Mykonos Grand Hotel And Resort

Incredibly friendly and helpful staff

by mcbeck about Golden Star Hotel - Mykonos

An affordable five star hotel that is family run - it's got great views, is only about 200 yards from the main shopping and restaurant district, and everyone there was just amazingly friendly and helpful. We were the first people to stay there during the season and were treated like royalty. They were, easily, the best hotel we stayed at during our entire visit to the country.

Excellent Hotel

by TripAdvisor Member UpprNWTravelers

We spent 4 days and 3 nights at the hotel and couldn't be happier. From the expert service at the front desk, to the superb pool staff, to the excellent spa personnel, this hotel is really great. The rooms are spacious by European standards. The common areas are immaculate and picturesque. The private beach is just steps below the main hotel complex. The fitness center is aduequate as well. We were truly happy with our stay at the Mykonos Grand Hotel.

A truly 'Five Star Hotel'!

by A TripAdvisor Member

My friend and I stayed at the Mykonos Grand Hotel & Resort from July 7-9, 2005. This hotel is truly unlike any other we've ever stayed in. From the moment you arrive, you feel you have stepped into another world: it's called paradise!

You start the day with the most amazing breakfast buffet ever provided by a hotel. Anything you could possibly want to eat is available. Made-to-order omelettes, fresh salmon, eggs, bacon, pancakes, various cheeses, breads, pastries, cereals, fresh fruit, the list just goes on and on. The best part is that this is included with the price of your stay. At other establishments, this kind of breakfast would cost you atleast $25-$30.

Then there is the enormous swimming pool, with layout chairs all around that allow you to relax and look out at the beautiful Aegean Sea. For lunch, you can walk over to the Aqua e Sole poolside restaurant for great salads, sandwiches and other entrees. The food in general at the Mykonos Grand, including the dinner at their other restaurant, Dolphins of Delos, is much better than anything you will find in the over-crowded touristy city center. Take my advice and stay at the hotel for delicious meals with a great view!

Guests of the Mykonos Grand have access to a private beach, where the water is the most beautiful you will find on the entire island. Crisp, clean, crystal-blue water all around you!

If you feel the urge to do something other than swim or relax by the pool, the Mykonos Grand offers tennis, an amazing first-class spa facility and fitness center, free internet access in the main lobby area, free movie screenings, and so much more. The bus stop to go into the Mykonos city center is conveniently located a few minutes away from the hotel.

Aside from all of this, what really makes your stay at the Mykonos Grand unforgettable is the family who owns it. Though they have an extraordinary team of employees to handle the day-to-day tasks of running the hotel, they are always right there beside them, helping to bring in luggage, setting up tables in the dining area, and personally picking up guests from the port who forget to inform the hotel ahead of time of their arrival time into Mykonos ;-) Thank you Theodore!!!! (Yes, the hotel even offers complimentary pick-up and drop-off to the port). It is this kind of personal attention and hospitality that will make you want to return to the Mykonos Grand again and again!

They pretend a lot

by A TripAdvisor Member

Mykonos Grand. ‘They pretend a lot’

We stayed with my wife for 3 weeks at Mykonos during our extended vacation – 10 days at Mykonos Grand and another 10 – at Mykonian Ambassador.

The Grand is a nice place but do not expect a lot when you go there.

The sea is not near and the view is always atop the grey flat concrete roof of a building beneath. Most of the ‘Grand’ sea view rooms on the right wing of the hotel have a nice view on a telegraph pole with wires and box (a transformer ?) attached to the top.

Also - there is no privacy at all. Your balcony is observed from above, from beneath, and from the sides.. Of course it depends and your neighbors could be nice - but we we were unhappy to have one who had probably caught cold and was constantly coughing, snoring and making almost every natural sound that a human can produce. Also, be sure that every word you say will be heard once the balcony door is open.

But I would say that above is typical for all Mykonian hotels built on the coast - hotel buildings and suites form a terrace above the sea.

Still, there are some particular ‘Grand’ features that I want to put in ‘Be Aware Of’ list.

So, staying at Grand, BE AWARE OF:

1. The arch. This arch that is in the middle of the room is a nice example of Cycladic architecture. But the Grand designer went further – so the ends of the arch in our room did not end in the wall or in the floor - they formed 2 decorative stone ledges some 1,2-1,3 meters above the floor. My wife was unlucky to place her bag right under such ledge – so, one day she bent to take something from her bag, straightened out - and stroke her head right to the stone. We used our insurance policy and she was brought to the city hospital where x-ray was made.. The diagnosis was ‘minor head injury’. Next 3 –4 days she had a headache and nausea - but it could have been worse. And a child will surely be hurt even without bending but simply walking by.

2. The small table. It is right on the way to the balcony, has a metal frame with sharp brass squares attached to its angles. You can easily hurt your leg when you walk nearby. I noticed this at once, told it to my wife and we were always keeping this in mind passing this dangerous piece of furniture... Still, I hurt my leg somehow! I thought that the sea water in hotel’s pool will make it heal faster but alas.

