Once in Mykonos

Above the sweep of Ornos Bay, Once in Mykonos is a five star adults only retreat created from a former private villa, pairing panoramic Aegean views with private pool suites and a glamorous take on contemporary Cycladic style.

There is a story behind the hotel that feels particularly Mykonian. The original villa belonged to a prominent businessman during the years when the island was becoming a summer escape for artists, intellectuals and international society, and its transformation into a hotel keeps something of that private house spirit alive. White Cycladic forms now meet warmer bohemian details, natural textures and terraces designed to keep the sea permanently in view.

The hillside position does much of the visual work. Ornos curves around the bay immediately below, while the hotel rises above it in a sequence of bright terraces and pools facing the Aegean. The result feels intimate despite the energy of one of Mykonos' best known beach areas being close at hand, giving guests an appealing separation between life around the bay and the privacy of the hotel above.

Rooms & Suites

Accommodation is almost entirely about the view and the space outside. Rooms and suites open onto terraces facing the sea, with interiors combining crisp white surfaces, softly curved Cycladic forms and relaxed contemporary furnishings that keep attention firmly on the blue beyond the windows.

Water becomes increasingly important as you move through the categories. Design Rooms offer chill out or sharing pools, Panoramic Rooms introduce outdoor Jacuzzis, and the Premium and Signature Suites add increasingly private pool experiences. At the top end, the two bedroom Prestige, Elite and Autograph suites provide generous space for friends travelling together, with the Elite and Autograph categories adding their own private pools above the bay.

Dining

Infinity Bar & Restaurant occupies one of the hotel's prime viewpoints, serving Greek and Mediterranean cooking from breakfast through to dinner with Ornos and the Aegean spread out below. The open setting makes it particularly appealing later in the day, when the bright whites of the hotel begin to soften and the bay changes character with the evening light.

Momento Bar provides another place for drinks and lighter moments, while the poolside setting naturally draws everyone back outside during the day. With Ornos also offering a strong collection of beach restaurants within easy reach, there is plenty of scope to move between long lunches by the water and quieter evenings back above the bay.

Experience

The infinity pool is the hotel's natural centre of gravity, its edge appearing to merge with the Aegean beyond. Sun terraces wrap around the water, creating the sort of setting where a planned morning beside the pool can quite easily occupy most of the day, particularly with lunch and drinks only a few steps away.

Ornos Beach brings a different rhythm below, with swimming, waterfront restaurants and the unmistakable summer energy of Mykonos. Chora is also close enough for evenings among its narrow lanes, bars and restaurants, leaving guests free to dip into the island's livelier side and return to the more private atmosphere above Ornos whenever they choose.

Wellness

Wellness has its own dedicated place at Once in Mykonos, with spa treatments ranging from massages and facials to body therapies and couples treatments. A relaxation area and fitness centre round out the facilities, making it easy to build a treatment or workout into the day without pulling attention away from the hotel's outdoor lifestyle.

There is an appealing simplicity to the routine here. Swim before breakfast, disappear for a massage when the afternoon heat builds, then return to the terrace as the light begins to change across the bay. It is a rhythm that suits both the setting and the hotel's origins as a private Mykonian summer house.

Where

Once in Mykonos sits immediately above Ornos on the island's south west coast, with the beach and its waterfront restaurants below and Mykonos Town a short journey away. The position works particularly well for combining beach days with evenings in Chora while keeping a panoramic Aegean retreat to return to above the bustle of the island.

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