NUMO Mykonos Boutique Resort

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Greek, so you can deal with the useful things without resorting to underwater hand signals. NUMO Mykonos Boutique Resort is a 36-room boutique resort above Kalafatis, with a style inspired by the island and the 1960s and 1970s rather than by the usual anonymous white-box hotel formula.

The mood is relaxed and sea-facing. You have a swimming pool, a terrace restaurant, a pool bar and views across the Aegean, with the beach close by when the pool starts to feel too much like hard work. The resort suits couples particularly well, but family rooms, family accommodation and babysitting also make it workable when the holiday party includes younger divers.

The practical side is well covered for a diving week: air conditioning, soundproofing, a fridge, free WiFi throughout the property, room service on request and daily housekeeping. You can return from the water, cool down, put the kettle on and leave the world outside for a while. That is often the part of a holiday brochure that deserves more attention than another photograph of a cocktail.

You are in Kalafatis, on the southern side of Mykonos, with the resort set above the beach rather than in the middle of Mykonos Town. The sea is around 50 metres away, and Kalafatis Beach is the obvious local landmark. Agia Anna Beach is roughly half a mile away, while Loulos Beach and Kalo Livadi Beach are each within about 1 mile. Lia Beach is around 2.4 miles away by road.

That position gives you a more coastal base than a town hotel. Mykonos Town is around 7 miles away, with places such as the windmills, Little Venice, the Archaeological Museum and Fabrica Square available for an excursion rather than an impromptu stroll after dinner. The resort can arrange cultural outings, including Mykonos Town and the island of Delos.

A few restaurants sit close to the resort, including Aquarius at roughly half a mile and Solymar at about 1 mile. The Fisherman – Giorgos & Marina Taverna is around 2 miles away. For the airport, Mykonos Airport is about 5 miles by road, with a drive of around 10 minutes.

The room choice is mainly about how much outdoor space and privacy you want once the mask and fins are back in the bag. The smaller Evergreen Retreat rooms work for a couple, while the garden-view version accommodates three and adds an outdoor living area. If the first thing you want to see in the morning is the sea, choose one of the sea-view rooms with a balcony or outdoor living area.

For a couple who values room to spread out, the junior and one-bedroom suites offer a little more breathing space. The larger one-bedroom and Absolute suites are the sensible family options, with space for up to four guests; one of them adds a private pool and two bathrooms. That is useful when four people have all returned from the beach at the same time and nobody is willing to wait politely.

Every room category comes with air conditioning, a private entrance, outdoor furniture in the relevant accommodation, a wardrobe, a coffee machine, an electric kettle and a refrigerator. The soundproofing should help when you want the night to stay quiet, while the private bathroom includes a shower, towels, bathrobes, slippers, toiletries and a hairdryer. A desk and flat-screen television are there if the weather turns or your legs vote for an early night.

NUMO Restaurant covers breakfast, lunch and dinner on its terrace, with Mediterranean cooking built around fresh local ingredients and a sea view. The dress code is casual, which is useful when lunch follows a morning in the water and your idea of formalwear has not progressed beyond a dry T-shirt.

Breakfast is served as a buffet and is included in the breakfast package. Breakfast in your room is also available, and room service can be requested when you would rather not move further than the balcony. There is no stated continuous snack service or late dinner service, so plan the hungry part of the day around the restaurant rather than assuming the kitchen will operate on diver time.

The resort has one named bar: NUMO Bar, a pool bar serving cocktails, wine and refreshing drinks. It is placed where you are most likely to want it, beside the main outdoor pool. Special-diet menus can be requested, and children’s meals are available.

The main pool is outdoors and has an integrated bar, so the afternoon can be reduced to swimming, drying off and deciding whether another drink counts as an activity. Pool and beach towels are available, and the nearby golden-sand beach has sun loungers and parasols. The walk is short; the return journey may take longer if you have made friends with the pool bar.

NUMO Spa offers massages, facial treatments, manicures and pedicures, with beauty and body treatments also available. After several days of salt, sun and the general abuse handed out by a wetsuit, a massage or facial is a reasonable alternative to pretending that stretching beside the bed counts as recovery.

There is a fitness centre and yoga classes for those who prefer structured movement. On the water, the resort offers snorkelling, kayaking, paddleboarding, boat excursions and equipment rental. Bicycle rental is available on site, while cycling and canoeing are available away from the property. A car can be hired through the resort, and babysitting plus children’s meals give couples a little room for an evening out.

Mykonos Airport is close enough for a straightforward arrival, around 5 miles from the resort by road. An airport shuttle is available on request, and the resort also offers a shuttle service, car hire and concierge assistance. Private check-in and check-out, express check-in and check-out, luggage storage and a 24-hour front desk are useful when flights do not fit neatly around hotel hours.

The published booking conditions give check-in from 15:00 to midnight and check-out from 01:00 to 11:00. The resort also offers early check-in and late check-out on request. Children of any age are welcome; cots can be requested for children aged two and under, while extra beds are not available. The minimum age for check-in is 18.

WiFi is free throughout the property. The resort is non-smoking, pets are not allowed, and payment is by cashless methods including Visa and Mastercard. Laundry, dry cleaning and ironing services are available when the diving kit is not the only thing that needs attention. A safety deposit box, accessible parking and luggage storage cover the less glamorous but genuinely useful parts of travel.