A world away from the hubbub of Mykonos town, intimacy and a sense of past history in every detail of its design predominate at Kivotos Clubhotel, which does indeed have a clubbish feeling. Lush, low-key, resplendent all at the same time--this was once the private residence of a leading Greek interior designer; desiring a larger space to house visiting friends, he began adding new rooms. The original hillside villa overlooking Ornos Bay gradually expanded into a series of descending buildings that became the present-day Kivotos, which still contains just some 40 odd suites. Enhancing that sense of intimacy is the fact that each suite is individually decorated with antiques and furnishings from around the Aegean. The suites and rooms are contained in the type of cubist Cycladic architecture that fit perfectly on an island hillside: outside your sitting area window, a pool with a swim-up bar looks down further to the hotel’s small shingle beach where you can take off to swim or kayak on the bay. When I got here, the summer wave of visitors was gone and it was just me, a few friendly guests and a few even friendlier guests, along with the super-friendly barman.
Individualized attention from the staff and management for each guest is the other oustanding feature--there seems always to be a helpful member of staff on-hand to assist with anything you need at the moment. Dining is a romantic affair at 'La Meduse', a gourmet restaurant set above the magnificent bay. At night, the candles are lit as you enjoy the fine international cuisine. By day, you can saunter down to the private beach and enjoy a drink at the pool bar or lunch at 'Le Pirate' restaurant featuring Southern Mediterranean cuisine. The service and attention to detail is exemplary. The facilities for health, beauty and fitness are just as first class and there is even a 25m yacht for daily or weekly trips to nearby islands. Like most accommodations on Mykonos, Kivotos Clubhotel is only open between 25th April until 15th October.