Long favoured by a well-heeled crowd drawn to its sugar-cube buildings and winding lanes, Mykonos remains the most hedonistic of the Cycladic isles.
Since the 1960s, it has served as the playground for Mediterranean glamour, with blue-shuttered houses, sleepy windmills and white alleyways. With countless outdoor eateries, picturesque churches and endless sunshine it is a perennial summer destination.
The island’s old town, mercifully preserved, is enchanting with its painted flagstones and bougainvillaea-framed balconies.
Here, visitors can drift through a warren of cobbled alleys lined with artisanal boutiques offering hand-thrown ceramics, island-foraged beauty oils and freshly made gelato, interspersed with flagships from Dior and Louis Vuitton, that nod to the international clientele.
The arrival
It is past midnight when I land, bleary-eyed, at Mykonos airport. When my driver assures me the hotel is a 10-minute drive away, I assume he is being generous. He isn’t.
Moments later, I’m gliding through the open-air lobby of Anandes Hotel Mykonos, the island’s newest (and, it turns out, only) five-star address in the old town.
The reception is a calming, open-plan space that spills out on to a wide deck facing the moonlit harbour. Despite the hour, the welcome is warm and personal. My bags are swept away without ceremony and I’m gently escorted to my room.
The room
Anandes is intentionally compact. Each of the 42 rooms has either a private balcony, plunge pool or overspill pool, all gazing out towards the Aegean Sea.
My room is quietly fabulous. A linen canopy floats above the bed, nautical-striped boucle cushions soften the whitewashed palette and wooden furniture adds warmth. A personal bugbear is hotel rooms cluttered with pointless furniture, but nothing is superfluous in this one. It has a cleverly integrated corner desk and a table generous enough to eat at. The bathroom can be concealed behind a sliding panel while the television, thankfully, can also be tucked discreetly away.
My concierge throws open the double doors, revealing a view over the private pool to a distant hillside, softly twinkling with lights. Even at night, it’s spectacular.
The dining
Anandes is home to La Petite Maison, the French Riviera restaurant that has been offering convivial, flavour-first dining since the 1980s. Here it handles the in-room dining, breakfast service and a breezy terrace restaurant overlooking the pool.
The menu leans generously into Greek produce and, as a vegan, I feast on delicately marinated sweet peppers (€17.5 or Dh64), a lentil salad with burnt tomatoes and apple (€21.5) and a creamy avocado salad (€23.5). My fellow guests wax lyrical over the grilled tiger prawns with coriander and green chilli (€52.5), featherlight gnocchi with cherry tomatoes (€29.5) and tuna tartare with caviar (€37.5).
The spa
The Heat by Sophia Lie spa is a Stockholm import that offers high-tech wellness rituals via full-spectrum infrared treatments.
Built on a concept of “sweat, sculpt, recover,” practices at the facility focus on helping the lymphatic system to remove waste and support optimal functioning. I opt for the Pre-Beach Program, a 60-minute body sculpting massage designed to stimulate lymphatic drainage via a sleek machine that rhythmically massages the body. Guests wear a fitted bodysuit for modesty and to help the head glide easily. Post-sculpt, a targeted infrared facial and sauna session, rounds out the treatment. I emerge blissed out and newly polished.
The setting
Carved into the hillside above town, Anandes derives its name from the Greek ἄνω (anō) meaning “above”, an apt description for the topography and attitude. Redesigned by Studio Bonarchi, the hotel is laid out over three levels in a seamless flow of lime-washed walls, hand-hammered granite floors and richly textured natural wood.
The 10-minute walk home from the old town is entirely uphill and can be circumvented by summoning a golf cart. For those seeking further indulgence, Alemagou beach club is a short drive away, ideal for a long, louche lunch that drifts into a party at sundown.
The verdict
Anandes is the vision of Egyptian-Greek hotelier Karim El Chiaty, who first visited Mykonos as a child. His take on hospitality is part art collector’s sensibility, part summer host. The hotel is peppered with pieces from his private collection and exudes a rarefied elegance. It feels more like staying with a fabulous friend than at a hotel.
Thanks to the surrounding terrain, the property is insulated from the bustle of the airport and town, although parents of young children take note: steep drops render it unsuitable for guests under nine.
The site’s former incarnation was excavated and reimagined, with an additional floor dug into the bedrock to accommodate more rooms, the spa and discreet pool facilities.
“It’s not a business,” El Chiaty explains, “it’s a love letter to Mykonos.” And after a few days here, it’s easy to understand why.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the hotel and reflects hotel standards during this time. Services may change in the future
