Santa Marina, a Luxury Collection Resort, Mykonos

Extremely fantastic experience. We were treated like gold every second we were on the property. Quite literally, EVERYONE on the staff at Santa Marina is outstanding in every possible fashion imaginable. The resort is gorgeous and all amenities top tier. This is the only resort with a private beach!!!! If you are looking for the best experience in Mykonos, This is the place you want to stay.

Incredible service at a truly world class resort. Great location and amenities. Private beach and breathtaking views with amazing food. Possibly the best resort that I’ve stayed at and I’ve been all over the world at 5 star accommodations.

Truly a once in a lifetime experience at the Santa Marina. Property is as amazing as it looks in the pictures, the private beach is absolutely incredible, and the rooms are spacious and immaculate. But even beyond all of that is the incredible service from the staff. By your second or third day most will recognize you and know what you’ll want from the bar / how you take your coffee etc. Stefanos and George at Oasis genuinely wanted to make sure I had the most enjoyable experience possible and made sure I never wanted for anything and that I got the most out of exploring the island. Frania at Elais brightened every breakfast with her humor. Everyone truly went above and beyond taking care of me — even for what you would expect from an elite caliber hotel.

We stayed at Santa Marina for our honeymoon. We were really excited about it. The photos looked amazing, and the hotel seemed like the perfect place for something this special. But honestly, it just didn’t feel the way it should have. What should’ve been one of the best trips of our lives left us disappointed. The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful. The setting, the views, the rooms, all of that was great. But the service? The energy? The way we were treated? It felt cold from the start. Like we weren’t really welcome. Almost like unless we were spending extra or adding charges, we didn’t matter. At check-in, interactions were already uncomfortable. Simple questions were either ignored or answered like they were doing us a favor. At one point, we asked about food allergies and got no clear answer at all. But anything that involved money? That was quick and eager. We really tried to stay positive and make the best of it. It was our honeymoon, after all. But it kept building up. By the end, we felt like our presence was more of an inconvenience than anything else. After the trip, we shared our feedback calmly and respectfully, hoping someone would care. Instead, we were told there would be no compensation. Not even an apology. Just a very cold “we will not be proceeding with any form of compensation.” That’s what stuck with us. Not the view. Not the food. That email. For a resort under the Marriott Luxury Collection name, at this price point, with this kind of branding, I expected more. We didn’t need over-the-top luxury. We just wanted a place that would make us feel celebrated and cared for. Santa Marina had the looks, but none of the warmth. And that’s not what luxury is supposed to be.

The last time I went to Mykonos was with the boys and we hooked up with a bunch of Italian nurses. It was, quite simply, epic. But I was relatively poor and I shared my 3-star hotels suite with my two friends. God knows how we survived driving around the island on our scooters pissed out of our mind. If all young men could have the same fun as we did. 20-plus years on and I returned with my family. One of the friends I originally went with, a Greek-American who fancies himself a connoisseur of all things Mykonos, said that Mykonos had changed and not for the better. WRONG. Okay, maybe it’s not the carefree destination it was of my younger years but I had no complaints about the island’s beach clubs which, as an annual summer partier in St. Tropez and Cannes I can assure you they are well on par with their South of France cousins and, gasp!, may in fact be better. YES, they’re THAT good. Great vibe, great food and, just as importantly, GREAT and FRIENDLY staff. So the hotel…. It’s a Marriot Bonvoy. Honestly, my experience with chains is generally not good. They’re too corporatized and don’t have the flexibility the smaller hotel groups have. This, frankly, blew us away. The facilities were excellent and the actual hotel layout was incredibly nice. Sure, coulda done without the stairs but they were helpful in working off some of the calories. But, seriously, the beach and beach restaurant was gorgeous the food was outstanding and the staff were among the nicest we’ve encountered. I can’t remember the category of room I had. I did find it to be on the small side. Were I to return I would definitely request something bigger. But, it was very nicely appointed and well in-line with its international peers. A particular mention for the concierge. They were superb. I admit my wife is the concierge queen and uses them extensively wherever we go. Weeks before a trip she sends emails to book restaurants, day trips, etc., and once on site she uses them to hone the experience. They were fabulous and incredibly efficient. If only all concierges could be that good. Lastly, based on my single guy experience I LOVE the town but, frankly, our dining experience at what were considered “good” in town restaurants was dismal. I don’t mind paying for good food and I particularly like Mediterranean cuisine and often have fish, but the in-town restaurants were as expensive as the beach clubs for poor food and no ambiance. Stay at the hotel and eat there instead.