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heritage

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.
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
BROTHERS IN TIME reinforcement. “I can still remember the ringing sound of both of my
George’s sons, remain as close to Mykonos today as they were as children: ˝There
was never a question in our minds whether this was what we wanted to do˝. 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 recounts: “He came home one day on a Caterpillar that he’d
picked up second-hand, and it remained his favourite 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 besides a few visitors, the island was a well-guarded
above town and looking directly onto the seven famous 16th century secret during the Sixties.
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 “By then, my parents had realised that we needed an education in And their dedication to give back to the island finds expression in
The personal instant hit, followed by Korali a year later to double the room count. international management”, says Vangelis. All four sons attended environmental conservation initiatives, local sourcing and consistent
support to the Cycladic communities: Waste is recycled, worn linen
in turn the premier establishment of its kind, the world-renowned
Their success was built on the back of hard work. Eleftheria made
touch and breakfast for all the guests and did the housekeeping and laundry, hotel school in Lausanne. “There was never a question in our minds is donated to old age homes, prisons and monasteries in the Cyclades,
attention to detail as well as providing meals for the 40 construction workers who were whether this was what we wanted to do”. Once all four brothers seawater is desalinated.
were back on the island, they were ready for a new challenge: the
busy erecting the new hotel. She was also raising four sons, and
Even nowadays, five years after stepping down as CEO, George
that to this day somehow still found the time to take her boys for a daily swim. “I can conquest of Elia bay. If the seaside beaches around the peninsula Daktylides remains a busy man. His way of relaxing is getting involved
still smell the cake she baked for the hotel in our kitchen”, Vangelis
are the golden crown of Mykonos, few are said to gleam as brightly
in the new projects, as well as making sure that his grandchildren
defines the recalls. “She gets emotional when we talk about those times... My as the broad swathe of fine sand on the south side of the island. have a steady supply of “real” food. He does his rounds to every
Myconian parents would sacrifice anything to create opportunities for us. Dad So, in securing the most scenic cliffs and gentle slope of fields that home once a week in a Toyota Hilux, with trays of farm eggs on the
joined them with the ocean, the family acquired the perfect setting
worked from morning to night and invested all the profits back into
passenger seat and home-bred lamb and goat meat in the back, as
Collection the business. My mother had one good pair of Sunday shoes which for the new stars in the Myconian Collection’s luxury constellation: well as cheese and cake made by Eleftheria. “As you see, I’ve got my
retirement sorted out”, says Vangelis. “And it’s a good thing that we
the 5-Star Royal in 2000 and the Imperial in 2002, followed by the
she would only wear before walking into church”.
inspired a loyal The personal touch and attention to detail that to this day defines the Villas, Utopia and Avaton. Throughout this time, the Collection are four brothers, because our parents’ shoes are very big to fill”.
clientele Myconian Collection inspired a loyal clientele and a reputation that never lost the sense of family and organic growth. Informed by “Someone once asked me what advice our parents gave us along
the family’s managerial and operational philosophy, it pervades
spread by word of mouth. Six years later, Kyma and Kalypso joined
the way. My answer was short: they led by example. In French, I
and a reputation Kohili and Korali to form what became known as K-Hotels. In 1986, the relationships between the Daktylides family, the island and the believe there is a term for it, “l’�ducation silencieuse”. We are each
other’s most honest critic, and we are loyal allies. When we balance
in anticipation of growing demand for luxury destinations, George
staff – and flows into guests’ experience of warm and personalised
that spread by purchased a plot on the south coast, above the bay of Platys Gialos service, as well as the privileged relationships that discreetly open the pragmatic demands of a competitive business with deeply rooted
word of mouth. and built the island’s first 5-star hotel, the Myconian Ambassador doors to the island’s best suppliers and services. The family remains emotions, we’re not just planning for the financial year, but also for
the next generation”.
Relais & Ch�teaux.
firmly rooted in Mykonos. Their children go to school on the island.
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