Private cave pools, white-sand beaches and spellbinding sea views: Eleven stunning new hotels in Greece revealed
- The Royal Senses, Curio Collection by Hilton in Crete has a jaw-dropping tiered infinity pool
- Every room at the MarBella Elix, on the north-west coast of mainland Greece, has a view of the Ionian Sea
- Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa on Crete features two pools and even has its own amphitheatre
- Other locations in our dreamy list include Santorini, Ios, Corfu, Mykonos, Antiparos and Kefalonia
Paradisiacal plunge pools, seductive sea views and delectable interior designs.
Behold Greece’s best new hotels for 2021, 11 properties that all offer dreamy accommodation in jaw-dropping landscapes, from Santorini to Crete.
The Olivar Suites, Corfu
The Olivar Suites, set in a former 18th-century olive mill, is located on Corfu’s eastern coast
Enticing: Every room is a suite that comes with either a private pool and garden or a sun deck
The Olivar Suites is set in a former 18th-century olive mill on the edge of Messonghi Beach on the eastern coast of Corfu.
Every room is a suite that comes with either a private pool and garden or a sun deck. Visitors without their own pool can take a dip in the sizable communal one that’s surrounded by beach-club-style sunbeds.
Other facilities at the hotel include a spa, an elegant restaurant where Greek wines take a star turn on the wine list, and beach gazebos with wispy white curtains.
British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at The Olivar Suites from £619pp, travelling on selected dates between October 8 and October 19, 2021.
MarBella Elix, Parga
Every room at this brand new hotel in Parga, on the north-west coast of mainland Greece, has a view of the Ionian Sea
The hotel is set on a hillside, but visitors can easily reach the white sands of Karavostasi Beach
A picture showing just how spellbinding the views are from the rooms at MarBella Elix
Every room at this brand new hotel in Parga, on the north-west coast of mainland Greece, has a view of the Ionian Sea. Some also come with swim-up pools.
The hotel is set on a hillside, but visitors can easily reach the white sands of Karavostasi Beach by funicular or a tree-lined walkway.
The hotel is also home to an infinity pool, a wellness centre and four restaurants. Plus, there is a big programme of activities for children and teens.
Rooms at MarBella Elix start from £121/€139 per night per room on a half-board basis. For more information visit www.marbella.gr/marbella-elix.
Kalesma Mykonos, Mykonos
Boutique hotel Kalesma Mykonos boasts suites with private pools and a sea-view restaurant
Kalesma Mykonos is a 25-suite boutique hotel with a name that translates as ‘inviting’.
It’s set on the hillside of Ornos Bay near the south-west tip of Mykonos and highlights include suites with private pools and sunset views, a sea-view restaurant, which serves mezze dishes as well as full meals, and a sunset lounge with a fire pit.
Rates in a suite at Kalesma start from €1,200 (£1,020) per night on a bed and breakfast basis while villas are from €2,800 (£2,380).
The Royal Senses, Curio Collection by Hilton, Crete
The Royal Senses has a stunning split-level infinity pool and serves Cretan meals, including ‘grandmother’s dishes’
Many of the seven bars and restaurants, and some of the rooms, overlook the sea
This hotel is located in the centre of the northern coast of Crete. The split level infinity pool, many of the seven bars and restaurants, and some of the rooms, overlook the sea.
The hotel really flies the flag for Cretan culture and traditions. The restaurants serve all sorts of Cretan dishes from classic Greek lamb grill dishes to what they call ‘grandmother’s dishes’. The bars promote Greek tipples like Raki flights. And guests can take part in traditional entertainment such as Cretan dance classes.
British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at The Royal Senses, Curio Collection by Hilton from £979pp.
Calilo, Ios
Many of the suites at Calilo feature luxuries like private plunge pools and over-the-water beds (pictured), as well as waterfalls and sometimes poolside swings
The 30-suite Calilo hotel is hidden away within a 1,000-acre site on the south-east edge of Ios. It is counting 2021 as its grand opening year
The Calilo opened briefly in 2020, but because Covid-19 restrictions seriously impacted its first seasons, it’s counting 2021 as its grand opening year.
The name of the 30-suite hotel stands for ‘create a life you can fall in love with’ and it’s hidden away within a 1,000-acre site on the south-east edge of Ios, which boasts some 36 pristine golden sandy beaches, only a handful of which have been commercialised, with many reached purely by boat or on foot.
The accommodation is, as the images show, drool-worthy. Options include the 60-square-metre (645-square-foot) Blue&You suite that comes with a large sea-view pool, a double over-the-water bed and a cave pool, and the Calilo Suite, which features a large outdoor marble pool, an indoor cave pool, a swim-up bar, a swinging over-water bed and an in-water lounge.
A suite at Calilo (calilo.com) costs from £295 per night. Ios is reached by boat in 45 minutes from Santorini (or just a few minutes by helicopter from €250pp/£213), or in two hours by boat from Mykonos.
