Vacation days are precious and in my Travel Talk column I especially like destinations that, while properly unspoiled and even exotic, can be reached relatively quickly. To leave New York early evening and arrive on the far side of Europe by noon the following day, in time for a glorious wine-soaked lunch beneath swaying palms – well, that’s my idea of travel time well spent.
Such a destination is Myconian Sunrise, a new luxury hotel perfectly situated on the private Agrari beach on the “quiet” side of the Greek island of Mykonos far enough from the madding crowd of Mykonos Town for some true R&R, but close enough (20 minutes by regular hotel shuttle) should you feel the need for a spot of chic Mykonos shoulder-rubbing and sophisticated shopping.
Take the United Airlines nightly flight out of Newark, make a quick change in Athens, and while you’ll miss the first day’s Cycladic sunrise, you will almost certainly reach the property in time for your first Greek / Mediterranean lunch – with a magical sunset to come.
The hotel is a member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association and one of the wider group known as Myconian Collection (https://www.myconiancollection.gr), a family-owned portfolio of some 14 enchanting properties dotted around Mykonos.
Picked up at Mykonos’ pint-sized airport by the hotel driver after my easy overnight from New York, I felt invigorated as we climbed steep hills and then descended vertiginously, marveling at the wild, natural beauty of Mykonos, with its stony, scrubby landscape. The hills were punctuated by neat white houses, the mountains of nearby Naxos the backdrop to a sparkling, blue sea, as we passed chickens and geese and the occasional nonchalant donkey, which ambled lazily up to the road, idly wondering what to do with the rest of his day. We also passed charming, makeshift signs to the “Jackie-O” beach.
This is the land of the Costases. The first Costas, who was a mine of information on his native Mykonos, was my driver; another Costas carried my small bag to the room (407) on the second floor of the pretty whitewashed house that was to be my accommodation for the next three days; while yet another Costas (were they having me on? I was beginning to think so) delivered my first drink at the beach bar, a glass of ice-cold Gaia white wine from Santorini. They say you never forget the first one and I haven’t.
The hotel is a vision of simple but oh-so-stylish Mediterranean living. In the guest rooms as well as the common parts, rugs, curtains, pillows – simple prints in soft colors and fabric – keep the tone light and bright. Soft sandstone floors feel so much kinder underfoot than marble.
With its canopies strung with lights, its plump-cushioned sunbeds, its oodles of staff that felt like one per guest but mainly its sense of laid-back luxury, Myconian Sunrise has a palpable late 1960s or ’70s vibe. (I’m thinking of truly “iconic” hotels, like the Byblos in Saint-Tropez or Marbella Club in Marbella, Spain, hotels that maintain the “vibe” of their original era but remain at the very top of their game.)
And then there is the well-run beach, where you will likely spend most of your day, lounging on luxurious recliners under umbrellas made of native tamarisk. As for the sea, warm through October, it fairly shimmers, making sea-bathing irresistible for even the most die-hard swimming pool folk. Still not convinced? Sunrise has a gorgeous pool, too, just yards from the beach – of course it does.
Food in the hotel’s Almiriki taverna, an all-day affair whose mood changes naturally from breakfast to lunch and through dinner, is simple, fresh and inviting, just as it should be. I lived on house-made taramasalata, Greek salad and fresh grilled fish for three days and honestly had never felt healthier. (OK, there were the odd pancakes for breakfast and mid-afternoon ice creams, but ti diaolo – what the heck – as the Greeks say.)
Another treat at Mykonos Sunrise is the spa, not a dimly lit underground cavern as is the case with so many hotel spas, but a series of outdoor tents fronting the beach, where they tenderly treat your skin with top-of-the-line Elemis creams and unguents or pummel you with psychotropic oils. Bliss.
If you do want to venture into Mykonos Town, the aforementioned free shuttle makes it easy. The driver will drop you off at another Myconian property, Deos, perched just above the town, from here you can either stroll the short scenic walk downhill or be driven by buggy.
That said, it’s actually worth taking time to have a drink at Deos first or even after, because the hotel – and the view – are both sensational.
Designed, like Myconian Sunrise, by the Lebanese architect Galal Mahmoud, this stunner of a hotel features pale woods, guest rooms and suites with private decks and pools (and some with decks in pools) and all-round quiet luxury. And for the fitness-orientated, the gym here – while admittedly below ground – features a brilliantly conceived screen livestreaming the stupendous view from upstairs in real time, so you never feel, well, subterranean.
Back outside on Deos’ expansive terrace, looking out at the islands and the islets – some no bigger than a rocky outcrop – as a four-masted schooner sailed serenely by, like a scene from the Bruegel the Elder painting, with Stan Getz playing softly and wistfully in the background, the expression embarras de richesses came to mind. Translated usually as an embarrassment of riches, I think “richness overload” is a more apt translation.
Because, that’s how it felt, unwinding at both of these glorious hotels. The trick I think is to bottle up all that “richness” in the mind and take it home with you, to brave life — and the next Northeast winter.
Myconian Sunrise and Myconian Deos remain open through the end of October 2025 and reopen in April, 2026.
Jeremy Wayne is a luxury travel adviser with Superior Travel of New York. You can reach him at jeremy@superiortravel.com.
