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| Vedema Resort's lush gardens contrast with the Cycladic architecture and some of the luxurious villas include external and internal Jacuzzis and a pool. |
On Mykonos, Santa Marina Resort, a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection, is using its fabulous seaside location overlooking the Aegean Sea to take a stand in the jetsetter market.
A recent refurb perked up Santa Marina’s beach with sexy new lounging areas and its Bayview Beach Restaurant & Bar has gone swanky with the aim of capturing a cosmopolitan crowd for lunch and dinner (consider Mediterranean fare with a fusion of Japanese cuisine and sushi). Of course, cocktails and Champagne served at the bar are also part of the draw. Best part? A resident DJ plays music in the evening. If you need to make a quick getaway, speedboat services are provided from the resort’s private marina.
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| Mykonos Hotel Santa Maria Resort has a delightfully private setting on a secluded peninsula, close to Mykonos town. |
Vedema, also a member of Starwood’s Luxury Collection on Santorini, gets its vibe from a 400-year-old winery on the center of its land. If you hanker to stay in a Greek resort where buildings are stark white against an azure sky, you’ve found your mecca. (Hint: 10 of the suites have private pools, including the Presidential Suite, which has three bedrooms.) If we were there right now (and in our hearts we already are), we’d be sunning at the pool bar, imbibing something while we pondered what to have for lunch. We do know it would be some of the chef’s authentic Greek cuisine. Fresh fish, tzatziki and black olives anyone? We’d go light on the ouzo, since our goal is to make it to the tasting tonight in the resort’s Canava Wine Bar, where we’ve requested they serve caviar and a fine Cuban cigar as accompaniments. What’s up for tomorrow? We might just make it to the beach, but one thing’s for sure, we’ll be out on our private yacht, which the resort has so kindly arranged for us to go island hopping.