Electra Hotel and Spa, Kefalonia
Electra Hotel and Spa features a pool with over-the-water day beds and two-storey suites
There are 35 rooms at the Electra, including a selection with private pools, and a spa with a swimming pool
The brand-new five-star Electra Hotel and Spa is situated on the south-west coast of Kefalonia near Ammes Beach.
There are 35 rooms, including a selection with private pools and a few two-storey suites that can accommodate up to six people.
Other features include a pool with over-the-water day beds, a restaurant that’s open from breakfast to late, and a spa with a swimming pool and hot tub.
A seven-night B&B stay at Electra Hotel and Spa with Sunvil costs from £1,425pp (two sharing), including return flights (Gatwick) and transfers.
The Rooster, Antiparos
Accommodation at The Rooster takes the form of ‘houses’, suites and villas, all of which come with their own private pools
Guests benefit from all the perks of a five-star hotel – such as access to a restaurant, bar, spa and room service
The Rooster is a wellness and lifestyle resort. Accommodation here takes the form of ‘houses’, suites and villas, all of which come with their own private pools.
While ‘houses’ and ‘villas’ makes the accommodation sound self-contained, guests benefit from all the perks of a five-star hotel – such as access to a restaurant, bar, spa, daily maid service, a turndown service and room service.
The list of amenities that comes with each room is a long one. It includes everything from pillow menus and yoga mats to sleep kits and handmade beach bags.
Nightly rates at The Rooster start from €580 (£500) in a Garden View Suite, B&B.
Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa, Crete
Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa features two pools, one with in-water loungers, four restaurants, two bars, a spa and an amphitheatre (see bottom left of photo)
A selection of the 74 rooms at Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa feature private pools. Pictured is a deluxe two-bedroom pool villa
Cayo Exclusive Resort & Spa is set in Plaka, a quaint village on the northern coast of Crete that’s a 10-minute taxi drive from the cosmopolitan resort of Elounda.
Designed by renowned Italian art director and designer Gian Paolo Venier, the interiors are striking and include concept walls, imaginative use of lighting and lots of natural materials. The hotel’s website says: ‘Touches of bright white marble from Brazil’s submarine quarries coexist with dottings of black volcanic pebbles from Sumatra. Handpicked elements of rare craftsmanship provide a seamless blend of the resort’s look and feel with the surrounding hills and the Cretan archipelago’s azure water.’
On the facilities front, the hotel boasts two pools, one with in-water loungers, four restaurants, two bars, a spa and an amphitheatre for cultural events and live music. There are 74 rooms and villas – including a selection with private plunge pools – that afford guests views of the renowned Spinalonga Islet.
Rooms start from €270 (£235) for a Superior Sea View Room with private plunge pool. Visit www.cayoresort.com.
Oku, Kos
Adult-only Oku Kos is a ‘village-style beach hideaway’ on the shores of the Aegean
Food is served at a beach club, bar and the restaurant, To Kima, ‘a relaxed setting which boasts dramatic views of the sea’
Adult-only Oku Kos is a ‘village-style beach hideaway’ on the shores of the Aegean.
Accommodation? One hundred ‘spacious’ guest rooms with private and semi-private pools and a handful of private two-bedroom villas – ‘for the ultimate in secluded luxury’.
Food is served at a beach club, bar and the restaurant, To Kima, ‘a relaxed setting which boasts dramatic views of the sea’ where ‘farm-to-fork Greek specialities’ and ‘international favourites with a modern twist’ are served.
Rates at Oku Kos start from €180 (£153) based on two sharing a double room on a B&B basis.
Omma Santorini, Santorini
Omma Santorini, in the clifftop village of Imerovigli, offers ‘the ultimate luxury Greek island experience’
Omma Santorini is home to 25 rooms and suites. Guests can choose a room with a caldera view or a plunge pool. Or both
Located in the clifftop village of Imerovigli, 15 minutes from Oia, Omma Santorini is home to 25 rooms and suites – with guests able to opt for a caldera view or plunge pool, or both – and five villas with ‘sprawling sea views’ and private pools.
Guests can also take advantage of a Mediterranean restaurant, a spa with natural cave-like treatments rooms, and a double-level signature infinity pool. The hotel boasts that it offers ‘the ultimate luxury Greek island experience’.
Nightly rates at Omma Santorini start from 670 euros (£570).
Kensho Psarou, Mykonos
Kensho Psarou on Mykonos has 31 rooms and boasts ‘awe-inspiring decor’ and ‘impeccable service’
‘Embrace your VIP status as luxury service takes you to a new level of relaxation,’ the hotel says
Kensho Psarou is, we’re told, ‘the elite retreat… a newcomer on the island, but the crème de la crème nonetheless’.
This 31-room property, which soft-launched in 2019, boasts ‘awe-inspiring decor’ and ‘impeccable service’, plus a ‘stunning four-bedroom villa’ that has already taken the fancy of ‘many an elite and A-lister’.
‘Embrace your VIP status as luxury service takes you to a new level of relaxation,’ the hotel adds. What are you waiting for? Visit www.kenshomykonos.com/kensho-psarou for more information.
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