Best Family Pool Hotels in Platis Yialos
Platis Yialos is Mykonos' most practical base for a family pool holiday, a wide sand beach about four kilometres from Chora with hotels stacked in tiers above the bay. Kamari Hotel sits just metres from the sand and keeps a dedicated children's pool alongside its main outdoor pool, so younger guests have their own shallow water rather than sharing depth with adult swimmers. The beach itself shelves gently in places, and the bay's south-facing curve keeps it calmer than Mykonos' more wind-exposed north coast. Families who want a change of scenery can walk to Psarou or take a taxi-boat from the jetty toward the beach clubs further along the south coast, though most days here revolve around the pool, a sunbed, and a taverna lunch within sight of the water.
Platis Yialos runs at a family pace compared with Mykonos' party beaches further south. Sunbeds fill with a mix of parents, grandparents, and teenagers rather than the loud crowd that gathers further along the coast, and tavernas along the front serve straightforward Greek food rather than bottle-service menus. The hotels built into the hillside keep a similar tone: pools sized for laps or for kids rather than for a DJ set, with breakfast terraces looking down over the bay. It's close enough to Psarou and the jetty's taxi-boats for an occasional livelier afternoon further down the coast, without the beach itself ever feeling like it belongs to that scene.
Family / kids pool · Platis Yialos Mykonos in numbers
Where to stay
Where to Stay for a Family Pool
A family pool matters more in Platis Yialos than it might elsewhere on Mykonos, because the beach gets crowded and loud with beach-club music by mid-afternoon in July and August, especially toward Psarou and the livelier stretches to the south. A hotel pool gives parents a quieter, shallower alternative that doesn't need constant supervision at the water's edge, and Kamari Hotel's children's pool is built specifically for that. Being a few metres from Platys Gialos beach itself means the pool is a supplement rather than a replacement, so children get both a splash pool and open sand without a long walk between the two.
Kamari Hotel is the clearest choice for families in Platis Yialos: it sits just metres from Platys Gialos beach and keeps a dedicated children's pool separate from its main outdoor pool, so toddlers and stronger swimmers aren't sharing the same depth. Rooms come with balconies or verandas over the sea, pool, or garden, and breakfast is included, which matters when you're managing young children's mealtimes on holiday. The hotel also runs an airport shuttle, cutting out one stressful leg of arriving with luggage, car seats, and tired kids in tow.
Beyond the children's pool, Kamari Hotel's poolside bar and lounge mean parents can order a coffee or a drink without leaving sight of the water, which is worth more on a family trip than an extra star rating. The beach itself is a short walk away, so a morning at the pool can turn into an afternoon on the sand without repacking the car, and Platys Gialos' gentle shelving in places suits children who aren't strong swimmers yet. Air-conditioned rooms with a refrigerator also help with keeping snacks and bottles cold through a hot Cycladic afternoon.
For families who want a change of scene, the taxi-boats from the Platis Yialos jetty run to the beach clubs further along the south coast through the day, giving older kids or teenagers a livelier stop without the whole family relocating hotels. Psarou is also close enough to walk or drive to for a different beach and a change of restaurant, useful on a stay of a week or more when one beach can start to feel repetitive, especially with children who tire of the same stretch of sand rather than exploring a little further along the shoreline.
Evenings are easiest with a car or the local bus into Chora, about four kilometres and ten minutes away, where Matoyianni's restaurants offer more variety than the tavernas along Platys Gialos beach. Families who prefer to stay closer to base after a full pool day will find enough choice right on the Platis Yialos seafront, and Mykonos Airport is about the same ten-minute distance, useful for planning arrival day around a nap rather than a long transfer, whichever direction the flight lands from and however tired the children already are by then.
A traveler's takeWe booked Kamari Hotel mainly for the children's pool, and it turned out to be the right call: our two kids had their own shallow water metres from Platys Gialos beach while we relaxed at the main pool nearby. One afternoon we took a taxi-boat from the jetty over to the beach clubs further along the south coast for a change of scene, but most days we never left the hotel's own stretch of sand.
Local tips
- 1Book a room with a children's pool specifically, like Kamari Hotel's, rather than assuming any pool on the property is shallow enough for toddlers.
- 2Use the taxi-boats from the Platis Yialos jetty for an afternoon at the beach clubs further along the south coast if older kids want livelier company for a few hours.
- 3Walk to Psarou for a change of beach; it's close enough for half a day without repacking the car or changing hotels.
- 4Ask about an airport shuttle when booking; it removes one of the more stressful legs of travelling with young children and luggage.
- 5Kamari Hotel's children's pool follows the same winter closure as the rest of Mykonos, broadly October to April, so double-check dates for a shoulder-season trip.
- 6Head into Chora by bus or taxi for dinner variety beyond the beachfront tavernas, about ten minutes and four kilometres away.