Must-Stay Hotels in Greece

The site of this singular hotel overlooks the Bay of Navarino, famous for the dramatic 1827 Naval battle of the same name (in fact, the property’s stunning ‘Three Admirals Lounge’ commemorates the event in its details and architecture). But the resort today is a place of overwhelming harmony, of course, where the ‘living’ roofs seem to blend perfectly into the green vegetation of the hillsides, and the majority of the suites have their own private infinity pools, which appear to cascade down into the twinkling blue waters below. 

The historic Astir Palace was the pride of the ‘Athens Riviera’ during its 1970s jet-set heyday — a merry haunt for Brigitte Bardot, Jackie Onassis, and Frank Sinatra to rub shoulders down in the rock-slung cabanas of the bay. Its new-ish owners, the Four Seasons Group, have now brought a touch of their distinctive White Lotus magic to the hotel, while maintaining just enough of that same playful Sixties mood throughout. Low slung and laidback, its a place of proper escapism and relaxation — and the grilled octopus is exceptional. 

Inspired by the golden age of the ‘Athens Riviera,’ One&Only Aesthesis combines modern luxury with a decent pour of mid-century coastal nostalgia. The hotel sits on the historic site of the iconic ‘Asterias’ beach club — its name translating to ‘the stars’, and its clientele similarly sparkling. Thankfully, the shimmer here has been retained in a resort that is both chic and vibrant, with a design language that mixes retro glamour, the raw beauty of nature, and a bold contemporary energy. And its beach club, pleasingly, is just as lively as ever.

Accessed by a 45-minute boat ride (or, more usually, a 15-minute helicopter flight), One & Only Kéa Island is a genuine retreat; a proper idyll of seclusion. The contemporary island hotel blends traditional Cycladic architecture with modern minimalism across its 63 luxurious villas (there are no mere rooms or suites here.) The atmosphere, naturally, is both tranquil and elevated, with cues taken from the energy of the relatively untouched island of Kéa — a place which holds 360 traditional churches and countless ancient ruins among its striking, mountainous terrain. 

Architect Ed Tuttle designed Amanzoe as a sort of ‘modern Acropolis’ — an ultra-chic temple of modern luxury, whose clean white pillars rise from the rocky hillside alongside gently swaying cypress trees. Clad in local marble and pale stone (“the most basic and noble materials of Greece,” according to Tuttle,) Amanzoe embodies the calm, enveloping luxury that the Aman group is known for, with an endless array of tranquil pools that seem to perfectly mirror the deep blue skies above.