Sunday Magazine – July 28, 2019

S MAGAZINE ★ 28 JULY 2019 33

Edited by Laura Mulley

history. The Myconian Collection has

introduced curated experiences to combine

with your holiday, such as tours to Delos

or authentic homestays at Rizes Folklore

Farmstead. The farm has been carefully

recreated to replicate times gone by – we

ditched our electronics and embraced how life

was 100 years ago. I was speechless as we

stepped into a tiny living room that would have

slept 10. Here you can master the skills to

make cheese and bread the way great-grandma

used to. Stay over, pick vegetables from the

garden to use in your cookery lessons or ride

the resident horse, fully immersing yourself in

traditional Mykonian life.

If shopping combined with sightseeing is

more your thing, head over to Mykonos Town,

or Chora as it’s known by the locals, just a

five-minute drive in the hotel’s free transfer.

It’s a cobblestoned labyrinth of beautiful,

white, cube-shaped buildings. According to

historical sources, buildings were painted white

at the beginning of the 20th century to serve

as a cheap disinfectant when diseases

plagued the Greek Islands. Now you can find

Louis Vuitton nestled in between souvenir

shops and washing lines. Beware, though,

it can get busy when cruise ship passengers

are disembarking to splash the cash.

Also in town, get up close to the iconic

windmills, once an important source of income

for the inhabitants. Afterwards, watch the sunset

in Little Venice, one of the most instagrammable

places in Europe.

Over in the Elia Beach area the Myconian

Collection has another five properties: Utopia,

Imperial, Avaton and Royal hotels, and also its

Villa Collection, all individually designed with a

high-end, modern style and their own restaurants

and spas.

They are all conveniently housed next to

Mykonos’ longest beach, so there’ll be no fighting

for space on the sand. Although the Greeks won’t

run out of sand anytime soon – Greece’s

coastline, including all its islands, could stretch

to New York and back again. Right, where’s my

bucket and spade...?

Sarah White

Modern luxury meets

traditional island life on

captivating Mykonos

Greek

chic

M

ykonos is the destination on

everybody’s lips right now as

the trendsetters are once again

descending on this whitewashed

paradise in the heart of the

Cyclades, the group of Greek islands that

circle the sacred isle of Delos.

Up until the 1950s Mykonos had no

electricity and was used as a brief stopover on

the way to Delos, but it has now become one

of the hottest holiday destinations in Europe.

We were staying at Kyma, one of the nine

hotels that form the Myconian Collection

owned by the Daktylides family, and it’s easy to

see where the love and inspiration comes from

in this family-run business. The rooms at the

Kyma and others in the group are thoughtfully

designed – many come with their own infinity

pools, hot tubs and uninterrupted sea views.

The brilliant white-walled rooms are twinned

with crisp white linen and are cleverly dressed

with bursts of colour from embroidered rugs

and cushions.

I felt like I was unveiling a work of art when I

opened the balcony doors and took in the view

on my first morning. Although I was tempted to

idle my time away in the room, breakfast was

calling. It was a lavish, buffet-style feast with

added specials such as baklava and fresh

honeycomb, the perfect accompaniment to the

Greek yoghurt, and all served up with another

panoramic view.

The island is known for super-stylish beach

clubs and wild nightlife (something I hadn’t

noticed where I was staying, because it was

so peaceful), but I was keen to take in some

Classic Collection Holidays (0800 047 1064, classic-collection.co.uk) offers seven nights at Myconian Kyma from £1,496 per person. The price

is based on two adults sharing an Apollon deluxe garden view room on a b&b basis and includes return flights from London Gatwick and private

transfers. Upgrade to an ocean junior suite sea view from £137 to £166 per person per night, depending on the season.

A pretty alleyway

in Mykonos

Main picture: Little Venice

in Mykonos Town

Below: A luxury

suite at Kyma

and the hotel

restaurant (right)

GETTY IMAGES

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