Evening Standard - ES Magazine
MAGIC MYKONOS
There are many different ways to make the most of the Greek island, says
By this point you are doubtless as bored as I am by travel pieces that begin with what a nightmare travelling is these days. So I won’t. Well not too much. All I will say, without going into details about forms/tests/ masks/visas, is that for me personally it does radically alter the destinations I am eager to get to.
Somewhere an hour or so’s flight away, a European city, currently feels almost not worth the hassle. While even the thought of spending more than six hours on a plane in the current conditions feels like an endurance test. Basically, I want somewhere where I feel like I am a long, long way from home but that I can get to in about four hours. Which brings me, relatively hassle-free, to Mykonos.
Now Mykonos may immediately conjure up images of high net worth influencers posing for pics that are about 10 per cent as fun IRL as they appear on Instagram. But, much like Ibiza, there is another, calmer, more I-just-need-to-switch-off-and-onlyspeak-to-people-very-very-occasionally kind of way. And for this purpose, a relatively new offering called Kalesma is just about perfect.
Some facts: it means ‘inviting’ in Greek. It’s about 10 minutes’ drive from the airport, but might as well be 10,000. It houses 25 sugarcube-shaped suites — all of which have a private heated pool with the best view on the island of the Aegean — that together have the feel of a Cycladic village. It has a fire pit and a great restaurant called Pere Ubu (not named after the Seventies psychedelic rock band, dad), and a pleasantly unstuffy, town square-y kind of feel. It is the sort of place you could quite happily check in to and not move until it is time to check out and go home.
But of course one should not do that. One should take a cruise to the beautiful ruins of Delos, birthplace of Apollo and current residence of lots and lots of cats who all seem to be having a great time. Head down to the town and get some dinner at one of the many amazing restaurants (I gave Kalita a whirl and would most certainly give it a whirl again). Book a sun lounger for a morning on Elia beach, and have a lunch at Alemagou. At both of the aforementioned places there is a huge variety of dishes, but I stuck largely to traditional Greek fare most of the time and did not regret it.
And yes, okay, fine, there is nightlife, with all the tight, white T-shirted and summer dress-sporting beautiful people, naffly named cocktails and throbbing house music that you could wish for. Which has, no matter how much you might not have come to party, to be done at least once. Maybe twice.
Black Tomato can arrange four nights in a suite at Kalesma from £2,975 per person, including flights with British Airways, private transfers and breakfast (blacktomato.com; 020 7426 9888)