3. Water in the hotel’s pool. It is said to be ‘sea water’ – in fact it is something more. I don’t know what they add there – some salts or chlorine – but it does not heal but corrodes small wounds, and eyes. So be sure to have your swimming glasses on when you go to their pool.

4. The breakfast. At breakfast, they ask your room number and put it in the list. Guess why ? So that you do not come to eat their wonderful breakfast twice. Be sure that one never will. Flies, juice diluted with water, inedible biscuits. They make fried eggs in your presence but I simply ran away and never approached: the substance they use for frying is whatever but butter, I guess that it is some stinking grease or used oil left from several rounds of chips.

5. Electricity breakdowns. They happened several times during our stay and lasted for 20-30 seconds. This can be fun for some, but in case you are working with Internet or laptop, be sure to save your files.

6. The Spa. Ask everything beforehand in case you really want to relax, otherwise it will turn to a test of your stoicism. My wife tried yoghurt and honey body mask – so, after the warm honey, they took the yoghurt right from the fridge. Maybe this cardiovascular and stress test was helpful – but we expected something different.

7. Personnel. They are nice, they are gentle, be sure that they start learning Icelandic in case you are from Iceland, they greet you with happy smiles every time you pass by… They do - until the last day. The day when you depart they treat you like a fly or worse. After checking out and paying all bills, we called down and asked to come and bring our luggage down. Ok, they said, in 5 minutes we will be there… The hotel guy arrived in 20 minutes. He entered our room and rushed … no, not to our suitcases – to the minibar, opened it and started shouting: “One Cola ! One water ! Two chocolates ! They are missing !” Well, we said, we have just paid for the minibar, this is all in the bill. Then this gentleman called the reception and started checking whether we really paid. Well yes we did. We even paid for extra bottle of water (a 300 ml plastic bottle, by the way, costs 3,00 Euro there). I understand that it may be his duty to check the minibar – but this could have been done in a more polite and friendly manner - or in our absence.

Finally, he did us a favor and brought our luggage down. When we arrived at another hotel, I found that my cell-phone, which was in the side pocket of my bag (!), is broken - there was a crack in the glass. I traveled with this phone a lot, dropped it, sat on it, stepped on it but with no effect - so the guy really made a great effort. It was his luck that I discovered it when we already left Grand - he would have surely lost his job otherwise.

To resume: Grand could be nice if you know some things beforehand (hope this review helps); it could even come as pleasant surprise in case your expectations are low.

But it is certainly not luxury hotel, although they pretend a lot.

I Agree - This is Pure Luxery

by TripAdvisor Member monarchtravel

What a lovely surprise awaits you when you step into the lobby of this hotel and peak out at the view. And it only gets better as you proceed to your room. The staff is the most pleasant and helpful I have ever experianced at a hotel. They always seem to know who you are and are extremely accomodating. The breakfasts which were included in our stay were amazing. Small private beach with lounges and umbrellas make for a pleasant beach experiance away from all of the crowds. I would highly recommend this if you want to be away from all of the noise and crowds of downtown Mykonos. There is a bus stop about a two minute walk away which then takes you downtown to all of the night life and shopping. Very convenient, and what a relief to escape from the crowds to your own little bit of heaven when you are ready to be pampered.

Great hotel at reasonable price

by TripAdvisor Member acolaco

We stayed at this hotel right after a stay at Katikies in Santorini, so we were a bit worried that this place would not live up to the same standards. Thankfully, this hotel was beautiful. We booked a deluxe room, which was huge and had a balcony overlooking the pool. There was also a sauna/steam shower in our room! Breakfast was included in the rate, and was a full menu consisting of hot and cold breakfast foods and an omelette station - not the continental breakfast you normally get at other places. The pool was spectacular, with plenty of chairs for lounging and sunbathing. The crowd is typical for Mykonos - young couples, young singles, and some families - but maybe a bit more upscale than you might find elsewhere.

As far as location, he hotel is situated on its own beach, and is also only a 5 minute bus ride to Ornos Beach, which is really popular and happening. The bus stop is literally steps away from the hotel's front entrance, and you can buy bus tickets in advance at the little convenience store on the corner. The ride to Mykonos Town is about 15 minutes, so we went into town everyday for lunch and dinner.

This hotel also has a full service spa, including a couples suite for massages, which my wife and I enjoyed thoroughly. Prices are comparable to those in any upscale spa. The gym is not as nice as a private gym, but nice by hotel standards.

Service was great here too. When we were checking out, they even let us stay in our room until 6pm, free of charge, since our flight did not depart until 7:45pm - and the transfers to/from the seaport and airport were complimentary.

In our opinion, Santorini is nicer than Mykonos (same goes for the hotels there), but it depends what you are looking for, and comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges. We enjoyed our stay here, and would say that overall, it was a very nice experience!

