The Leading Hotels of the World flagship of the Myconian Collection, 111 rooms and suites tiered up the hillside above Elia Beach, built by the family that has shaped Mykonos hotelkeeping since 1979.
"Proof that family-owned can still mean five-star discipline. Nearly five decades after George Daktylides built his first hotel, the Imperial is the most quietly competent address above Elia, and its Thalasso Spa is the reason wellness-minded couples pick it over showier south-coast names."
The Myconian Collection traces back to 1979, when George Daktylides and his wife Eleftheria opened Kohili, the island's first private hotel outside Mykonos Town. Their four sons, Panos, Markos, Vangelis and Marios, now run fourteen Mykonos properties under family management, and the Myconian Imperial at Elia is one of the portfolio's two Leading Hotels of the World members, sharing the hillside with its sister flagship, the Royal Myconian.
The 111 keys, 101 rooms and 10 suites, are tiered up the south-facing hillside above Elia Beach, the longest sandy beach on Mykonos. Classic rooms start at a compact 28 square metres and face the gardens rather than the water, worth knowing before you book the entry category. Superior and Premium sea-view rooms step up from there, many with an outdoor jacuzzi or private pool; Executive and Grand Executive suites add open-plan interiors and private pools of their own. The whitewashed Cycladic register, warm wood and stone anchoring the white, runs throughout.
The dining programme covers the day in stages: Meltemi for breakfast, Nostos for poolside lunch, Celebrities for the Greek-Mediterranean a la carte dinner, Sishu for sushi, and the Eros Veranda Bar for everything in between. The Thalasso Spa Centre, the second half of the resort's official name, is the genuine differentiator: seawater-based thalassotherapy circuits and treatment pools give the Imperial a wellness anchor most Mykonos beach resorts simply do not have. The twin-pool terrace above the beach handles the lazier hours.
Service runs at the level the Leading Hotels of the World certification demands, and the operating culture is genuinely owner-led rather than corporate; this is a house guests rebook year after year, a loyalty LHW itself remarks on. The honest trade-off is position: Elia sits 11 kilometres from Mykonos Town and 12 kilometres, about 20 minutes, from the airport, and the hotel's shuttle into town runs at an additional cost. What you get in exchange is one of the quieter coves on the south coast and the island's longest stretch of sand directly below.
For Mykonos honeymoons that prioritise wellness and beach time over Mykonos Town nightlife, the Imperial is the answer; Leading Hotels describes it as a long-standing favourite of island-hopping honeymooners, and the room mix backs that up. Book an Executive suite with private pool, take the thalasso circuit slowly, and let Sishu handle the sunset dinner. Elia below is the island's longest sandy beach.
A Mykonos anniversary at the Imperial calibrates well at the milestone level. The Grand Executive suite with private pool is the booking that feels like an occasion; the Thalasso Spa programme anchors the daytime; Celebrities does the dinner. And because this is a family-run house rather than a flag, returning couples tend to be recognised, the kind of continuity international brands struggle to fake.
For Mykonos family holidays the Imperial is one of the island's more considered options: the Myconian Collection itself files it under its spacious-luxury tier and recommends it for families and groups. Superior rooms and suites sleep three, Elia's long sand sits directly below, and jet-skiing, parasailing and wake-boarding cover the teenagers. Note that beach loungers and service run at an additional cost.
Elia Beach
846 00 Mykonos
Greece
12 km (about 20 min) from JMK Airport; Mykonos Town 11 km, hotel shuttle at extra cost
111 keys: 101 rooms, 10 suites
Classic rooms (28 sqm, garden view)
Superior & Premium sea-view rooms, many with jacuzzi or private pool
Executive & Grand Executive suites with private pools
Seasonal resort, confirm dates when booking
Owned and run by the Daktylides family
Part of the Myconian Collection (14 hotels)
Leading Hotels of the World member
Thalasso Spa Centre
Celebrities (Greek-Mediterranean)
Sishu (sushi) · Nostos (lunch)
Meltemi (breakfast) · Eros Veranda Bar
Twin-pool terrace
Direct access to Elia Beach
Mykonos Town shuttle (extra cost)
Pool and jacuzzi sea-view categories are the first to sell out for July and August, so book those well ahead. The shoulder weeks either side of peak season bring lower rates, a quieter beach, and a calmer spa.
Check Availability →The Marriott Luxury Collection beachfront on Ornos Bay with Buddha-Bar Beach and a private peninsula.
The Daktylides family's villa-led Preferred Hotels & Resorts property next door to the Imperial above Elia Beach.
Aris Konstantinidis's Cycladic-modernist resort above Psarou Beach, run by Grecotel.
Off peak pricing, suite upgrades, and subscriber only offers, flagged only when the value is real.