We were having a “lively” discussion about Greece, about this incredibly blessed country of ours, and its ability to turn tourism into a serious industry. At points we agreed, at others butted heads. We spoke in our mother tongue, on high volume as Greeks tend to do, with solid arguments based in cold, hard fact and other, more shaky ones based in wishful thinking. But when the subject of Mykonos came up, spirits calmed. Tones softened. The discussion became a flurry of positive examples. Shining case studies of a different Greece within Greece. One of the first mentioned was Mykonos Grand Luxury Hotel, crowning jewel of the legendary island, one of the world’s top 10 beach hotels according to the CNT 2014 Gold List, renowned for its facilities, services and hospitality, a role model for aesthetics and tourism infrastructure. And from there began a long conversation about the island and its tourism dynamics…
“Delightful and marvelous”
Steady rain has been falling since this morning. The sun has decided not to make an appearance once again today. On afternoons like these, you get the gloomy feeling that day has all but forgotten to break. Darkness and bone-chilling dampness. Yet in the corner of my mind there is something that keeps me bright and cheery. That gives me a familiar, cozy feeling. A vivid recollection I am eager to experience again and again. I curl up under the warm blankets, close my eyes and am transported to the “delightful and marvelous”, where the sun always shines bright, shedding its golden spotlight on the beauty spread out below it, on the Cycladic island of Mykonos, on Ayios Yiannis Beach, at Mykonos Grand, the only Mykonos hotel featured on the Conde Nast Traveler Gold List 2014.
For Premium Stays, Mykonos Grand New Room Type: Premium Sea View Rooms
February 26, 2014The door opened and I just stood there, stunned. The open windows let the curtains softly billow in the playful Aegean breeze wafting in to meet the freshness of this newly-introduced room’s interior.
My gaze took it all in. Design highlighted by the stylish appeal of uncluttered lines, elegance emerging from simple sophistication, as if passed over by the brushstroke of a gifted artist. Greek-inspired aesthetic that diffuses light through the use of natural materials has found, here in these newly-introduced rooms at Mykonos Grand Luxury Hotel, the perfect environment to express itself, in the sunniest corner of the planet, on Mykonos.
Althea Spa Center: The road to “catharsis” at Mykonos Grand
June 18, 2013The Althea Spa Center is a unique Mykonos Spa located opposite the sacred island of Delos, birthplace of the mythological god of light Apollo, and coincidentally one the sunniest areas in the world. This increased sunshine blesses the area with a high concentration of cosmic energy, something that will undoubtedly heighten your Mykonos Grand spa experience.
For some inexplicable reason, each time the sun dips into the sea, you can just about make out the sound of fire on water, in its final moments before once again being consumed by the watery depths.
A country wracked by an unprecedented financial crisis. A generation experiencing a “war” that never in their wildest dreams had they imagined they would witness. An entire country taking a good, hard look in the mirror and wondering if what was staring back at them was an accurate reflection or a dreadful nightmare they would eventually wake up from.
Flights or ferries to Mykonos: by air or by sea… straight into the Mykonos Grand embrace!
January 29, 2013“One gray day, when the rain and cold have chilled you to the bone, flip through your agenda and find some free days when you can visit. Book a ticket and come. We’ll be waiting to welcome you back”. What a warm, lovely invitation to brighten a dull winter’s day. In just a few sincere words that wouldn’t take no for an answer, my friend Theodoris extended an open invitation to visit his enchanting island. And that’s exactly what I did. I opened my agenda and scoured the dates, looking for the perfect time to take this much-needed Mykonos spa break with my family. I noted down a few and immediately called my husband. We went through the dates together and as soon as the one that seemed perfect had been agreed upon, we got down to our next task.
Mykonos Greatest Kiss winner: a kiss isn’t just a kiss… especially when it takes place at Mykonos Grand
January 11, 2013Whenever I look through photos, I travel. When I gaze at them, they stir and bring that particular moment back to life. And then I lose myself in the image. The faces, the figures, the background, the poses, the ambience, the light, the setting; all elements that illuminate the small or great story unravelling around the protagonists, perhaps even something about the location. This is what happened at Mykonos Grand!
Mykonos Spa: “Time to Shed the Winter Body Blues… at Mykonos Grand Hotel”
May 25, 2012Leaning into the wind on the deck of a ferry boat bound for Mykonos, I closed my eyes and savored the light mist of salty sea air spraying my face each time a swell broke against the side of the boat. This was the first tangible indication that summer was upon us, laid out in front of me in all its dazzling splendor. My “winter” body however, was also here. I had mercilessly been abusing it for months, through endless hours hunched over a computer screen, squirming in the driver’s seat in countless traffic jams, bent over the stove cooking the meal of the day… It was time for my yearly Mykonos Spa visit.
Mykonos Greatest Kiss – A kiss is just a kiss*… but not when it happens in the Mykonos Grand’s embrace
May 1, 2012I cannot recall my first kiss, the one that irreversibly marked the end of my childhood years. But I can clearly remember the first kiss, elusive and awkward, with the person I married and brought two children into this world with. It seems like such a long time ago… I can’t stop myself from smiling each time the image rises to the surface of my memory, always so fresh and playful. An email I received from the famed Mykonos Grand Hotel on Mykonos –our favorite destination then, now and I daresay evermore –helped dust off the cherished memory of that first kiss and posed a lighthearted challenge with their Mykonos Greatest Kiss contest. Could we do it? After almost twelve years of marriage? With two children? With the burden of our responsibilities weighing down on our conversations and postponing the simple joys of togetherness and companionship for another day?…