to Mykonos (especially from another island) you should be prepared to miss your connecting flight. I’ve gotten used to this happening and now I make sure that on the day I’m traveling, there are other flights out to JMK that won’t be extremely brutal to take.”
Instagram: @victoriabh
Wearing: The Bando and white beach wrap
Photo Location: Solymar
Next we have Annabel Schwartz.
Annabel is fluent in French and English and works for luxury real estate firm Douglas Elliman.
Instagram: @annabelschwartz
Wearing: The ice blue mini slip
Photo Location: Scorpios
Favorite Mykonos Spot: “My favorite place in Mykonos would have to be the Santa Marina Hotel. My family bought a house directly next to it over 30 years ago and when I was younger we would move out there for the summer months. I grew up playing hide and seek around the hotel, doing handstands in their salt-water pool, and collecting sea glass from their beach. It’s changed immensely over the years, but it remains one of the most beautiful properties in Greece. It’s also the most perfect place to escape to for a relaxing afternoon when you need a break from the party lunch spots.”
Travel Tip: “If you are connecting through Athens and are checking a bag, make sure to also bring a carry on with 2 days’ worth of clothing. For reasons I cannot fathom, bags get lost along this route excessively often. It usually takes them a day or two to get it back for you. Though the shopping in Mykonos is great, it’s not worth you spending your first day hunting down wearable outfits until your suitcase is relocated.”
Mykonos Tip: “Forget your normal schedules! Dinner at 7 p.m. in Mykonos is called lunch. Plan to push everything back by several hours so you’re not totally off beat. Breakfast doesn’t exist – grab a Souvlaki on your way home from a night out at 8 a.m. and tell yourself you’re eating a croissant. Yep, you heard me. You’ll be heading home around 8 a.m. That means lunch isn’t until 3:45 p.m. and dinners usually start around 11:45 p.m. to Midnight. Why do we completely distort our regular eating habits all day? Because the clubs pick up around 2 a.m. and you don’t want to be finished with dinner too early with nowhere to go. If you’re visiting the island with an itinerary that doesn’t include club hopping, I’d still suggest reserving your tables at these times so that you experience the proper ambiance these restaurants have to offer.”
And last but certainly not least, meet Alexa Greenfield.
Alexa is an entrepreneur who founded her own chocolate and toys company, Greenfield’s Goodyz.
Instagram: @alexajee
Wearing: The hot Pink Mini Slip
Photos Location: Scorpios
Favorite Mykonos Spot: “Nammos private villa because you can have privacy with your group or enjoy the crazy energy of the restaurant.”
Travel Tip: “Pack less and buy more there. You’ll likely want to wear your new stuff and leave what you brought untouched.”
Mykonos Tip: “Don’t be lame and avoid the Mediterranean so you don’t mess up your hair. Swim in the beautiful water, put your hair in a bun with sunglasses on top and call it a day.”
And as if this trip couldn’t have gotten any more like Mean Girls, I ended up breaking my arm while I was there!
Oh well, you can’t win ’em all.
All photos courtesy of Andrew Warren.
