Megali Ammos means "big sand", and the name stays on from the times before the road was built, when this sandy beach extended further back to the hillside. This is the nearest beach to the town centre, at a very convenient 15 minutes walk from Mykonos town, on the northwest side of the island. There is a traditional tavern right on the beach and it’s not rare to see men fishing for octopus or collecting sea urchins, although sometimes it can get pretty windy. Legend has it that the beach is haunted by the ghost of a pirate called Kapetanakis. The story dates back from the time when Megali Ammos was a black market hideaway, and it was made up in order to keep the curious villagers away from the beach at night, leaving the time and space for the loading and unloading of illegal merchandise.