Outdoor Pool Hotels in Ano Mera, Mykonos
An outdoor pool in Ano Mera does a different job than one on the coast. There's no sea a short walk away here, so the pool at Camarades Mykonos, set in a garden with a terrace, is the main way to cool off between exploring the village square and driving out to the coast. Ano Mera is the only real inland village on Mykonos, built around the 16th-century Panagia Tourliani monastery rather than a beach, and staying here trades direct sea access for a slower, more local rhythm: tavernas on the square, a walk past the monastery's carved marble bell tower, and a garden pool to come back to rather than a beachfront one. It suits travellers who want a base with some genuine village life, and don't mind driving fifteen to twenty minutes when they do want the sea.
Ano Mera itself exudes a more traditional and laid-back Mykonian charm compared to the more famous towns. It's a place where local life unfolds at a slower pace, centered around its scenic village square with tavernas and shops. The area offers a genuine taste of Mykonos, making it an excellent choice for those who appreciate authenticity and a quieter atmosphere, while still being within a short drive of the island's iconic beaches and nightlife.
Outdoor pool · Ano Mera in numbers
Where to stay
How the outdoor pool fits into a stay in Ano Mera
The pool matters more in Ano Mera than it might on the coast, precisely because there's no beach to fall back on locally. Camarades Mykonos built its outdoor pool into a garden and terrace setting rather than a sea-facing deck, which fits the village's inland character: a place for a swim after a morning at the monastery or an afternoon exploring the square, not a substitute for the coastline. Families in particular use the pool as the anchor for a day based in the village, saving the drive to Ftelia or Chóra for when the sea itself, rather than a swim, is specifically what's wanted.
Camarades Mykonos runs a seasonal outdoor pool set within a garden, with a terrace alongside it for guests who'd rather sit in the shade than swim. It's a smaller, calmer setup than a resort pool on the coast, in keeping with Ano Mera's own pace: no beach club energy, just a quiet spot to cool off between a morning at the monastery and an evening taverna dinner on the village square a short walk away, with the garden itself staying pleasantly shaded through most of the afternoon, unlike the fully exposed pool decks common at coastal resorts elsewhere on Mykonos.
The garden setting around the pool at Camarades Mykonos is part of the appeal for families specifically, since it gives children a contained, familiar space to play in without the currents, tides or crashing waves of an actual beach nearby to worry about at all. The hotel also offers family rooms, so the pool and the accommodation are set up together for exactly this kind of stay, rather than the pool being an afterthought to rooms built primarily for couples or solo travellers passing through on a shorter island stay each summer season.
Because Ano Mera sits inland, the pool takes on a role a coastal hotel's pool doesn't have to: it's the default swim rather than a backup to the beach across the road. Ftelia, the nearest beach on the north coast, is a short drive away, and Chóra and Little Venice sit about seven kilometres off, so a day based around the pool at Camarades Mykonos, with the sea deliberately saved for a specific outing, is a genuinely practical way to structure a stay here rather than a compromise anyone has to make.
Beyond the pool itself, Camarades Mykonos offers car hire and a shuttle service, both useful specifically because Ano Mera's inland position means most excursions, whether to a beach or into Chóra, involve getting in a vehicle of some kind. That makes the pool and garden the reliable, no-transport-needed option on days when driving isn't the plan at all, while the hotel's own practical services cover the days when a trip out to the coast is exactly what's needed instead of a quiet day spent close to the room and garden.
A traveler's takeWe stayed at Camarades Mykonos with our two kids specifically to base ourselves somewhere quieter than the coast, and the pool in the garden turned out to be exactly what we needed most afternoons. We'd walk to the village square for lunch near the Panagia Tourliani monastery, then come back and let the kids swim while we sat on the terrace. We drove out to Ftelia beach twice during the week, but the pool covered every other day without needing the car at all.
Local tips
- 1A car makes this stay easier, since reaching Ftelia beach or Chóra both require a short drive; the pool covers days when you'd rather stay local.
- 2Ask about family rooms specifically if travelling with children, since Camarades Mykonos pairs its garden pool with accommodation set up for exactly that kind of stay.
- 3The Panagia Tourliani monastery on the village square is worth a stop before or after a pool afternoon, since it's within easy walking distance of the hotel itself.
- 4Confirm the exact seasonal dates for the outdoor pool directly with the hotel if travelling outside the main summer months, since it doesn't run year-round.
- 5A taverna dinner on the village square makes for a more local evening than driving to Chóra every night, matching the pool's quiet setting.
- 6Plan pool days around whichever excursion you've saved for that day, budgeting fifteen to twenty minutes by car for either Chóra or Ftelia beach.