Review of Semeli Hotel, by Jeroen Bergmans

Like luxury boutique hotel the Belvedere next door, the Semeli in Mykonos is busy with a state-of-the-art re-furbishment designed to keep its glamorous, well-heeled clientele coming back summer after summer. The lobby is now an ethereal space decked out with white designer furniture - a seductive glimpse of Semeli's brand new look.

The facilities

Semeli's restaurant has also benefitted from its recent make-over with fresh new interiors and a new veranda. By day it is called Theoni and serves up Greek and modern Mediterranean dishes. At night it becomes Seven Seas and its menu changes to focus on seafood and fresh fish. The boutique hotel's homemade breakfast is something of a legend. As it doesn't finish till midday, many guests get up late, refuel and then head for the beach.

Like all boutique hotels in Mykonos, the large pool is Semeli's central hub. New sunbeds and outdoor Jacuzzi have made it even more enticing.

Semeli's small spa has a hamam and four treatment rooms that offer massages, manicures and pedicures. Next door there's a changing room for guests who have opted for a late check-out and a last few hours by the boutique hotel's pool and downstairs there's free parking for 40 cars.

The rooms

All 64 rooms at the boutique hotel are spacious and comfortable. Most are still decorated in the original, traditional Greek style with floral fabrics adding a rustic twist. The two suites sleep up to six and are very popular with families. Although they look out onto the boutique hotel's pool, they are still very quiet.

Semeli's brand new Executive Suites are designed with the new millennium in mind. Bathroom floors, sinks and baths are clad in state-of-the-art corian and showers have a range of massage settings and fancy Hermes toiletries. Furniture and fabrics are sleek and contemporary. Mini terraces with Jacuzzis and spectacular views add that essential decadence expected from a stay at a luxury boutique hotel in Mykonos.