By some accounts, Greece has around 6,000 islands and islets, which makes picking where to go no easy feat. Do you choose Cycladic cool in Serifos and Milos, or head to the northwest Sporades archipelago, which counts Skopelos—of Mamma Mia fame—among its islands? Decisions, decisions.
But once you’ve selected an island, it’s not like your work is done—no, you still need to figure out where to bed down. With this in mind, we’ve scoured the islands for the hotels that stand out, thanks to their impressive architecture, interior design, or both. (We’ve also chosen to highlight different islands, which means you won’t just see hotels from, say, Santorini, even though it has proportionately more hotels.) From stone villas in the Cretan countryside to a high-society destination in the Saronic Gulf, here are 12 beautifully designed island hotels we have on our radar. Happy exploring.
Casa Cook Rhodes
Nomadic style meets traditional Greek architecture at Casa Cook, a 90-room, 16+ hotel located in Kolympia, on the island’s northeast side. Common spaces accent exposed stone walls and tables, and feature wooden decks, jute rugs, hammocks, and pergolas; rooms have low-slung furniture, pendant lighting, wire chairs, straw poufs, and linen and rough cotton furnishings that contribute to the resort’s all-around bohemian vibe.
Photo: Courtesy of Casa Cook
Coco-Mat Eco Residences, Serifos
At this Design Hotels property, Greek architect George Zafiriou revamped former miners’ quarters into two-story apartments with sea views. Responsible for the interiors, designers Ioanna Founti and Zili Karahaliou drafted open spaces in earth tones and filled the rooms with furniture made of natural fibers like coconut and chestnut. The beds are Coco-Mat—which is unsurprising, given that the hotel is an extension of the brand, which was founded in 1989 in Greece and makes all of its mattresses in the country from materials including seaweed and cactus fibers.
Photo: Courtesy of Design Hotels
Domes Miramare, a Luxury Collection Resort, Corfu
A former summer playground of the Onassis family in the 1960s, Domes Miramare has been reborn into a 16+ complex with its own beach. Its original modernist design—by architect Charalambos Sfaellos, himself influenced by Le Corbusier—remains, but designer Kristina Zanic has redone rooms in shades of pearl and taupe with pastel blue, green, and pink accents. One of the hotel’s most notable features? A 200-year-old olive tree, which occupies prime real estate in the center of the lobby. Spring for a waterfront Pavilion Sea Suite, which comes with its own pool and deck.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Kokkini Porta Rossa, Rhodes
Dating back to the 15th century (when it was a knight’s residence), today the property is a tranquil six-suite hotel inside Rhodes’ Old Town walls. Some of the home’s bones remain, including stone walls and arched entryways; the house is otherwise decorated with antique wood carvings, Byzantine artifacts, framed tapestries and maps, all of which come together to make it at once cozy and awe-inspiring.
Photo: Courtesy Kokkini Porta Rossa
Liostasi Hotel & Suites, Ios
Though the hotel’s hallmark is a red poolside sculpture from Greek artist Kostas Georgiou, common spaces and rooms at this boutique hotel—a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World—are filled with their own notable objets d’art and handcrafted elements: See the glass baubles, woven baskets, and driftwood furniture here, there, and everywhere. Suites, done in brown, gray, and green by designer Antonis Kalogridis, have black-and-white headboards, tree-trunk tables, and all-marble bathrooms with mirrored doors; all come with private terraces.
Photo: Courtesy of Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Myconian Kyma, Mykonos
White on white is nothing new in the Cyclades, but at Myconian Kyma, all that white is interspersed with pops of color—think bright pink chairs, striped rugs, and mustard throws—that help give the hotel a 1960s vibe. (It’s no wonder it’s a member of Design Hotels.) Thanks to architect Galal Mahmoud, marble, wood, glass, and stone play heavily in the hotel’s common spaces and rooms, too. All but one of the hotel’s 81 rooms and suites (the Apollon Suite) has a sea view.
Photo: Courtesy of Design Hotels
Photo: Courtesy of Olea All Suite Hotel
Photo: Courtesy of Perivolas
Photo: Courtesy of Poseidonion Grand Hotel
Photo: Courtesy of Vora
Photo: Courtesy of White River Cottages
Photo: Courtesy Leading Hotels of the World
