The party destination of the season, with... windmills?!!!
We went to check out the more exclusive and intimate side of the island over at Kensho’s two different hotels.
With the English weather never guaranteed to wear our short-shorts back home, we jumped at a chance for a little VIP pampering and jumped on a plane to the Kensho hotels in Mykonos, Greece.
An island that has always been synonymous with a big party scene, relaxation and great weather.
Competing with Ibiza, their bars are heaving all summer-season long. But it’s not always about raving all night here. There’s also the quaint neighbourhood of Little Venice, where you can dine out on the waterfront to bask in the sunshine surrounded by picturesque Grecian buildings..
Quaint souvenir shops run the course of the strip, with huge windmills stretching out across the water, it’s the perfect spot to get the perfect snap.
WHAT TO DO
Wellness on your doorstep
First up, Kenshō Ornos is a boutique luxury resort with 10 suites and 25 luxury rooms, each with its own elegant design.
The experience is geared toward wellness and the attention to detail is incredible. To the point where Kensho have created their own fragrance, which they’ve customised to make candles and perfume.
There’s a Yoga & Pilates space and a huge spa area, inside a transformed cave, which offers light and sound therapy treatments.
See we told you it was relaxing! There’s even a private hire jacuzzi room.
Time to relax
In its sister property, Kenshō Psarou spa packages include LED facials, seaweed wraps and massages. Perfect to pop in for a pamper on the days the sun decides to put his hat on.
Located on the coast, the bar and restaurant area opens up directly on the hotel’s beautiful private beach.
It has an intimate and exclusive feel, with a whole bereft of attentive wait staff happy to roll out fresh towels or provide a charging station, should you want to keep up with your beachside correspondence.
FOOD AND DRINK
A fresh new menu
Staff at Kenshō Ornos are super friendly and hospitable, no request is too big or small.
They’ve just launched a new menu for the season. Offering fresh ingredients, from the freshly squeezed orange juice at breakfast to Mastika infused cocktails, all sourced locally to Greece.
Breakfast is a buffet of the most delicious morsels, from hallomi wedges and spinach pies, to all the different kinds of honey, cakes and cheeses.
The lunch and dinner menu offers local Greek flavours, with a fusion of Peruvian and Argentinian ingredients.
You can order delicious crab croquettes, octopus on hot coals and sea bass with a fennel lemon cream for lunch.
Views to die for
For dinner, we tried beetroot risotto, chimichurri steak and the prettiest desserts of chilli chocolate mousse and a velvet shiso cremeux.
All with a dinner table view, stretching out far out across the white-blue houses of Ornos town and the Aegean Sea.
(Did we forget to mention just before we arrived, Paris Hilton was enjoying a two-week stay!)
Feeling a little peckish?
Over at Kenshō Psarou Restaurant, they served up delicious cocktails all served with cute little garnishes, our Little Venice Martini was even elaborately spritzed with a plum perfume.
Their menu offers a to die for mushroom orzo risotto, a sumptuous black truffle gnocchi dish and a deconstructed lasagne that’s artfully designed to look like a bird nest!
Our best dish was their salmon and zucchini, topped with horseradish foam on a bed of avocado cream.
The word heavenly doesn’t do it justice. For sweet tooth’s, their chocolate creme brûlée looked too pretty to eat, with crumbly biscuit and a rich creamy anglaise, we scooped up every last mouthful.
PLACES TO STAY
Kenshō Ornos Hotel
Let’s start off by saying how relaxing Kenshō Ornos is! So peaceful and quiet, it’s perfect for couples wanting a break away from all the party beaches.
Just ten minutes away from Mykonos town centre, it’s a modern luxury hotel and each of the thirty-five rooms is huge!
With its own jacuzzi or mini inbuilt swimming pool built into each room’s outside decking area. There’s an iPad and mobile to borrow and use for your stay, with a living room section, two TVs and a bath that could happily fit five happy holidayers.
There are so many quirky interior fittings and fixtures, chairs hang down suspended from the ceiling and the lights are made out of bells.
Kenshō Psarou Beach Hotel
Following what felt like a perfect stay in a perfect room, we were driven a short ten minutes to the sister hotel, Kensho Psarou. Less than a year old, with twenty-nine rooms and one four bedroom villa, this hotel is directly on a private beach. Immediately we ticked our happy checklist. A DJ plays music whilst guests take a relaxing dip in the pool and relax on beach chairs.
Now for the room, wow. Just wow. We had our own private jacuzzi with a view the blue skies and sea, spanning out across Psarou. With a huge balcony area, all set in complete privacy, we drank in the luxury of a giant bedroom area, living area, and a far-stretching terrace with a panoramic beach side view.
Rooms at both hotels range in prices depending on the size and season. Leo Di Caprio only recently stayed in the hotel’s palatial four-bedroom villa. The bar and restaurant are open to all, not just hotel guests, definitely worth popping in on your next visit to Mykonos, for a decadent dine out and maybe you’ll even spot a celeb!
By Jacqui Faiman
MTV Travelled with… Kensho Luxury Hotels. Psarou starts from £334 per night on B&B basis. Ornos starts from £364 per night on B&B basis. For more information please visit: www.kenshomykonos.com