"Sleek, crisp Grecian villas When the original Bill & Coo opened its doors in 2006 just above Mykonos town, it made a big impact. Boutique stays were only just starting to take root on the island, and here was one that connected umbilically to the thrills of the buzzy capital with its shopping and restaurants while also providing a retreat from it all. It has offered a point of reference for many subsequent arrivals, and rather than resting on its laurels, the brand launched Coast Suites at Agios Ioannis beach in 2016 and this year sees the addition of three one-bedroom villas to the side of the Bill & Coo Suites and Lounge hotel. It’s an alluring set-up, more private and peaceful than the hotel, with space to squeeze in a couple of children too, and yet is just steps from the tasting menu at chef Ntinos Fotinakis’s elegant restaurant, the spoiling spa and all the other bells and whistles. As is to be expected, service is finger-clicking quick, and the design crisp and contemporary. The concept of award-winning architects Divercity was to capture the laidback essence of a beach hangout with the textures and colors of sea and sand. Bright light floods in through huge windows and fabric panels in geometric shapes, inspired by the sun’s reflection on the waves, are repeated inside and out on the ceilings and in little seating nooks. Pools at the villas are backed by feathery grasses dancing in Mykonos’s famous wind. And it goes without saying that the views—the silhouette of the windmills and, just behind the low stone wall, the ocean stretching away to the horizon—are terrific. —I.Z." - Becky Lucas
