From its beginnings in 1912, when Eugène Cornuché opened Le Normandy in Deauville, to the present day, with 21 hotels around the world, the Barrière Group has evolved into a collection defined by understated luxury and a distinctly French art of hospitality. The first Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s opened in Paris in 2006, above the legendary brasserie on the Champs-Élysées.
Over the years, the group has carried that unmistakably Parisian sensibility into the destinations it chooses to enter, adapting it to each setting without losing its identity. It was therefore perhaps only a matter of time before Barrière arrived in Mykonos, an island internationally synonymous with cosmopolitan summer living.
Fouquet’s Mykonos, which opened in Paraga just a month ago, is first and foremost a major investment by the Papalekas family, who set out to completely transform a site that had for years been occupied by a neglected campsite into a hotel whose facilities are genuinely breathtaking.
Sixty rooms and suites and three villas are scattered through beautifully landscaped gardens filled with plants and flowers, while an exceptional art collection runs throughout the hotel’s public spaces. Among its standout pieces is Dalí’s Triumphant Elephant, which commands attention in the lobby. Together, they create a setting that feels distinctive even by Mykonos standards, on an island already home to no shortage of five-star hotels.
We spent four days in a Paraga Junior Suite with a private pool and sea view, a room of around 40 square metres divided into two distinct areas, a sitting room and bedroom. Minimalist yet beautifully considered, it comes with a generous terrace and plenty of inviting places to unwind, both indoors and out. Everything has been designed down to the last detail to make guests feel genuinely at home.
Breakfast is served either at Éole, the hotel’s main restaurant, or in the privacy of your room. Fouquet’s Mykonos is also home to the brand-new ROKA Mykonos, which, at the moment, is arguably the best Asian restaurant on the island. A full review will be coming soon.
The hotel is also home to the beautiful Rock Spa, offering treatments by Dr Barbara Sturm and Germaine de Capuccini, as well as a fully equipped gym and boutique. And if you feel like shooting a few hoops, there is even a basketball half-court carved into the rock and built to official NBA standards.
Naturally, in a hotel that has only just opened, not everything has had time to settle into place and there are still a few teething problems, mainly around room service and turndown.
That said, the exceptional courtesy and enthusiasm of the team make it clear that these issues are likely to be resolved quickly, bringing the experience fully into line not only with the reputation of the international brand, but also with the rates being charged.
My own, more specific observation is the absence of a magnifying mirror in the bathroom. It may sound like a minor detail at first, but for us ladies, particularly once we reach an age when our eyesight is no longer quite as cooperative, it is essential for doing our make-up. After all, how could one possibly turn up bare-faced to the island’s parties?
And one final footnote, because we have always said that what we write here must be truthful. The clubs in Paraga on one side, and Scorpios on the other, are clearly audible when you are sitting out on the terrace, particularly from around two in the afternoon onwards.
Inside the room, the soundproofing is excellent. Outside, however, romance, if that is what you are looking for, can require a little more effort.