Santa Marina, A Luxury Collection Resort

The Hotel

Santa Marina occupies a private peninsula on Ornos Bay, not a beach access, not a section of public waterfront, but an actual peninsula with its own sandy beach that no other guest on the island can reach without a boat. This is Mykonos's only genuinely private beach, and the Marriott Luxury Collection built an entire resort around the fact of it. It is a fact worth building around.

One hundred and fourteen rooms, suites, and bungalows occupy the hillside above the beach, with twelve exclusive villas at the top, each a fully equipped private home with its own pool, kitchen, and butler service. Two infinity pools overlook the bay. A tennis court, a fully equipped gym, and a spa round out the facilities that were clearly designed by someone who expected guests to stay rather than leave.

The Buddha-Bar Beach is a full operation: the world's first iteration of the concept, a beach club with an international music programme, a cocktail list that takes its job seriously, and food that goes beyond what beach clubs usually bother with. It runs through summer and is as much a destination for day visitors as for hotel guests, though guests, naturally, have priority.

The Elais restaurant celebrates Greek cuisine with Mediterranean technique, local seafood, Cycladic produce, a wine list that knows its Greek geography. Service across the property is the Marriott Luxury Collection standard: thorough, discreet, occasionally formal. The private marina handles helicopter and yacht arrivals without visible effort, which is exactly the point.

Best Occasion Fit

Practical Information

The Beach, the Villas and the Setting

The private peninsula is the whole proposition. On an island where the best beaches are public, crowded and loud by midday, Santa Marina's own crescent of sand, reachable only through the resort or by boat, is a rare kind of quiet, and it lets the property offer a resort experience that most Mykonos hotels, wedged onto shared bays, simply cannot. Two infinity pools terrace down toward Ornos Bay, and the whole layout is angled at the sunset that Ornos is known for.

The accommodation ladder runs from hillside rooms and bungalows up to the twelve villas at the crown of the property, each a self-contained home with a private pool, kitchen and butler, which is why the resort works so well for groups, families and multi-generational celebrations that want proximity without shared walls. A spa, gym, tennis court and private marina for yacht and helicopter arrivals complete a resort clearly built for guests who intend to stay put rather than commute into Mykonos Town, though the Town and its restaurants and nightlife are only a few minutes away when you want them.

Honest Trade-offs

Santa Marina is a resource-rich resort rather than an intimate hideaway, so couples set on a small, serene boutique may prefer Katikies, Kivotos or a Santorini cave hotel. Buddha-Bar Beach brings energy, music and day-visitors, which is a plus for a celebration but a minus for anyone seeking total tranquillity, especially in peak August. Mykonos runs at eye-watering prices in high summer, and rates and food-and-drink costs here reflect it; the shoulder months of May, June, September and October deliver better value and a calmer island. For a private beach and a complete resort on Mykonos, though, it stands essentially alone.

Also Great for Bachelor/ette in Mykonos

Frequently Asked Questions