Dazzling beaches, relentless nightlife, renowned restaurants, inspiring architecture, and an astoundingly diverse crowd. But the legendary hotspot also has something that is often lost on the average pleasure seeker: an Aegean soul. HISTORY Brushed off in antiquity as the poor relation of Delos, Mykonos was once an impoverished Athenian colony. It began to flourish with maritime trade during the Ottoman Occupation. These shifting tides of poverty and wealth, of isolation and inundation, created a tolerant and progressive race. Their notorious hospitality hastened Mykonos' evolution into the playground of the rich and famous. Gradually, archaeologists and intellectuals en route to the ancient site at Delos began to recognise Mykonos in its own right. Artists came for the architecture - le Corbusier once said that, unless you had seen the houses of Mykonos, you could not pretend to be an architect. Poets praised the dazzling light. And the locals charmed everyone, with their easygoing generosity.br> By the early 1970s, the free-spirited and fun-loving Mykonians had attracted a large, style-conscious crowd to the island. Today, Mykonos is still undoubtedly the best-dressed island in Greece.   CULTURAL LIFE Most revellers tend to leave undiscovered the cultural life of Mykonos - the three art galleries, the musty Municipal Library, the Fine Arts School, the four museums. The soul of Mykonos is not so much in the pulsing, labyrinthine cobbled pathways of the main town, but in the island's interior and its villages. The spiritual focal point is the shadowy 18th-century monastery of Panaghia Tourliani. The Grecotel Mykonos Blu faithfully captures the spirit of Mykonos. Le Corbusier would have approved of the strict cubist lines of Mykonos Blu's internationally acclaimed architects. Meanwhile, the idyllic, soul-stirring location above one of the island's finest beaches does honour to Mykonos' reputation for romance and excitement. And the unparalleled quality of Mykonos Blu's service - from the attentive, discreet staff to the exquisite Poets of the Aegean restaurant - would certainly have made Onassis and Niarchos proud.

PLACES OF INTEREST Delos is a must. The most extensive ancient site in Greece is just 40 minutes by boat, but light years away from the hustle of Mykonos harbour. The Folklore Museum is situated in the castle in front of the church of Paraportiani. Its two subsidiary branches are also worth visiting: Lena's House, an elegant re-creation of a 19th-century Mykonian residence, near the Three Wells. The Agricultural Museum is housed in a restored windmill with a wonderful view over the town. Don't miss the Panegyri of Trygos, held here on the second Sunday in September. The Monastery of Panaghia Tourliani at Ano Mera can be visited by prior arrangement. At the Mono Ena gallery and shop in Little Venice, Marina Petri organises readings, cultural events, and exhibitions of contemporary art.