One&Only Kea Island

As big fans of the brand, we were naturally very excited to try this hotel. The design of the whole resort is incredible on the eye, and it has been carved into the hillside extremely well. The bay views were amazing to wake up to everyday, and the sunsets were typically beautiful! Special shoutout to whoever designed the spa, it is absolutely one of if not the best hotel spa I’ve ever been to. The villa really is exceptional, the design, the functionality, the space, the amenities, all are genuinely world class. The bed and pillows were some of the comfiest I’ve ever slept on, even when compared with the likes of Four Seasons beds (which are the gold standard of hotel beds) All of the staff were genuinely helpful and really friendly but nothing over the top which is the way it should be (nothing felt forced). Reading some of the reviews beforehand I was a little worried about the buggy service, but actually it worked very well, we were never waiting for longer than 10 minutes, most turned up in 5-10 mins. The food was of a very good quality, and we had some exceptional meals here (particularly loved eating basque cheesecake at breakfast … why don’t more hotels do this!) The complimentary activities were a really good touch, I would love to see more O&O hotels around the world curate such activities for their guests, because it was a brilliant addition. We particularly enjoyed the wine tasting and the cocktail masterclass. Even little things like a knock on the door on our first night, the staff had sent a complimentary cheese board and a bottle of wine (on top of the welcome champagne / chocolates in the room) … this was very much appreciated. A few suggestions for improvement: My one criticism of the food offering was that we’d have liked more variety on the menu, particularly at the pool bar. I appreciate we were out of season and during the summer there was a better food offering, but this hotel is still very expensive, even in off season. Think they were missing a trick with no pizzas either, we have had some wonderful pizzas at other O&Os around the world. The hairdryer in the room was pretty flimsy, at the O&O in the Maldives, Mauritius & Montenegro they were all new Dyson hairdryers … given this resort is pretty new, we expected this to also be the same but we were disappointed with what was on offer. The pool (main pool and villa pool) were just too cold to go in! I’m not exaggerating here but they were the same temperature as the cold plunge in the spa (which I went in) … again, I appreciate it’s out of season, but the temperature was still 23 degrees celsius and the weather was sunny, I’d have liked to have been able to at least use the villa pool (particularly given it had a fantastic view). The resort charges a lot of money even in off season, and offers a magnificent villa with a brilliant pool, but what’s the point in having this brilliant private pool if you can’t use it? Nonetheless, we really enjoyed our stay and would recommend a stay to anyone considering! We hope to return in the future (hopefully via helicopter next time …)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An Exceptional Spa Experience – Pure Relaxation We had an absolutely wonderful experience at the spa. From the moment we arrived, everything was perfect. The girls were incredibly kind, warm, welcoming and professional, making us feel comfortable and truly cared for throughout our visit. The atmosphere was simply beautiful — peaceful, elegant and ideal for complete relaxation. All the facilities were exceptional and impeccably clean. The sauna, steam room and pools were all wonderful and perfectly maintained. Everything was designed to help you slow down, relax and forget about everyday life. A very special mention to the two wonderful therapists who gave us a 60-minute massage. They were absolutely amazing. Their professionalism, kindness and skill made the experience truly unforgettable. For those 60 minutes, they managed to make us completely disconnect from reality and simply let go. It was exactly what we were looking for. A huge thank you to the entire spa team for creating such a beautiful and relaxing experience. We left feeling completely refreshed, relaxed and happy. An exceptional spa, wonderful facilities and an amazing team. We will definitely be back!

