This is my third time staying at the Belvedere and I cannot wait to go back. I stayed there between Aug 17-22, 2004 with my boyfriend who was enjoying his first time in Mykonos. As I expected the Belvedere and Mykonos was his favorite part of our summer vacation.

This is definitely the best hotel in Mykonos Town. There are other luxury “resort hotels” but they are in outlying areas far from the main town. The Belvedere offers you the same experience, but puts you right in the middle of all the action as well. It really is the best of both worlds. I don’t understand how a reviewer below mentions a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel to the town. The hotel’s pool is about 20 feet above the main town (and offers a stellar view of the sunset) all one needs to do is walk down a few steps and they would be in one of the main Squares of the town, Lakka. From there Little Venice and the old port are each a 10 minute walk (in opposite directions) The hotel really is in the centre of everything. Also, even after a long night out partying, you are never far from the hotel no matter where in the town you might be and there is no need to waste time looking for near-impossible to find taxi at 5 am just to get back home.
Now if you are young and you use your hotel room simply as a place to crash between parties this hotel is not for you – save your money! The Belvedere is one of those hotels that are fun to hang out in. They have bed-size mattresses around the pool – and while this pool isn’t Olympic size, it is pretty huge by Mykonos standards. If you don’t want to trek to the beach, the pool is a great alternative. Very few hotels on the island can say the same.

Poolside drinks and food are very pricey, but no more than at any other hotel in the Leading Small Hotels of the World group. It’s kind of annoying when hotels charge more for something just because they can, but that’s life I guess. No one is forcing you to spend 15 Euro on a drink, and there is no sense of an obligation from the staff either as is sometimes the case in other hotels. It is a service they provide for those who are interested. Staff is very attentive and helpful and they routinely have themed parties (usually a white party) at the end of summer which is always a lot of fun. There is also a Nobu restaurant on the grounds which is great for the special occasions. Japanese cousine is not so easy to find on Mykonos island so Nobu is a nice change.

Clientele tend to be in their late 20s and early 30s on average but I am always surprised to find older people and families staying at the hotel as well. It does have a very “South Beach” atmosphere, definitely geared towards younger people.

This was the first time in Mykonos that I would regularly have breakfast . (Usually I’d go to bed at 7 AM and get up around 1 PM) but this trip was not so much about partying as relaxing. I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast at the Belvedere. “American Buffet” breakfast was included in the cost of our stay, and we were given a discount for paying in advance which I never do, but what with the Olympics going on and all I thought it best to play it safe (and save some money too). So I woke up every morning to warm chocolate cake! Besides that the breakfast area is very pretty and relaxing (and reminiscent of the Guanahani in St Barth’s) It was a wonderful way to start the day.

A word about the rooms: Though the “garden view” rooms are cheaper than the standard and higher class rooms (partially because they don’t have a balcony and a view), they offer a number of advantages: Most importantly their location in the lower parts of the hotel (below street level) keeps all the street noise away. You don’t get a cool looking flat LCD tv, but you shouldn’t be spending much time watching TV in Mykonos anyway. Also, its been my experience that garden view rooms are bigger than the standard and higher class rooms (though this is not always the case I am told). My boyfriend and I were upgraded to standard room for our first night in the hotel. Being tired from a shaky boat ride from Santorini we were looking forward to our siesta upon arrival. We had the hardest time sleeping due to all the noise from the street outside. (remember its all about the motor-bikes in Greece.) We couldn’t wait to be downgraded to our regular rooms.

In all the Belvedere is truly an experience. Easily the best hotel experience (along with Mykonos being the very best vacation destination) that I’ve had. Personally, I am already looking forward to my next stay at the Belvedere and I would without hesitation recommend it to anyone looking for the best hotel on the island.

Everything about the Belvedere was amazing. I was arranging some special activities for a Birthday and must have send well over a dozen emails and the staff was wonderful. They helped me setup some great surprises including dinner at Nobu. We had a VIP Suite and the view was really right out of the brochures (read superb). The service was also great. The spa was also great and because they were a few minutes late, sent us champagne at dinner. All in all, a great hotel which I have already suggested to many friends.

This is a favorate of my travel agent, whom I completely trust and who has always led me to the best small intimate hotels around the world. Again, he was right. My wife and I loved the rooms, the view, the pool, the whole Mediteranean outpost scene. It was somewhat trendier than our usual selections and judging by the ultra cool and attractive staff, dressed in all white linens, and the club chill beats playing from the pool lounge nearly 24 hours a day, I suspect this is one of those favorate places for the euro fashionistas. But, I greatly appreciated that there was no major attitude towards us regular Yanks just trying to get a little R&R and see the isles. Also, lots of honeymoon couples from everywhere. Understandable - the place resonates sultry romance with a pleasant undercurrent of decadence and a dash of cool attitude.Favorite: Sitting on our balcony overlooking the pool, watching the ferries come in and out of the harbor, listening to the beat from the pool lounge and the sounds of parties going on somewhere out there at 2am.Most Annoying: Getting moved aside for the photo shoot for the Belvedere web site. They could have at least asked us to pose along with the models - after all we look like guests (cause we were guests). And is that slick-grungy male model on the website really supposed to represent the clientele they want to attract? Hmmmm....Funniest: Watching a giant pelican (no kidding) get kicked (literally) out of a bar in town. Looked like he was used to getting thrown out, but pissed off nontheless. Shouldn't a pelican be more inetersted in fish than booze?Best Cultural: The day-trip to the ruins of Delos. A must see!!! Take dramamine.

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