Soho Roc House, Mykonos – a village facing East, a wooden pier over the rocky seabed
The definition of a hotel has been updated: the minibar menu includes CBD oil, condoms are complimentary along with lubricants, and cork slippers come in paper packaging
A few years ago, Soho House opened new doors on the island of Mykonos
The good work of this hospitality company—because that’s how it should be called—is confirmed by the playful naming of this facility: Soho Roc House. A small detail to define itself, instead of using, as in other cases, the name of the location. Soho Roc House stands on the edge of a cliff. The 47 rooms are spread across a plateau, and from there, as in an authentic village, the steps go downward. You pass the main terrace where the restaurant is set under a straw canopy facing the pool, with other more secluded tables nearby. Terraces and other rocks with sunbeds and canopies are positioned to catch the sun. Down towards the sea, there’s no beach, no sand, but a passage between the rocks and a wooden dock over the changing tones of a rocky seabed.
Soho Roc House collaborates with Scorpios, the club renowned for its social and nightlife, though its beach access faces murky waters due to the currents.
Soho Roc House, Scorpios, and Nammos – in Mykonos
To the west of Soho Roc House, construction was underway in August 2022: it’s for the upcoming opening of Nammos, expanding into hospitality. Beyond the competition, which I suppose Soho House doesn’t consider, Nammos’ construction will block the view (to the west, of the sunset) from the best rooms of Soho Roc House. Therefore, the room of choice would be one facing east, overlooking the pool and less secluded—at least, without a view of the construction site.
Style and identity of Soho House
All Soho Houses feature interior décor that can be traced back to a common identity—what can easily be defined as the American style that took shape in the 1950s when America won the world war, and Hollywood stars replaced English duchesses. It’s a style that embraces curved lines in sofas and appliances, with wood-paneled walls and window frames, both in light and dark wood. A country style that you’d find in a villa in the Hamptons, a ranch in Dallas, or a penthouse on Park Avenue—a style we can summarize in Ralph Lauren’s aesthetic when he simply invented his fashion by drawing inspiration from those English duchesses replaced by Grace Kelly.
Soho House was founded in England before expanding into America, where it solidified its commercial success, much like Ralph Lauren continues to refine the British tone in his WASP style. An American way that further defines itself through the ability to blend with the genius loci of each place where it seeks to express itself, whether it’s a Caribbean island or Amsterdam—or Mykonos, where we find ourselves today.
[envira-gallery id=”106517″]
In the lobby of Soho Roc House
Upon entering, directly opposite the reception, there’s an open kitchen, followed by a lounge area with a few books (strangely, Soho Houses usually have good book collections). Clay cream is found on the walls, cushions, and vases with minimal fruit arrangements. As you walk through the village, on the left, a Greek chapel has been restored to its original colors—the optical white of the Cyclades reacts with the detail of a blue stripe running along the perimeter of the façade. The gray, almost dark, stone floor matches the architectural elements at the base of the buildings that house the rooms.
Soho House – you can enter your room directly from the patio
The rooms are rarely spacious, of any type—but we still find the American style applied to the Greek taste—the wood paneling has become rustic, like pieces of driftwood found on the beach, weathered by sun and salt after a storm. The wood is crafted into tables and benches like those in a carpenter’s workshop. The mosquito nets are the curtains for the canopies (mosquitoes aren’t very common in Mykonos, at least in August, thanks to the Meltemi wind). There are no mirrors, and I see no reason why—but there’s an old 1950s radio by the bed that now has a USB port.
Crystal glasses, but also the simpler, colorful ones from local tradition. Plastic is almost eliminated—slippers have cork soles, packaged in paper.
Cowshed, Soho Skin – but also condoms and lubricants
A key advantage in all Soho Houses is found in the minibar offerings—freshly pressed juices that are fresher than packaged ones, chocolate bars, orange and lime with a sharp knife for a late-night drink, even CBD oil, which I see for the first time in a hotel room, and it’s a good sign of attention to hemp plant products. The same care is given in the bathroom, with Cowshed products, a new Soho Skin cosmetics line, for both cleansing and every face and eye treatment. You could have forgotten everything, and you’ll find it here—from deodorant to mouthwash, considering that when flying with hand luggage, you can’t carry large containers of mouthwash (legend has it that those who frequent Soho House always travel with just hand luggage)—even condoms, which are rarely complimentary, and also lubricants, which finally earns Soho House some extra points.
There are many rules at Soho Roc House
Some rules are quite fair and are part of the whole Soho community: no photos are allowed on the property, and even more so, no images can be shared on social media—to respect the privacy of those who don’t want to appear in any photos, but especially as a reaction to the growing annoyance caused by the constant snapping of pictures, imagining oneself as a celebrity, which irritates any thinking mind not enslaved by the idiocy of social media. Other rules seem more questionable, such as the ban on using laptops in common areas, which raises questions about the whole Soho community, supposedly founded on creative and talented profiles, which certainly doesn’t shut down the mind or work just because it’s August or they’re in Greece by the sea.
Soho House – for members and guests
The prices are high, but fair in my journalistic opinion. However, when you pay an annual membership fee in addition to the cost of a hotel room at this level, you’d expect a bit more attention, an attempt to accommodate your requests—unfortunately, the answer is often no. An avocado toast with an egg: you ask for it without the egg, but the price remains the same; you ask for a slice of smoked salmon instead of the egg, and it’s ten euros more. This is a negative note, perhaps the only one—because before charm and elegance, there was always courtesy.
