Mykonos - Belvedere Hotel

Mykonos?

An odd choice, for a camel, over indulged in the more exclusive destinations of luxury travel.

But this camel had enjoyed an early travel adventure to the Greek Island and was keen to see if fond memories of hedonisim were real or no more than a youthful aberration.

However, a compromise was required and “luxury” accommodation found, via the “Small Luxury Hotels of the World” directory, in the form of the Belvedere Hotel in Hora.

We were offered the only available room, a sea view suite at a pricey 700 euros per night, (the rate card suggested 940 euros), but the hotel’s “designer” brochure, more in keeping with a high end fashion catalogue, made it sound fantastic.

“33-35 sq meters of useful space, one bedroom, one sitting room, one bathroom, 2-3 balconies or terraces with outdoor lounge, complimentary transfer upon arrival and departure.  Home cinema system.  Accommodating up to 4 guests. Pool view and sea view.”

To add to the excitement, the hotel boasted the only Nobu restaurant in the Mediterranean.  Not being sure about traditional Greek food, this was a big selling point.

The 4 hour BA flight from London Gatwick direct to Mykonos was less painful than expected.  The Club Europe cabin, limited to 4 rows, was fully booked when we made our reservation. However, GB Airways' offering of a complimentary hot breakfast and champagne at 6 pounds per bottle to those of us in steerage, was a welcome surprise.

Having managed to persuade the sceptical BAA “Gatwick Gestapo” that our bags were international regulation hand baggage size (yet again forced to place them in the size bin!) we were able to exit Mykonos airport in record time, aided by the absence of any passport control.  The waiting driver and the proximity of the hotel to the airport (5 minutes or so), whisked us from plane to suite in around 15 minutes. Amazing!

The Belvedere Hotel is small, and so was our suite.  Closer study of the hotel brochure highlighted the emphasis, in the description of each room category, on how many people the various room options can accommodate.  The standard guest room is described as:

 “the affordable option that offers to guests the opportunity to become Belvedere residents.”

It seemed that The Belvedere was happy for us to cram them in.  Where as most hotels would frown on the concept of guests bringing ‘new found friends’ or even ‘old acquaintances’ back to stay, the Belvedere seemed to boldly encourage it, claiming that we could cram at least another two buddies into our small suite – what a horrible concept!   But listening to conversations around the pool, groups of “early twenty somethings” were squeezing into small rooms all over the island.

Our sea view suite was much smaller than anticipated and actually quite claustrophobic.  The weather forecast was for 35c every day and we had looked forward to a spacious suite with a private terrace for sunbathing and shade.  The three terraces were actually two tiny balconies for standing only and a larger terrace which just fitted a small table and two chairs.  The brochure showed photographs of a bedroom opening out on to a large private terrace with loungers and shade.  We looked up from one of our standing room only balconies at two rooms which clearly enjoyed what we had expected.  When I enquired at reception about these rooms I was told with great enthusiasm that we did indeed have the best accommodation in the hotel.  My envy was for a deluxe room which was 50 euros per night less expensive than our suite.  Oh how we longed to be downgraded.

Our suite consisted of a sitting room with a bar in one corner.  The bar was completely barren.  No glasses, no bottles.  Presumably it was there to encourage us to throw a party for the four or so guests we could squeeze into the sitting room + two on the balcony, of course.  There was champagne in the mini bar, not party size, but two person romantic sip size, but no champagne glasses.  Indeed the only glasses were tumblers, not even party tumblers.  The bathroom was very small with the cheapest fittings, perhaps to reduce the potential risk of expensive party damage.  The house toiletries are Korres but Bulgari is available on request.  The bedroom was very pleasant, but the bed was rock hard and again the furnishing seemed to come from the cheap end of ‘Ikea.’

The rooms overlook the pool area, which during the day is full of mostly twenty something bodies lying on large day beds with big square bed pillows. Get down early if you want to lie by the pool, rather than on a terrace further back.  Around seven o’clock in the evening the entire venue morphs into a crowded restaurant with the Belverdere restaurant on one side of the pool and Matsuhisa on the other.  The hotel pulsates with music and laughter until the early hours. We found another bottle of wine helped us sleep through it.

The Belvedere Hotel claims to pride itself on its concierge services. The staff were very helpful.  Hiring a Suzuki Jeep for a few days was achieved by simply lifting the phone to reception.  It was delivered to the hotel at our requested time and the hotel's valet parking service is the best I've come across.  There are a few good beaches and restaurants to go to on Mykonos and your own transport is essential.  Check out this camel's thoughts on Kiki's , Sol y Mar , Nammos and Bahia Blanca. In town, Caprice , La Maison de Catherine and Sea Satin Market.

Someone has done very well through importing the plague of quad bikes and scooters which buzzes around Mykonos, but, as the car hire man said, most are driven by teenagers who don't have a clue about road safety.  One member of staff told us that there is no newspaper on Mykonos and no public account of how many accidents and deaths there are each season.  Too much information might be bad for business one suspects. Hire a car.

Back to the hotel staff.  When a pair of sunglasses were in need of help from an optician the front desk took care of it returning the glasses directly to our room.  They really do try very hard.

The wireless internet is very flaky and expensive at 26 euros per day.  They clearly have a problem here which hopefully will be rectified soon.  Don't buy the wireless access unless you really need it.  Apparently LAN access can be arranged in your room.

The hotel restaurant staff were very friendly and ran the pool-side breakfast and lunch like a private member's club.  The breakfast buffet is nothing special, but the freshly squeezed orange juice is excellent.  The hotel also has a very comprehensive wine list which is not overly expensive.

The Belvedere Hotel is a cross between Byblos in St Tropez and Nikki Beach.  It is really not the place to come for a romantic break for two, rather a place to bring friends or meet new people.   The clientele, like the staff, were very friendly.  The Belvedere is a place to socialise.

Belvedere Hotel
Hora
Mykonos

+30 22890 25 122

www.belvederehotel.com