astein14

Hi, my fiancé and i are going to Mykonos and Santorini for our honeymoon in June 2014. We have decided on katikies in Santorini but are have trouble picking a hotel in Mykonos.

The most important thing is to be on the beach and have beautiful views. The top 3 i've heard so far are Mykonos Grand, Kivotos and Mykonos Blu.

Can anyone recommend one over the others?

thank you!

jon_rwr

The Mykonos Grand is situated at Agios Ioannis. Without a doubt its views are the most spectacular particularly over to Delos. I've always found the colour of the sea here to be amazing. So many colours of blue, changing constantly.

The hotel has its own private beach which is almost an extension of a beach freely available to all, which runs along to a small harbour and the Church of Saint John. It is long and narrow, used mostly by families. I have to say though that it's quieter than most other ‘popular’ beaches. Two independent restaurants are located right down at the edge of the sea, suitable for lunch and dinner, and higher up the hillside is one small shop and a cafe that serves light lunches/dinners. For Agios Ioannis that's about it. Oh, the bus runs hourly from just outside the hotel to Mykonos town, via Ornos and the journey time is around 10 minutes.

You can walk (or take the same small bus) from the Grand down to Ornos beach, which is much bigger, busier, family orientated and preferred by many as it has some natural protection from wind, due to the horseshoe shape of the surrounding outcrops. This is where you'll find the Kivitos. At Ornos there are a good number of restaurants and bars (most beach-side) and small shops, including a few ATM's. Here, we've dined a few times at Ithaki restaurant and can recommend it.

Mykonos Blu is located at Psarou. The beach here is very, very nice, not too large but, in mid-summer it can be very busy. There’s a well known and very expensive restaurant here called Nammos. Plenty of details about it online. Also, you are very close to Platys Gialos and its facilities and services. The last time I was at Psarou I could hardly see any sand due to the number of sun beds!! Again, there is a local bus to and from town.

You've a difficult choice. The better beaches are Ornos (Kivitos) and Psarou + Platys Gialos (Mykonos Blu). In my mind though the best hotel with the very best views is the Grand at Agios Ioannis.

clausar

This may sound strange, but there aren't many hotels on the beach on Mykonos......

Jon said it all.... i would just like to add that out of the 3 hotels i would recommend Mykonos Grand, due to it's quieter location.

Psarou is the VIP beach of Mykonos, full of Greek and sometimes international celebrities and totally crowded.

Please also have a look at the Sain John hotel, which is at Agios Ioannis as well.

http://www.saintjohn.gr/

Please also note that in Greece there are no private beaches, all beaches are public according to the Greek constitution...
There are no more than 10 beaches in Greece that are being run by local municipalities and therefore accessible at a fee.

I would like to share a video that was taken yesterday in Choulakia/Mykonos, showing the Blue Star Ithaki on it's way to Tinos. It was an extremely windy day all over the Aegean Sea and winds reaching 9 points on the Beaufort scale :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqgXjHGsTPU

jon_rwr

Thanks clausar, I should have mentioned the St John. Wonderful views too and also at Agios Ioannis. I have often wondered why it seems always to be in the shadow of the Grand because it IS an excellent hotel. My cousin works there most summers and I’ve been in its public areas which are very impressive.

I need to stop writing private beaches because I do know that they are rare.

Thank you too for the video. Very scary. I know the Ithaki and travelled to Tinos on it a few years ago. It's a strong ship but it looks extremely vulnerable in that film.

Do you know Choulakia? Many folks love the sand but the uniqueness of this pebble beach is fantastic for me.

Jon

WWK

We stayed at Mykonos Blu a few years ago, and wouldn't go back. The beach was extremely crowded. Rooms were OK, but not exceptional, and the location was pretty far from town, although there was a local bus.

iris1745

As already mentioned, the Mykonos Grand is wonderful. It is a walk to town, but there is a shuttle.

If you chose this hotel, make sure you get a room looking out at the sea and not the garden.

Lovely pool and an easy walk down to the beach from the pool.

www.Mykonosgrand.gr

astein14

thank you all so much!

astein14

would you recommend the st john over mykonos grand?

Also, we just decided to add a night in Athens on at the end of the trip, any hotel recommendations there?

clausar

astein,

i find both to be equally good, if you chose St John ask for a room as closer to the beach as possible.... ( the stairs remind me of Santorini.. )

Athens has a big variety of hotels, however in my opinion one of the best is The Grande Bretagne, located at Syntagma Square.

WWK

astein14,

We have stayed at Grande Bretagne many times. The public spaces-especially the restaurant and pool area- are gorgeous, but it's frustrating to pay top dollar for sometimes tiny closet-like rooms overlooking a courtyard.

My new favorite hotel in Athens is AVA Hotel and Suites, located in The Plaka. It's a small boutique hotel with an outstanding staff, great location, and some of the largest rooms in Athens. Some of the suites have balconies with views of both Hadrian's Arch and the Acropolis. It's a really lovely hotel in every way!

clausar

To avoid getting a less privileged room, just don't book a room of the lowest category.
All the hotels have also less privileged rooms....

WWK

clausar, You know I usually agree with you, but we didn't book rooms of the lowest category at Grande Bretagne, and still got closet-sized rooms! My point is that the hotel is very expensive, and for the money you can do much better elsewhere in Athens.

Heimdall

<i>"The public spaces-especially the restaurant and pool area- are gorgeous..."</i>

Yes, that's what you are paying for in a 5* hotel. If you don't require all those amenities you may get a better room for the same money in a 4* hotel.

astein14

thank you all for the help! has anyone stayed at cavo tagoo? we have narrowed it down to that and mykonos grand

clausar

Have stayed at both hotels.
While Cavo Tagoo is in my opinion much better, it is not a beach hotel, even though there is a small beach next to it.

You will have to take the bus or walk to the city, and from there take other buses to the beaches, or use a rental car.