Throughout the legacy of the Myconian Collection, Panos, Markos, Vangelis, and Marios Daktylides’ primary objective has been to create a haven where guests feel not only welcomed but also immersed in the very essence of the magical island of Mykonos.
There is something about a family business and its unique synthesis of heritage, loyalty, and emotion, which captures the essence of luxury and accounts for the strength of some of the world’s greatest portfolios. This quality is at the heart of the Myconian Collection’s success. “My brothers and I are as proud of our roots as we are of our growth,” says Vangelis Daktylides about his parents, George and Eleftheria Daktylides, founders of the Myconian Collection that today counts twelve of the leading luxury hotels on Mykonos, three of which are members of Relais & Châteaux.
Mykonos during George Daktylides’ youth was very different from today. The island ran a barter economy well into the Fifties. “My mother, along with everyone else who lived off the land, will tell you that they traded their cheese, sausages, cured fish, and produce with the townsfolk for imports such as sugar, flour, rice, coffee, and spaghetti, not to mention the all-important cigarettes, sold individually from a big box,” Panos Daktylides, son of George, explains.
Besides visitors to a few private villas, the island was a well-guarded secret before the yachts and cruise ships of the Sixties began to drop anchor on their way to view the magnificent ancient ruins of Delos. Onassis and Jackie O were followed by Princess Soraya, Grace Kelly, Brando, and Liz Taylor, to mention but a few, and Christian Dior famously crowned the town’s tailor, Josef Salachas, “le roi du pantalon” [“the king of trousers”], inspiring Givenchy to collaborate on a couture collection. The secret was out, and close on its heels came the boho chic of the Seventies. George Daktylides was a handsome young man in a hurry when he married the beautiful young Eleftheria from Delos. On completing his military duty, he had returned home with big dreams.
He drove a bus that carried men and materials from town to the barite mines and soon convinced his brothers to invest with him in a vehicle of their own. Before long, they were operating the only public transport on the island, with a fleet of twenty-five buses on which the four boys cut their commercial milk teeth. “As kids, we sold tickets on our dad’s buses, which was a little boy’s dream,” says Markos Daktylides, brother of Vangelis and Panos. Concurrently, George started trading in cement, bricks, and sand that he was hauling to the mines and construction sites, and for ten years mixed concrete and brought in coils of rebar used for structural reinforcement. “I can still remember the ringing sound of both of my grandfathers hammering to uncoil the steel just below our house. Everything was done by hand.”
Tourist accommodation on the island had grown modestly with the state-funded construction and informal room and board offers, but demand from visitors drawn to experience the warm hearts, rich culture, and exceptional hospitality of the locals continued to grow. It was not uncommon for cash-strapped backpackers in the Eighties to be invited to open up their sleeping bags on private terraces under the stars. So, with his burgeoning contacts in trading and construction, George decided to undertake a development of his own, seeing an opportunity to build the first hotel on Mykonos outside of town. Marios Daktylides, the fourth and younger son of George, recounts: “He came home one day on a Caterpillar that he’d picked up second-hand, and it remained his favorite set of wheels long after he could have any car he wanted.” The well-worn but solid 920 four-cylinder diesel loader went on to dig the foundations of his first four hotels, starting with the 25-room Kohili in 1979. Set high above town and looking directly onto the seven famous 16th-century windmills, the charming little hotel commanded sweeping views of the Aegean by day and the glittering spectacle of the town by night.
Kohili was the first private hotel on Mykonos outside Chora, and an instant hit, followed by Korali a year later to double the room count. Their success was built on the back of hard work. Eleftheria made breakfast for all the guests and did the housekeeping and laundry, as well as providing meals for the 40 construction workers who were busy erecting the new hotel. She was also raising four sons and somehow still found the time to take her boys for a daily swim. “I can still smell the cake she baked for the hotel in our kitchen,” Vangelis recalls. “She gets emotional when we talk about those times… My parents would sacrifice anything to create opportunities for us. Dad worked from morning to night and invested all the profits back into the business. My mother had one good pair of Sunday shoes which she would only wear before walking into church.”
The personal touch and attention to detail that to this day defines the Myconian Collection inspired a loyal clientele and a reputation that spread by word of mouth. Six years later, Kyma and Kalypso joined Kohili and Korali to form what became known as K-Hotels. In 1986, in anticipation of growing demand for luxury destinations, George purchased a plot on the south coast, above the bay of Platys Gialos, and built the island’s first 5-star hotel, the Myconian Ambassador Relais & Châteaux. “By then, my parents had realized that we needed an education in international management,” says Vangelis. All four sons attended in turn the premier establishment of its kind, the world-renowned hotel school in Lausanne. “There was never a question in our minds whether this was what we wanted to do.”
Once all four brothers returned to the island, they were prepared for a new challenge: the development of Elia Bay. The beaches surrounding the peninsula are often regarded as the golden crown of Mykonos, but few shine as brightly as the expansive, fine-sand beach on the island’s southern coast. By securing the most scenic cliffs and the gentle slopes of fields that met the ocean, the family found the ideal location for the new stars in the Myconian Collection’s luxury lineup: the 5-Star Royal in 2000, the Imperial in 2002, followed by the Villa Collection, Utopia, and Avaton. In 2022, they added Panoptis Escape and their first beachfront resort, O’ by Myconian Collection at Ornos Bay.
Throughout this period, the Collection retained its sense of family and organic growth. Informed by the family’s managerial and operational philosophy, this ethos permeates the relationships between the Daktylides family, the island, and the staff. It extends to the guests’ experience of warm and personalized service, as well as the privileged relationships that discreetly grant access to the island’s finest suppliers and services. The family remains deeply rooted in Mykonos, with their children attending school on the island. Their commitment to giving back is reflected in their support for environmental conservation initiatives, local sourcing, and the ongoing assistance to the Cycladic communities: recycling waste, donating worn linens to old age homes, prisons, and monasteries, and desalinating seawater.
“We feel a tremendous responsibility toward the environment and believe in preserving nature’s pristine beauty. We recognize that the allure of Mykonos, with its breathtaking landscapes and azure waters, lies in its untouched charm. Therefore, we strive for a sustainable approach, minimizing our carbon footprint and actively participating in initiatives to protect and preserve the natural wonders that surround us,” the Daktylides brothers assert.
From energy-efficient practices to eco-conscious waste management, the Myconian Collection adopts strategies within its hotels that honor nature, creating an environment that not only delivers outstanding guest experiences but also ensures the preservation of the natural beauty that attracts visitors.
Today, eleven years after stepping down as CEO, their father, George Daktylides, remains actively involved. His way of relaxing is working on new projects and ensuring his nine grandchildren receive a steady supply of “real” food. He makes weekly rounds to each home in a Toyota Hilux, carrying trays of farm-fresh eggs in the passenger seat and home-bred lamb and goat meat, as well as cheese and cakes made by Eleftheria, in the back. “As you can see, I’ve got my retirement figured out,” jokes Vangelis. “And it’s a good thing there are four of us because our parents’ shoes are incredibly hard to fill. Someone once asked me what advice our parents gave us along the way. My answer was simple: they led by example. In French, I think there’s a term for it—’l’éducation silencieuse.’ We are each other’s most honest critics, but we are also loyal allies. When we balance the pragmatic demands of a competitive business with our deep emotional roots, we’re not just planning for this year; we’re planning for the next generation.”