Mykonos, Greece

by lashr1999

Mykonos is one of the smallest of the Cyclades Islands of Greece. It is only 7 miles wide and 10 miles long. Greek mythology suggests that the huge rocks around the island are really the remains of the last giants which Hercules killed. When stepping off the ship at the port, walk along the waterfront. Here, you may see the town’s mascot Petro’s the Pelican. Petros was left behind when a group of migrating birds passed the island in the 1950’s. The bird was too exhausted to fly with his friends. Fisherman found him and nursed him back to health. The original Petros has passed but the locals keep replacing him with different pelicans to continue the story. The current version is a very large bird. I watched him from a distance. Costa was the only one from our group to go up close to him. When walking through Mykonos you may fall in love with the white washed streets, the blue domed churches and the cubical houses. It is said that the long winding streets around the island were built to confuse invading pirates. Today, when wandering the streets, you may find an unexpected shop or place to relax. If you get tired of walking sit down at a coffee shop, drink some ice coffee and watch as the people pass by. The southern part of the island is where you can see the famous windmills. I, Kelly and Luke had to try a Gyro along the way. We continued to walk around, then found the store that sells bus tickets to Paradise beach. I, Kelly, Luke, Costa, Allie, Amy and Blair brought a ticket to go on the bus to the beach. There are a dozen or so beaches on the island. Paradise beach and Super Paradise beach are 2 of the designated nude beaches on the island. When we arrived there were a couple of topless girls on the sand. The sand on the beach is tan and pebbly. The water was blue and clear. You could even see small fish swimming in the water. We waded in the water then took in some sun for awhile. I kept me wallet and ship boarding pass in Kelly’s purse to keep it from getting wet. On the boardwalk near the beach there are many bars with lively people dancing in them. It was only the early evening and the party had just begun. There was a guy in a thong attracting attention and groups of ladies and people dancing. It’s too bad we had to head back early since the last bus back to the city center was at 8 PM. I would have liked to have seen how it gets at night.

Mykonos, Greece

by SWFC_Fan

"Greece's most cosmopolitan island!"

Where?

The cosmopolitan Greek island of Mykonos is located in the north east of the Cyclades group of islands.

It lies to the east of Delos and Tinos and to the north of Naxos and Paros.

How to get there?

Mykonos is connected by air to Athens and to other Greek islands. Regular flights operated by Olympic Airways and Aegean Airways make the short journey (45 minutes) from Athens to Mykonos. It is also possible to fly directly to Mykonos from other European cities as part of a package holiday on the island.

As well as flights there are also regular ferry connections with Athens. It is possible to catch a hydrofoil or ferry to the Athenian ports of Piraeus and Rafina.

There are also many boats each day connecting Mykonos with the other islands in the Cyclades and with other Greek islands further afield. I visited Mykonos as a daytrip from Paros. The journey time from Paros to Mykonos is 1 hour by ferry or a mere 30 minutes by hydrofoil. The distance is similar between Mykonos and Naxos and Tinos.

"What is there to see and do?"

Mykonos attracts a very diverse crowd from all over the world. It is famed for its beaches, its party scene and in particular its reputation as a gay and lesbian hangout.

I visited Mykonos for just half a day as a trip from Paros and did not see any of the beach resorts, only Mykonos Town. In September it was free of the huge summer crowds but was still noticeably busier than many of the other islands that I visited.

Mykonos Town's harbour bustles with activity but is more relaxed and laid-back rather than hectic. A number of bars, restaurants and shops line the harbour, while many small colourful fishing boats are tied up at the water's edge. Mykonos has the feeling of a "proper" Greek island - the postcard-pretty appearance and the relaxing pace of life.

There is an area of Mykonos Town known as "Little Venice". Here the water reaches right up to the balconies of the seaside homes and a number of expensive eating and drinking establishments can be found. This is a particularly atmospheric part of the town and it makes for good photographs, but if you're on a budget eat elsewhere where you're not paying for the nice views!

Another famous sight in Mykonos Town is the row of windmills that stand upon a hill overlooking the town. About half a dozen white-washed windmills stand in a row. They are no longer functioning windmills, but rather appear to have been converted into homes. From the hill there is a great view to the "Little Venice" area of the town.

The church of Our Lady Paraportiani is worth a visit. My guidebook refers to it as "perhaps the finest example of traditional architecture in the Cyclades". It is actually five churches joined together and it displays the characteristic white-washed appearance that is common in this part of Greece.

Beyond its glamorous, upmarket waterfront Mykonos Town hides a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets with blue and white houses, more bars and restaurants and some of the best shopping in the Cyclades.

"Anything else?"

A few observations from my few hours on Mykonos:

Mykonos' famous pelican

Mykonos' most famous resident is perhaps the pelican that can be found in and around the harbour area. It was to be found on the sand near the fishing boats on the day that I visited. The pelican appears to be an unofficial mascot of the island and can be found on postcards and other souvenirs.

Shirley Valentine's island

The gorgeous beaches and the picturesque views in the film Shirley Valentine actually exist on the island of Mykonos. Alas, I didn't get to visit the beach here but many holidaymakers each year do!

Waterfront prices

Understandably, prices in the bars and restaurants on the waterfront around the harbour (and particularly in the Little Venice area) are considerably higher than those found in the establishments away from the water's edge. If you're prepared to pay for the views and the atmosphere then this is definitely the place to enjoy your evening meal and a few drinks. I chose to pay considerably less than half these prices for a couple of beers from an unpretentious bar on one of the town's narrow side streets.