Want to take advantage of Virtuoso benefits at no extra cost, including a room upgrade, free breakfast, a hotel credit, and more? Contact Ford ([email protected]) for more details. He doesn’t charge booking fees, and may even be able to help if you already have a stay booked.
Greece is probably my favorite place in the world to visit in summer. There’s something about the climate, the views, and the food, which make it one-of-a-kind. Of course I’m not alone in feeling that way, as tourism to Greece has exploded in recent years. At this point I have almost no interest in traveling to Mykonos or Santorini, as there are so many other, less crowded islands to explore.
Along those lines, I wanted to post about the newly opened One&Only Kea Island, which is now welcoming its first guests ahead of the busy summer travel season. While it’s not a points hotel, this might just be Greece’s most spectacular resort yet.
In this post:
Basics of the One&Only Kea Island, Greece
One&Only is a boutique luxury hotel group known for its incredible properties, and the group has just opened its second property in Greece, as of the summer 2024 season (the One&Only Aesthesis Athens opened in late 2023). These are two of One&Only’s three properties in Europe, with the other being the One&Only Portonovi, in Montenegro.
The One&Only Kea Island is a 75-villa beachfront property, spread across 148 acres. The resort is located on the west side of Kea Island, which is in the Cyclades, and one of the closest islands to Athens. Rather than having to take a flight, you can instead take a quick ferry or helicopter ride to get to the resort.
All the guest accommodations at the resort are either one or two bedroom villas with private pools, with the main differences within each category being the views. The one bedroom villas start at 75 square meters, while the two bedroom villas start at 180 square meters.
The hotel has a variety of dining options, including an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby bar, a beach club, and a pool bar.
I haven’t been to Kea Island, though I’ve heard great things about it from friends who have visited. Not only is the island convenient from Athens, but it’s not as overflowing with tourists as some of Greece’s other islands.
While we’ll have to wait for some firsthand reports to truly judge the property, this probably has the potential to be Greece’s best new luxury hotel (or at least in the top few). Of the properties I’ve stayed at in Greece, I think the three best hotels are Amanzoe, Canaves Oia Epitome, and Four Seasons Astir Palace.
Fun fact — it’s my understanding that the hotel was initially intended to be an Aman, but the project got rebranded at some point. That’s for the better, as far as I’m concerned.
One&Only Kea Island Greece rates & how to book
Luxury leisure demand continues to be through the roof, and on top of that, Greece is more popular than ever. As you’d expect, this hotel is priced accordingly.
Rates for base rooms range from over €2,500 per night in the peak of the season, to €1,750 per night in the quieter part of the season. The hotel is only open seasonally, though has a long season — the property shuts down at the beginning of November, and then reopens in spring.
Obviously this hotel is targeted at people where price is no object, and fortunately for the hotel, that’s a pretty sizable market. As is pretty standard in Greece, all rates include breakfast.
If you are going to book the One&Only Kea Island, I’d recommend doing so through Virtuoso. You’ll pay the same rate you find directly with the hotel, and you’ll receive a room upgrade subject to availability, a $100 property credit, and early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. The most significant perk there is a potential upgrade, as that could be worth several hundred dollars per night.
Ford is happy to help with Virtuoso requests at One&Only properties, and can be reached at [email protected].
Bottom line
The One&Only Kea Island has opened its doors as of the summer 2024 season, and promises to be spectacular. The resort is on an island that doesn’t otherwise have many hotels, so it’s a great alternative for those who love Greece, but want to avoid the crowds of Mykonos or Santorini.
Of course this hotel is really pricey, so it won’t be for most. Fortunately Greece also has no shortage of great points hotels on a variety of islands, ranging from Santa Marina Mykonos to Mystique Santorini.
What do you make of the One&Only Kea Island?
Two thousand Euros a night?!? Really? Maybe I looked at the wrong blog but the one I've been reading for the last 15 years was all about affordable luxury, attainable through points and miles because normal humans can't remotely afford anything like this. I'm trying to figure if your target has changed so vastly that two grand a night is just fine or I'm going nuts. I understand that you're now (with some justification) rich...
Two thousand Euros a night?!? Really? Maybe I looked at the wrong blog but the one I've been reading for the last 15 years was all about affordable luxury, attainable through points and miles because normal humans can't remotely afford anything like this. I'm trying to figure if your target has changed so vastly that two grand a night is just fine or I'm going nuts. I understand that you're now (with some justification) rich but I really think you're forgetting your origins here, and your base.
The thing is that a lot of Americans (who make up the majority of readers on this blog) can only take a few days off work every year.
With US salaries being a bit higher and taxes being a bit lower than most of other developed countries, it's not hard to guess that quite a few people in management/tech/finance jobs there can afford e.g. €20k per annum on travel.
If one works in a...
The thing is that a lot of Americans (who make up the majority of readers on this blog) can only take a few days off work every year.
With US salaries being a bit higher and taxes being a bit lower than most of other developed countries, it's not hard to guess that quite a few people in management/tech/finance jobs there can afford e.g. €20k per annum on travel.
If one works in a high pressure job, wants to take a week to switch off, and will not be doing any other holidays in the year, you can see how they might view these objectively ridiculous rates (this isn't Santorini - land on Kea isn't worth much at all) as acceptable/'justifiable'.
These prohibitively expensive hotels have been featured more frequently in the past 5 years or so, but Ben has reviewed many Aman properties––dating back to 2012. I’d imagine with the saturation of miles & points on TikTok and IG, that base has moved on and replaced with the “wealthy” luxury traveler.
The creep toward unattainable properties has been gradual and you're right that it has become increasingly pronounced over the last few years. That repositioning might annoy me but so what, except for one thing: Ben keeps selling credit cards. If someone can afford to visit a cheap country like Greece and fork out two grand a night for a room, chances are that they don't give a s#!t whether they got 10 Chase points per...
The creep toward unattainable properties has been gradual and you're right that it has become increasingly pronounced over the last few years. That repositioning might annoy me but so what, except for one thing: Ben keeps selling credit cards. If someone can afford to visit a cheap country like Greece and fork out two grand a night for a room, chances are that they don't give a s#!t whether they got 10 Chase points per dollar by booking through a certain channel. Ben sells plastic predicated on the value of points and miles and has always defended himself against people who ask why he never reviews coach class when that's what most people fly all the time by saying that he shows how normal people can use miles and points on premium products. Now he's pushing things that his own self-claimed constituency just can't afford. If he wants to change from miles & points to rich adventure blogging, that's fine. Just pick one of the contradictory stances.
Unrealized Aman, just like the O&O resort on the Desaru coast, now completed by the Apartheid-profiteering Kerzner family.
Those great bones and design come from Aman’s architect, John Heah, who also designed Amanera.
Looking forwarding to see what HOA comments about $2k/night hotels.
C’mon! You get $100 off if you book through Virtuoso. :)