Bill & Coo Suites & Lounge

Doris Day Once sang, ‘Just got in from the windy city, the windy city is mighty pretty.’ Contrary to popular lore, I think she had been to Mykonos. Even though it’s not a city. Still, on arrival at this Greek island’s tiny airport, Mr Smith and I thought we had walked into Hurricane Hilarious. Now I know that the Cyclades are renowned for the brisk breeze but this was a gust too far. Go Greece Lightening – literally. However, once we arrived at Bill & Coo, all of our windy wisecracks were immediately swept away.

Bill & Coo Suites and Lounge is perched high on a hilltop, yet this hip little hotel is remarkably sheltered; a modern Mykonian masterpiece glistening in the searing sun. While waiting patiently for our honeymoon suite to be prepared – that’s not an announcement of our marriage, just to say we had the best room in the house – we were given a glass of bubbly and asked to sit by the infinity pool. ‘Let the game of people-watching commence,’ piped up a perky Mr Smith.

Staff at this beachside boutique hotel are a beautiful, friendly, well-dressed bunch. There they were all chatting merrily to each other like an ostentation of peacocks (the official collective noun may be ‘muster’ but I prefer mine), ensuring that guests are as comfortable as is humanly possible. After a bit of investigation and snoopery, Mr Smith discovered that the job of the youngest member of the Bill & Coo crew around the pool is to plump up the cushions, and offer each guest a fresh towel every 10 minutes. And he did this magnificently and unobtrusively.

As our mission to Mykonos took place late September, our clientele analysis became more of a round of birdspotting than proper people-ogling. Having rather expected a pack of youthful Prada-clad goddesses draped over pool loungers, I was brought back down to Earth at the sight of mere mortals much like us soaking up the stunning views from their just-plumped pillows and double loungers.

After being shown to our ‘honeymoon suite’ these two Smiths couldn’t have been happier. Outstretched before us in our own little house high above the Med was everything that you could dream of for a loved-up escape. A huge white bed with crisp dove-white linen, a terrace overlooking the main fibre-optic-enhanced pool with a dining and seating area from which to watch the sun disappear. The pièce de resistance? A magnificent private bubbling hot tub set constantly to the perfect temperature for two. And, for anything else, we were handed our own room-service-dialling mobile phone – in case we didn’t want to hop out of the tub to order one of the delicious cocktails. (Our favourite? The ‘espresso old-fashioned’. How modern.)

A warm understated Greek hospitality envelops Bill & Coo. This was illustrated best a couple of hours after lunch when we decided it was fizz o’clock. As the appropriate bottle was delivered to us, we deemed a snack a suitable accompaniment. We’d barely voiced our hankerings to each other when a cheeseboard arrived as though on cue, courtesy of the bar. Further evidence of such telepathy? Surprise deliveries of delicious fruity mocktails to unsuspecting poolside revellers throughout the day.

Evenings at Bill & Coo insist guests devour that stunning sunset; and while we were doing so, it begged decisions be made. ‘In the words of those punk greats,’ said Mr Smith, ‘Should we stay or should we go now?’ After pointing out that the Clash actually sing it in the singular, I realised he did have a point. The temptation to remain perched in the hills at the slinky suites is an easy one to succumb to, even though the hotel is only a few minutes from Mykonos Town… And it turned out that sampling the more detailed aspects of the evening menu was a wise decision.

Downstairs we found ourselves in the cool, yet comfy surroundings of the restaurant. A chilly evening, but the staff, helpful as ever, humoured us by bringing an outdoor heater and a snug cosy blanket to our rescue. The menu is simple, with three main offerings – meat, fish and pork – as well as seasonal starters. Flavours were delicious, as were the carefully selected sauces, and the cuts themselves were tasty: the only shame was that we couldn’t ask for seconds.

A generous breakfast of traditional and local delights eased us into our stride the next morning, and unlike our previous evening, left no yearnings for extra helpings. The Mykonian Breakfast was the standout dish, serving up some of the island’s finest resources, in mezze-style small plates. We were properly refuelled for all that lay ahead. Lay being the operative word, as we plonked ourselves onto our sunloungers for a Herculean dose of Grecian sunshine.

Another glorious day of being pampered poolside was capped off with an indulgent sunset-view soak in our hot tub. A cracking cocktail in his clutches, Mr Smith piped up again. ‘This place should be renamed Bill and Cool’. In fact, I explained to him, the hotel’s quirky name comes from pigeons’ flirty mutual preening. How wonderfully appropriate, given that Bill & Coo is all about getting as cosy as lovebirds.