Magical Mykonos
We travelled on an Easyjet flight which took just under four hours. A twenty minute transfer from the airport soon had us arriving at our chosen hotel, Myconian Imperial Resort and Thalasso Spa Centre on the South of the Island at Elia Beach.
Located in the Aegean Sea 93 miles east of Athens, Mykonos covers an area of just 33 square miles almost all of which is rocky and barren. The main attractions are the excellent climate, several lovely beaches, fabulous bars and restaurants, and the port of Mykonos.
Built in 2002, The Imperial is a five star luxury hotel, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and one of several in the family owned Myconian Collection Hotels and Villas on Mykonos. Built into a rocky hillside above Elia Beach it offers spectacular views from the pool terrace, restaurants and bars. The rooms and suites are located in small blocks above the central buildings and all have views of the crescent shaped bay and beach below and the usual in room facilities you would expect of a five star hotel.
The spacious pool terrace has two large pools, hot tub and separate kids’ pools. There is an abundance of sun beds and umbrellas around the pools and on a separate terrace below the pool area. The Thalasso spa offers a wide range of treatments in a very relaxing ambience and for the energetic there is a squash court.
The Hotel also has a private section of beach a ten minute walk away down the hillside. A variety of water sports are available on the large public beach and the Elia Beach Restaurant is open all day for drinks and serves very good meals.
We enjoyed the international/Greek buffet breakfast served in the spacious Meltemi restaurant and lots of drinks and lunch at the pool side Nostos bar and restaurant which is open from late morning until late afternoon. We loved the Veranda bar terrace which was the perfect place for a pre dinner drink while taking in a spectacular sunset or to enjoy an after dinner Metaxa. We also dined on two evenings in the excellent Celebrities a la carte Restaurant which serves authentic Mediterranean and local cuisine in a fabulous setting with excellent service and ambience.
For a change of scene and dining options we took advantage of the complimentary shuttle bus service to Mykonos town provided by the Hotel which operates every hour from 6.00pm until 12.30am. Given that there are only 30 taxis available on the Island and the roads and drivers pretty scary this seemed the most sensible option. However, if you do prefer doing your own thing there are plenty of cars, scooters and quad bikes available for hire. You can also get to other beaches on Mykonos by boat from Elia Beach or Mykonos Town.
Mykonos Town also known as Chora is the island’s capital. With so many narrow streets, hidden squares, shops, windmills and whitewashed buildings it is a charming and fascinating place to wander around and also easy to get lost! It has lots of restaurants and bars fronting two separate harbours where you can enjoy the views and behind the harbour fronts there are more restaurants hidden amongst the alley ways along with shops and late night bar/dance clubs. Further out from the town is another harbour where the large ferries depart and visiting cruise ships drop anchor. This does mean that the small town is almost always busy with people but it does create a great atmosphere. We ate in three very different restaurants and had no problems getting a table. However, we were surprised to find that eating in the town cost virtually the same as eating at our hotel.
For a change from the sun lounger and Kindle, we took a 40 minute boat trip from Mykonos Town to the small island of Delos to see the archaeological site where buildings and artifacts of early civilisations of historical and mythological significance have been discovered.
The Myconian Imperial is an excellent hotel with a lovely location and very good facilities but the real wow factor is the friendliness, quality and quantity of staff taking care of guest needs. As good if not better than the service provided on five star Cruise lines. Wow!