We had an absolutely amazing stay at Kea Island and cannot wait to go back! The resort itself is beautiful with breathtaking views all around. We loved our villa and its exquisite design with so much marble and wood and incredible views from our private pool. It’s a very peaceful place perfect for relaxation and the beach club is great for swimming in the protected beach and having a nice time. The spa is huge and has great amenities and facilities especially an indoor and outdoor pool with more incredible views. As beautiful as the resort is, what stood out the most was the team of people. Starting with Kelly, the GM, who was so kind and lovely and checked in with us to make sure we were having a great time. She is a very special person and her leadership shines through the entire resort and creates a culture of kindness and true luxury hospitality. Our host Elli gave us the warmest welcome and took us on a tour of the property. Elli is an amazing person and we appreciated how sweet she was and how well she took care of us with little surprises and also she escorted us during our departure to our speedboat and provided a very special departure ritual and the warmest goodbye. Every single person we interacted with was very friendly and helpful but some really stand out, starting with Kalliopi at the beach club. Kalliopi was so sweet and so kind every single day, always with a genuine smile and warm heart and took amazing care of everything. She is a very bright light. Konstantinos at Atria restaurant was also amazing and so kind and helpful every night. He is a wonderful person and made our dinner experiences feel special. Tanya at breakfast was also so sweet and provided exceptional service and was always so happy to see us. Josefina and all the ladies at breakfast were wonderful and took great care of us every morning. Finally, Argyro at the boutiques was very lovely and a pleasure to talk to and so helpful with the purchases I made. This is an exceptional resort with a very special team of people and I highly recommend it and will tell everyone about it!

Amazing location overlooking the sea from the top of a hill. Beautiful spacious rooms (only suites), which are scattered between the top of the hill where the main hotel facilities are located (lobby, restaurant, swimming pool, …), and the sea. As a consequence, you cannot go by walk from your room to the lobby, or to the beach, because the slope is steep, so you need to send a WhatsApp message to get a buggy take you up. Generally working smoothly, but it means you are dependent on them to move out from your room. Exemples to show that service quality is not overwhelming: 1) It took us 50 f…… minutes to get our luggage after we arrived. This is totally unacceptable, all the more as I missed an important visio as I couldn’t get hold of my computer because of such poor service. We’ve complained to the duty manager, who gave us her apologies…. 2) The day after, at 9:55am, they send me on WhatsApp the schedule of restaurants reservations, with the timing of bookings, and then… at 5:02pm the same day, they ask me “what time would you like us to arrange your reservation?” When I reply with a screenshot of their own schedule, showing that the reservation seems to have already been made, the answer I get is “absolutely Mr Vincent”… 3) At the swimming pool at around 10:30am, no one to welcome you. The “lifeguard” remains seated…. When we discover that a leg of the bed where we are is broken, we mention that to the lifeguard, who answers he is the life guard and cannot do anything for us. At some point in time, I want to move the umbrella to get some more shade. The lifeguard, of course remaining seated, asks me loudly if I need help, over the head of two guests seated in between for their lunch. Well… Yes I need help, I would also have appreciated that he stood up spontaneously when he saw me. In my wildest dreams he could also have proposed me to move the umbrella once it was obvious that we were no longer protected from the sun. Anyway, either the hotel needs to add someone by the pool, or train their lifeguard with the basics of guest services in a 5 star hotel. 3) A couple of days later, while in our room with the “do not disturb” sign: two workers knock on the door. They bring a marble slab to replace a broken one in our room (which I hadn’t noticed). I let them in as they told me they only needed a a couple of minutes (which was true). However, I thought the “do not disturb” sign was supposed to mean something… Our stay was great, again staff is very friendly (the drivers of the Land Rover in particular), but the overall service quality can be improved.

The most gorgeous, incredibly romantic stay. We arrived by boat from One&Only Aesthesis in Athens. From the moment we arrived, the staff were incredible. We got to main reception and went through check in swiftly. Our villa (106) was near reception and on top of the hill. It was so stunning with 180 degree horizon to horizon views over the Aegean Sea. The room was so beautiful. Perched on the cliff side, four areas - living room, bedroom, bathroom / dressing area and then pool / outdoor terrace. A/C was superb, all the details perfect (though more coffee capsules for the Nespresso machine needed for us!!!). We had dinner the first evening at Atria - they had a visiting Michelin star Asian chef to complement their resident 2-star chef - incredible dinner. Breakfast the next day was taken in a delightful courtyard with three areas for fruit / cheese buffet, coffee / pastries, and then hot food - delicious. Bond beach club has a lovely beach - massive shout out for beach manager Rafa who was superb. The only downside is it can get windy, but that’s just a natural thing with Greece’s early August Meltemi wind. We were sad to leave (by heli - highly recommended). During the stay I fell even more in love with my partner, if that’s even possible. Oh, plus great celebrity watching - one of the world’s most famous and brilliant fashion designers was there when we were there but testament to the fact that the clientele are so chilled, no-one was making a fuss!!!