Travel: Peace and luxury on most glamorous of Greek islands, Mykonos

As I am making my way to breakfast on my first morning at the delightful Theoxenia Mykonos hotel, the receptionist asks me, quite unprompted, if the pillow on my bed is comfortable enough and if I would like a replacement.

I don’t, in fact, need a new one – my existing pillow is perfect – but it’s the thought that counts.

And it is typical of the outstanding service at Theoxenia Mykonos.

On the periphery of Mykonos Old Town (or “Chora”), this 49-room old stone hotel is located right next to the “Kato Mili”, a line of five iconic 15th-Century windmills, which are the symbol of the idyllic Greek island.

A string of attractive low buildings constructed along the water’s edge, the five-star Theoxenia Mykonos is dappled in what the locals call – with a pleasing splash of poetry – “holy light”.

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The hotel is protected by Unesco and has to remain exactly as it was when it was built in the 1960s by the celebrated post-modernist Greek architect, Aris Konstantinidis.

The restaurant at Theoxenia Mykonos is just as impressive. Executive chef Yiannis Baxevanis has crafted a wondrously imaginative menu. Never did I think that spicy cheese ice cream could be so delicious. And don’t leave without sampling the scrumptious black bread made with carib seeds.

Theoxenia Mykonos is the sort of immensely relaxing place where your day-to-day worries seem to melt off your shoulders the moment you check in.

The same could be said of Once in Mykonos, which is located 15 minutes down the coast. Like Theoxenia Mykonos, the hotel is part of the luxurious Louis Collection and can be booked through easyJet Holidays.

Carved out of a rocky mountainside as rugged as Desperate Dan’s chin, this stunning 57-room, five-star hotel was originally a private residence owned by a sports marketing millionaire (I’m clearly in the wrong game).

Once in Mykonos tumbles down the slope towards the Aegean in a cascade of appealingly irregular white cubes. It’s as if a giant is playing a messy game of dice on the hillside.

Each bedroom offers a breathtaking, uninterrupted view of the blue, blue waters of Ornos Bay, on which bob a flotilla of traditional fishing boats.

These boats provide some of the superb food served at the Infinity Restaurant. If the fresh fish is wonderful, then the meat dishes are not far behind.

One night, we enjoy a smorgasbord (wrong cuisine, I know) of grilled meats. It is so gigantic you imagine that if Hercules was challenged to finish it as his 13th Labour, even he would struggle.

Next to the Infinity Restaurant – a brilliantly conceived all-glass oblong that makes indoor dining feel like outdoors – is the, er, infinity pool.

This is ringed by sun loungers capacious enough to accommodate entire families.

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In a clever touch, four olive trees are growing in square planters built along the edge.

It breaks up the built environment and is another example of the thought that has gone into designing this exquisite hotel.

Mykonos has a name for being a party island, the sort of place where Leonardo DiCaprio and Kanye West might go to live it large.

But these two boutique hotels show that there is another, quieter side to the island.

At the supremely tranquil Once in Mykonos, for example, the only sound likely to disturb you is the occasional bleat of a lonely goat on a nearby outcrop of rocks.

The Wi-Fi password at Once in Mykonos is “My Happy Place”.

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

P.S. Once in Mykonos offers terrific cookery classes. One lunchtime, the tall, ridiculously good-looking head chef, Marios, who is clearly auditioning for a forthcoming movie about Greek gods, teaches us how to make a divine moussaka.

Evidently a fan of Blue Peter, at one point he pulls an already-cooked dish of moussaka out of the oven with a flourish and the phrase: “Here’s one I made earlier.”

Gifted with a wry sense of humour, at the end of the lesson, Marios announces: “Now I’m going to say something I’ve always wanted to say: ‘Class dismissed.’”

Factfile

Rooms at Mykonos Theoxenia cost from £334 a night. www.mykonostheoxenia.com Rooms at Once in Mykonos cost from £283 a night. www.onceinmykonos.com Both hotels can be booked through easyJet Holidays. Flights to Mykonos: easyjet.com