Here are best luxury hotels to book.
An Englishman, a Romanian, and a Maltese walk into a bar.
The Englishman, a documentary filmmaker, has a summer house next door.
From left: Tinos, one of the Hotel Aristide’s nine suites; looking down into the hotel’s courtyard garden.Marco Argüello
With her tumbling curls and amusing banter, Oana is not your typical hotelier.
“It’s not a beach or party island.
It’s an island of culture.”
From left: Afternoon sun in room No. 1904 at 1900 Hotel; moody blues in a guest room.Marco Argüello
“This could be an urban myth,” Oana said, “but it’s plausible.”
“During the 1800s, Syros was the wealthiest place in Greece, and the architecture shows it.
It’s not a beach or party island.
From left: Original tile work in the Kirki Suite at Hotel Aristide; classical-style décor in the Levadia Suite.Marco Argüello
It’s an island of culture.”
Predictions are buoyant for 2022, with developers racing to meet increased demand.
It takes chutzpah to open a hotel during a pandemic.
From left: The roof terrace at Hotel Aristide, which overlooks the Aegean Sea; a seating area in the hotel lobby.Marco Argüello
But that’s exactly what sisters Oana and Jasmin Aristide did.
“We fell in love with Syros and wanted to buy a modest holiday home,” Oana said.
“But the moment we saw this house, our plans changed.
From left: A view of Gialos, the main port on Symi, and the uninhabited island of Nimos; a traditional whitewashed staircase in Gialos.Marco Argüello
I suppose we were the only people naive enough to take it on.”
The sisters make a point of promoting local and sustainable products at the Aristide.
Hotel Aristide: Syros is two hours from Athens via high-speed ferry.
From left: Striking marble finishes in the bathroom of the Naxos Suite; diving off a jetty in Hermoupolis, the main town on Syros, with the church of St. Nicholas in the background.Marco Argüello
At first glance, Gialos, the handsome port of Symi, could be a miniature version of Hermoupolis.
Tiers of Neoclassical houses in every shade of ocher and terra-cotta ascend, amphitheater-like, from the harbor.
Like most Greeks, Zographos is an exceptionally thoughtful host.
From left: Basking on a terrace at the 1900 Hotel, on the island of Symi; Nanou beach, on Symi’s eastern coast.Marco Argüello
“Symi attracts people who appreciate beauty, landscape, and space,” he said.
Zographos doesn’t have a car, or even a driver’s license.
“That side of the island is totally undeveloped,” he said.
Livadia beach, on Antiparos, which guests at the Rooster have more or less to themselves.Marco Argüello
“It’s like Greece in the 1960s.”
1900 Hotel: Symi is one hour by ferry from Rhodes, which is served by domestic flights.
“It’s been quite a ride,” said Athanasia Comninos, CEO and founder of the Rooster.
A view from one of the 16 villas, each of which has a private pool.Marco Argüello
“Antiparos instantly felt like home,” she told me.
“It’s an island where it’s possible for you to take it easy.
you’ve got the option to party or you’ve got the option to disappear.”
The Rooster’s spa, which is known as the House of Healing.Marco Argüello
The Rooster is just the place to slip off the radar.
Sixteen villas built of local stone blend into the sunburned hills overlooking the empty sweep of Livadia Bay.
Interiors are spacious but spare, a quiet symphony of natural materials.
From left: Ceviche in the Rooster’s restaurant; an outdoor lounge area at the hotel.Marco Argüello
Life at the Rooster is conducted outdoors.
Every house has a private pool surrounded by flowering shrubs in which tiny yellow-breasted birds nest.
Sun salutations and sound-healing sessions take place in an open-air pavilion.
From left: The Rooster’s terrace; harvesting produce in the hotel’s kitchen garden.Marco Argüello
At night, you might see millions of stars.
The Rooster is just the place to slip off the radar.
Life at the Rooster is conducted outdoors.
Every house has a private pool surrounded by flowering shrubs in which tiny yellow-breasted birds nest.
It took eight years to go from idea to reality.
the Pirate) to sail you across to the temple of Apollo on the deserted island of Despotiko.
Or you could just lie back with a glass of something chilled and stare up at the blue sky.
On Antiparos, less is more.
A version of this story first appeared in the June 2022 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headlineGreek Trilogy.
