Myconian Avaton

High on the bare hillside above Elia Beach, Myconian Avaton is a member of Design Hotels where private pool suites and villas, two outdoor pools and vast Aegean views create one of the Myconian Collection’s most dramatic island retreats.

Avaton makes full use of its extraordinary position. The hotel rises in tiers from the rock, with white Cycladic forms, dark stone and broad terraces framing a landscape that feels almost elemental in its simplicity. From up here the southern coastline falls away beneath you and the Aegean fills the horizon, changing colour throughout the day as the light moves across the bay.

There is a strong sense of escape despite being on Mykonos. Elia brings the beach within easy reach, but the hotel feels like a destination in its own right, with the height and openness of the hillside giving it a wonderful feeling of space. Days tend to settle naturally around the pools and terraces, with the sea below and very little reason to rush anywhere.

Rooms & Suites

The accommodation has been created around that relationship with the landscape. Pure, Temptation and Mystique rooms and suites all face towards the sea, with private pools and outdoor Jacuzzis appearing across the collection and turning the terraces into an important part of the living space.

Grand Mystique and Grand Temptation introduce more generous proportions, while the in-house villas provide excellent options for couples, families and friends wanting additional privacy. At the top end, the Apocalypsis villas offer one or four bedrooms with their own pools, bringing the scale and independence of a private villa together with the service of the hotel.

Inside, contemporary Cycladic design keeps the palette deliberately restrained, allowing texture, sculptural details and flashes of darker colour to stand against the brilliant white architecture. Yet the defining feature remains outside, where pools seem to meet the horizon and terraces open towards an uninterrupted sweep of blue.

Dining

Panorama Fine Dining occupies exactly the position its name suggests, with the restaurant terrace suspended high above Elia and the sea providing a spectacular backdrop from breakfast onwards. Mornings begin with Greek yoghurt, local honey and Mykonian specialities alongside a generous wider selection.

Later, the kitchen turns towards contemporary interpretations of Greek and Mediterranean cooking, drawing on traditional recipes and seasonal ingredients. The elevated terrace really comes into its own towards evening, when dinner begins as the heat leaves the hillside and the colours over the Aegean soften into dusk.

Experience

Two outdoor pools form the heart of the hotel, their edges visually disappearing into the sea beyond. Sun terraces spread around them with plenty of room to settle for the day, while a private beach area brings you down from the hillside to the water whenever the Aegean proves irresistible.

Elia is one of Mykonos’ longest beaches and gives the stay an active side too, with diving, snorkelling, windsurfing and canoeing among the possibilities. Cycling, hiking and horse riding take things inland, while the concierge can arrange wider island experiences when you feel like leaving the sanctuary of the hotel behind for a few hours.

Wellness

Wellness is given serious attention at Avaton, with a spa built around an extensive programme of body treatments, massage, facials and beauty therapies. Thalassotherapy draws inspiration directly from the surrounding sea, making the setting feel intrinsically connected to the experience rather than simply providing the view.

Yoga and fitness classes, personal training and a fully equipped gym provide a more energetic alternative. It all works particularly well after a day in the Mykonian sun, when a treatment followed by an unhurried return to your terrace becomes a very appealing prelude to the evening.

Where

Mykonos Town lies across the island when you want its restaurants, boutiques and famous nightlife, while Elia keeps the beach and south coast immediately at hand. Avaton’s great pleasure, though, is returning to the hillside afterwards, climbing back above the coast until the crowds disappear below and that enormous Aegean horizon belongs to the hotel once again.

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