Hotel review: Mystique, Santorini (Greece)

Wednesday newsletters always feature a luxury hotel and/or flight review.

Today (May 25, 2014): Mystique, a Luxury Collection Resort (Santorini, Greece).

Location: Google Maps
Hotel website: Mystique
Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso

Celebrating the finer pleasures in life, Mystique is a sensual experience on the sun-drenched isle of Santorini. Situated on Oia’s famous cliffs, the stylish Mystique features dazzling views of clear blue crystalline waters, the volcano, and the Aegean Caldera. Surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful scenery, the resort’s island-style design pays homage to nature in a climate of unabashed luxury. The 35 suites and villas provide a sensorial experience in surroundings of understated elegance, with lovingly handcrafted from wood, local stone, and glass with enticing patterns carved into the walls. Antique textiles and plump, luxurious towels will wrap you in their warmth and comfort. Guests swim in the infinity plunge pools, grab a cocktail at the bar, head to the secret wine cave for a ceremonial wine tasting, and then dine at Charisma Greek or Asea Japanese Restaurant.

Mystique Santorini features in my top 10 list of the best hotels in Santorini, the best hotels in Greece, and the world’s most spectacular cliffside hotels.

Have you ever stayed at Mystique Greece? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.

In this review (more info below the slideshow):

Pros & things I like
Cons & things to know
My verdict
Tips for future guests & save money
Best time to visit
How to get there
Photos

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PROS & THINGS I LIKE

The location of the hotel is excellent, on the rim of the caldera, about 100 meters from the start of the main pedestrian street through Oia. To reach that street, you have to walk through another narrow street with some traffic, but this is not dangerous at all.

The mesmerizing and unobstructed views are absolutely breathtaking and beyond imagination (as is the case with most other Santorini hotels that are located on the crater rim).

The island-style resort design is awesome and preserves the nature in a climate of unabashed luxury built in one of the world’s most beautiful sceneries.

The rooms are spacious, very luxuriously decorated, and all come with large terraces to take in the views. A few rooms have an outside hot tub, while all the others feature indoor hot tubs. Beds are very soft and large, and linens are of excellent quality.

The staff is extremely friendly & helpful, and will go the extra mile to make your stay as memorable as possible.

Food at the hotel is delicious. Both dinners and breakfasts are served at the outside restaurant, which offers amazing views. You can also have your breakfast served at your room for a more intimate setting. Dinners are expensive though (about 140 euros for 2 people, excluding wine), a little more expensive as compared the other upscale restaurants in Oia.

Cobblestone pathways lead to the plunge pool, which is surrounded by sun beds for the utmost relaxations. The pool is small, but not smaller than the pools of the other luxury hotels in Oia.

CONS & THINGS TO KNOW

The hotel is almost perfect, but there are some minor issues that you need to beware of:

You cannot watch the sunset from the hotel. In fact, the last rays of sun will enlighten the hotel about 1 hour before sunset.

There are many stairs in the hotels, as is the case with every cliff hotel in Santorini. This could pose a problem for older or disabled people.

Santorini can be extremely hot in summer, and the hotel rooms’ terraces do not provide a lot of shade.

MY VERDICT

Location: 9/10
Design: 8/10
Rooms: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Overall experience: very good: 8,4/10

TIPS FOR FUTURE GUESTS & SAVE MONEY

Save money: get complimentary VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and one wine tasting for two at Secret Wine Cave per stay). Booking via Virtuoso will still earn you Marriott Bonvoy points.

Save money: Marriott Bonvoy elite members are well treated here, with – among other benefits – free WiFi, a room upgrade (when available), early check-in or late check-out (when available), and complementary breakfast (for top tier members). Read here my review of Marriott Bonvoy.

Save money: book your room with an additional 20% off making use of a Best Rate Guarantee.

Save money: Read my tips for getting the best deal at a luxury resort like Mystique.

Tip for sunset-watchers: do not go the castle in Oia where hundred of people are watching the sunset. Instead, turn right when you reach the street above the hotel, and follow the path for aboth 200 meters: the view is breathtakingly beautiful, as you watch the sun set in the sea above the village of Oia.

Read my tips for preparing your trip in time.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The best time to visit Santorini is spring and fall when the weather’s warm and the crowds are few. Like all of the Cyclades, Santorini welcomes the most visitors during the summer, so if you’ll need to make your reservations at least two months in advance to travel then.

HOW TO GET THERE

Mystique is located 20 km from Athinios Port and 18 km from Santorini Airport. The latter is served by most European charters and some full-service and low-cost airlines in tourist season (click here for a direct link to their websites), but has no direct overseas connections.