The Leading Hotels of the World flagship of the Myconian Collection — 152 rooms and suites tiered up the hillside above Elia Beach, the Daktylides family's most decorated property in 45 years of Mykonian hotelkeeping.
"The hotel that proves family-owned can still mean Forbes-grade. Forty-five years and three generations of the Daktylides family later, Imperial is the most quietly competent five-star on Mykonos — and the only one whose Thalasso Spa is the reason guests book."
The Myconian Collection traces back to 1979, when the Daktylides family — patriarchs Markos and Eleni — opened the original Myconian property on the hill above Platis Gialos. Forty-five years later the collection runs ten Mykonos hotels under family management, and the Myconian Imperial at Elia is the flagship: the only Forbes-aligned property in the portfolio, the longest-tenured Leading Hotels of the World address on the island, and the property the family books their own personal events at when extended family from Athens visits.
The 152 rooms and suites are tiered up the south-facing hillside above Elia Beach, the longest stretch of sand on Mykonos. Standard Imperial Sea View rooms run 32–38 square metres with whitewashed Cycladic interiors and private terraces; Junior Suites with Private Pool (the most-booked category) add a four-by-three private plunge pool; Royal Sea View Villas are the headline two-bedroom standalone units with their own gardens and outdoor lounges. Every room faces the sea — there are no inland-view categories, which is rarer on Mykonos than first-time guests expect, and a deliberate Daktylides-family decision dating to the original 1995 Imperial build.
Three restaurants anchor the dining programme. Efisia is the principal Greek-Mediterranean kitchen with terraces stepping down toward Elia; Pavilion is the Japanese-Peruvian sushi and robata room added in the 2018 renovation; and Imperial Pool & Sea Restaurant runs all-day Mediterranean by the main pool. The Thalasso Spa — by sea-water from Elia bay piped, heated, and circulated through the property's 1,000-square-metre wellness centre — is the genuine differentiator: thalassotherapy circuits, hammam, indoor and outdoor pools, and the only Forbes-recommended spa in the Cyclades. The Royal Imperial Suite has a private spa room.
Service runs at the level the Leading Hotels of the World certification demands and the Daktylides family insist on personally. The general manager has been in role since 2015; head concierge since 2009. Three generations of the family rotate through the lobby through high season — Markos's grandchildren are now the third generation in the business — and the consequence is a property where the operating culture is genuinely owner-led rather than corporate. The position above Elia Beach (15 minutes by hotel shuttle from Mykonos Town, 10 minutes from the airport) trades vibrant nightlife proximity for one of the quieter coves on the island and the longest sandy beach the Cyclades offer.
For Mykonos honeymoons that prioritise wellness and beach time over Mykonos Town nightlife, the Imperial is the answer. Junior Suites with Private Pool are the central honeymoon booking; the Thalasso couple's circuit is included in honeymoon packages; Pavilion at sunset facing the bay is the dinner. Elia Beach below is the Cyclades' longest sand and the calmest water on the south coast.
A Mykonos anniversary at Imperial calibrates well at the milestone level. The Royal Sea View Villa is the preferred private booking; the Thalasso Spa programme is the day-time anchor; Efisia's private terrace is bookable for the dinner; and the family-ownership culture means anniversary protocols are remembered between visits in a way the international-brand competition struggles to match.
For Mykonos family holidays the Imperial is the most considered option. Royal Sea View Villas are two-bedroom; the kids' programme runs through July and August; Elia Beach is the longest, calmest, and most family-appropriate stretch on the island; and the family-ownership culture extends to children in a way the more party-orientated Mykonos addresses do not bother with.
Elia Beach
846 00 Mykonos
Greece
10 min from JMK Airport; 15 min from Mykonos Town by complimentary shuttle
152 rooms (incl. 60+ suites)
Imperial Sea View Rooms from €620/night
Junior Suite Private Pool from €1,150/night
Royal Sea View Villa from €3,400/night
Royal Imperial Suite from €5,200/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Season: late April – mid October
Founded 1995; Daktylides family ownership
Thalasso Spa 1,000 m²
Efisia (Greek-Mediterranean)
Pavilion (Japanese-Peruvian)
Imperial Pool & Sea
Direct access to Elia Beach
Leading Hotels of the World
Complimentary Mykonos Town shuttle
From €620/night. Junior Suites with Private Pool book three to four months ahead for July and August; Royal Villas six months ahead. The shoulder windows (late May, mid-September) are when service runs at its best.
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The Daktylides family's all-villa Relais & Châteaux property sister to the Imperial above Elia Beach.
Aris Konstantinidis's Cycladic-modernist resort above Psarou Beach, in continuous Grecotel ownership since 1997.