Villa and yacht bookings are the format Mykonos does that nowhere else in Greece really does. They are also the format with the most that can go wrong logistically, because both involve locations that are hard to reach, hard to describe and frequently subject to change at short notice. Handled properly they are straightforward. Handled casually they produce a companion standing at the wrong gate in the dark.
This page covers the practical mechanics of both, including the things people consistently forget to tell us.
Villa bookings
Private residences
Villa bookings work on the same basis as hotel outcall, with one significant difference: villas are much harder to find. Rural Mykonos addresses are largely notional, signage is minimal, and satellite navigation in the island’s interior is unreliable to the point of uselessness. The single most valuable thing you can send us is a pinned location from the messaging app you are already using. It removes essentially every problem at once.
Beyond that, we need to know about access. Many villas sit behind gates with codes, at the end of unmade tracks, or in complexes where several properties share an entrance. If there is a code, a specific turning, or a neighbouring property that serves as a landmark, tell us at the point of booking.
Groups and house parties
Villa bookings frequently involve more than one person present, and this needs to be stated clearly at the enquiry stage rather than discovered on arrival. It is not a problem, and group settings are a normal part of what we arrange. It does change who is a good fit, how many companions are appropriate, and what the booking costs. A companion arriving at what she was told was a private booking and finding eight people is a booking that ends immediately, and reasonably so.
For larger house parties, tell us the group size, roughly what the evening involves, and how many companions you are thinking of. We will tell you what is realistically arrangeable for your date. In August the honest answer is often fewer than you hoped, sooner than you hoped.
Multi-day stays
Villa rentals lend themselves to longer arrangements, and multi-day bookings are available with our premium selection. They require advance planning and a deposit. If you are considering one, contact us before finalising your villa dates where possible. It is much easier to align availability at that stage than afterwards.
Yacht bookings
In port and at anchor
Yacht bookings divide cleanly into two cases. A yacht berthed at the Old Port or the marina is simple: the companion arrives on foot at an agreed time and boards directly, which is no more complicated than a hotel booking. A yacht at anchor is a different proposition, because it requires a tender, and the tender has to be arranged by you.
We do not arrange water transport. If you are at anchor, you will need to collect from the port and return afterwards, and both legs need to be agreed before the booking is confirmed, including who is running the tender and at what time. Bookings that fall apart do so almost exclusively over the return leg.
Boarding and timing
Timing at the port is tighter than elsewhere on the island. The Old Port area is congested in the evening, parking is genuinely difficult, and a companion arriving by car may need to be dropped some distance away. Agree a specific meeting point, a named berth or a particular quay or a recognisable vessel, rather than “the port”, which covers a great deal of ground.
Weather is a real variable. A booking at anchor can become impractical at short notice if the meltemi picks up, which it does without much warning through the summer. If conditions make the tender unsafe, the booking does not happen, and nobody should be trying to talk anyone into it.
Day charters
Daytime bookings on chartered boats are arranged on the same basis and need the same clarity about boarding, return time and who else is aboard. Day bookings are longer than typical evening bookings and are quoted as a block. Sun, heat and a full day at sea are more demanding than an evening ashore, so the practical minimum notice is higher.
What villa and yacht bookings cost
How they are priced
These bookings are quoted as a block rather than by the hour, because the duration is rarely short and the travel component is significant. Our standard rates start from around 120-150 EUR per hour and individual figures appear on each profile, but a villa evening or a day charter is priced as a whole. Group bookings are quoted per companion. The full picture, including evening and overnight pricing, is on our rates page.
What moves the figure
Three things: how remote the property is, how long the booking runs, and the date. A villa evening in the second week of August at the far end of the island is a different proposition from the same booking in late September fifteen minutes outside Chora, and the quote reflects that. Any travel charge for remote properties is stated before you confirm.
Payment
Payment is in cash, in euros, at the start of the booking, with any deposit settled in advance. This is worth planning for on a villa booking. Island ATMs are not conveniently placed once you are outside Chora, and drawing what you need earlier in the day is considerably easier than solving it at ten in the evening in Ano Mera.
Notice, deposits and logistics
Peak-season lead time
For villa and yacht bookings between mid-July and the end of August, contact us well before your arrival. These are the least flexible bookings we arrange. They involve the most travel, the most coordination and, in the case of multi-day stays, the greatest commitment from the companion. Same-day arrangement in peak season is generally not realistic and we would rather say so than take a booking we cannot deliver.
Deposits
Villa bookings involving groups, multi-day arrangements and yacht bookings at anchor all require a deposit. This is not a formality. These bookings commit a companion’s whole evening or several days, and the deposit is what makes it reasonable to hold that time. Deposits are refunded in full if we cannot fulfil the booking, including when weather makes a yacht booking impossible.
Transport
Road transport to villas is arranged by us and included within the standard coverage area, with a travel charge for the most remote properties, quoted before you confirm. Water transport is always your responsibility. For late finishes at remote villas, agree the return arrangement in advance; at three in the morning on the north of the island there is no taxi coming.
Common questions
Can companions board a yacht in port?
Yes. A berthed yacht at the Old Port or the marina is straightforward and works much like a hotel booking. Agree a specific berth or meeting point rather than just “the port”, which is a large and congested area.
Do you arrange the tender for a yacht at anchor?
No. Water transport is arranged by you, and both the collection and the return need to be agreed before the booking is confirmed. If weather makes the tender unsafe, the booking is cancelled and any deposit is returned.
How much notice do you need for a villa?
In peak season, contact us before you arrive on the island. Ideally at least a week ahead for an evening, and considerably more for a multi-day arrangement. Outside peak weeks, a day is often enough for a straightforward villa booking.
How many companions can attend a villa booking?
It depends entirely on your date. Tell us the group size and what the evening involves and we will tell you what is realistically available. In August that number is usually smaller than people expect, which is why lead time matters more than anything else here.
Is a deposit required?
For group villa bookings, multi-day arrangements and yacht bookings at anchor, yes. It is refunded in full if we cannot fulfil the booking, including for weather cancellations at sea.
Who arranges transport to the villa?
We do, and it is included within the standard coverage area, with a travel charge for the most remote properties quoted before you confirm. What you should arrange is the return leg if the booking finishes very late at a remote property. There is no taxi coming to the north of the island at three in the morning.
Can I book a villa arrangement for several days?
Yes, with our premium selection and with advance planning and a deposit. Where possible, contact us before you finalise your villa dates. Aligning availability at that stage is far easier than trying to solve it once the accommodation is locked in.
What happens if the weather turns?
For a yacht at anchor, the booking does not go ahead and the deposit is returned in full. The meltemi picks up through the summer with very little warning and nobody should be talking anyone into a tender crossing in it. Villa bookings are unaffected by wind and proceed normally.
Do you need to know who else will be at the villa?
Yes. The group size, and roughly what the evening involves, at the enquiry stage. This determines which companions are a good fit and how many are appropriate, and it is the single most common thing left unsaid on villa bookings.
