Greece Is The Word: Brian Atwood On Mykonos

by Eddie Roche

Fresh from the pages of The Daily Summer! Warning: If a trip to Mykonos is on your bucket list, quit reading right now, because you won’t be able to resist booking your ticket after preeminent cobbler Brian Atwood gives us the skinny on his favorite destination.

How long have you been going to Mykonos?
Nine years in a row! I usually spend at least two weeks there, but this year, I may stay for three.

Wow. What keeps you coming back?
The people, the food, and the energy. It’s a special little island—it can get as crazy as you want, or be chill and relaxing. The water is beautiful, the food is simple and delicious, and it’s a great place to be in the summer.

Talk us through a typical day.
It depends on what time we go to bed! You can’t go to Mykonos and think you’re going to keep your usual schedule—everything starts later. Dinner usually gets going around midnight, and it lasts for two or three hours. During the day, you stay at the beach until 7 or 8, and then you go home to take a quick nap before grabbing a drink at 9:30 or 10. It’s a very carefree and bohemian vibe. The energy of the island keeps you awake.

Are you more of a pool or a beach person?
Our villa has a beautiful pool and view, so I like to do both. We have a small private beach right down from the villa, where we watch the most beautiful sunsets. When I first started coming to Mykonos, I stayed at the Mykonos Blu hotel and then the Belvedere, but now I always rent the same villa. It’s just nicer.

Does it come with its own chef?
Yes. Butlers, chefs…you can get whatever you want, as long as you pay for it.

What do you eat?
I love the fish, and the grilled octopus is delicious. There’s a tomato salad that’s very simple, but the flavor in the tomatoes is so good. And all these yogurts and dips! It’s so hot, so the food is very light.

Any favorite restaurants?
You definitely want to go to Sea Satin and Nammos. The Jackie O’ Beach Club is great, too, and Katrin is very chic. There’s also Matsuhisa at the Belvedere.

Who do you travel with?
My partner, Dr. Jake Deutsch, and my business partner, Riley Viall. The house we rent holds 14 people, so we switch it up and take along friends. We always want to make sure everybody gets along and has the best time. We also organize our trips with other friends, so even if we aren’t staying together, they’re still on the island.

What’s the scoop on your epic parties on the island?
Every year I have my birthday there, and last year’s theme was purple haze. It was crazy. My party has become sort of a thing that the island waits for. Two DJs from New York come in. Valentino was there, and even Lindsay Lohan came. It ended at 8 a.m. last year.

Any hints on this year’s theme?
I’m still thinking about it! People come here to go to the beach, so if you ask them to put on a full costume, they get annoyed.

Any other favorite European haunts?
Capri. We have an annual friends’ vacation there at the end of June. I love the Mediterranean in the summertime. And come August, the Hamptons!

What do you dig about life on the East End?
I love Southampton. You can take your dogs to the beach! We have a yellow lab and he just loves to run around in the sand. Everybody loves the farmstands, like Round Swamp Farm. I also love driving through tree-lined streets. Everything is so manicured! I hate the traffic, of course, but now, there’s Blade. We’ll use that to get there in 30 minutes instead of four hours.

How much time do you take off?
It depends! One of the things that I love about my job is that I get to travel a lot. Whenever I can, I like to mix work and pleasure if time allows it. Our factory is closed for the whole month of August, so that’s four weeks off, for sure. Work hard, play hard is my motto.

 

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1 comment

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Charlotte Evangeline Winslet May 26, 2015 - 12:23 PM

There is no better place than Greece on this earth!!! Incredible, magical.

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