{"id":99004,"date":"2024-04-19T14:38:54","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T18:38:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/?p=99004"},"modified":"2024-07-12T13:09:29","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T17:09:29","slug":"new-testament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.tablethotels.com\/en\/2024\/04\/new-testament\/","title":{"rendered":"New Testament"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mandraki Beach Resort \u2014 Hydra, Greece<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly 500 hotels have opened in the southern Aegean Sea since 2020. Here are some thoughts on that staggering fact \u2014 and some of our favorites.<\/h4>\n

There are plenty of hotels in the Aegean Sea. That\u2019s inarguable. In recent years, more than a hundred new hotels have opened there annually \u2014 a mind-blowing statistic that brings with it the expected strain on the region\u2019s infrastructure and brings up the age-old question: what do you do when tourism risks destroying the very things the tourists came to experience? <\/p>\n

The Greek Islands are setting out to answer that question and solve the myriad problems caused by an ever-rising tide of travelers. By no means are officials telling visitors to stay home \u2014 tourism is a crucial part of the economy \u2014 but they are asking them to consider what type of holiday they\u2019re planning to have, and how it might effect the local character and ecosystem. They\u2019re asking that you support native businesses, seek out authentic experiences, and engage thoughtfully with their thousands of years of heritage and culture.<\/p>\n

In other words, they\u2019re asking that you value the things that can only be found there, so those things may continue to exist.<\/p>\n

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Acro Suites \u2014 Crete, Greece<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For our part, we can recommend that you skip the mass-produced mega-chain hotels and look for independent, locally owned and operated properties. And short of that, look for places that are integrated into the community and aren\u2019t just siloed-off, stand-alone compounds with more Japanese and Mexican restaurants than Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

Of course, huge resorts can be great! Franchise hotels can hit the spot! We\u2019re humans here at Tablet; we\u2019re not completely dogmatic. We\u2019re as flexible as we need to be to meet our own personal travel requirements, and sometimes those requirements are a home rental or a simple, reliable, mid-level chain brand. Regardless of where you stay \u2014 but especially if it\u2019s a massive all-inclusive \u2014 the important part is to get out and get immersed in the local culture. Don\u2019t repeat the mistakes made in the first season of White Lotus. Don\u2019t sit still and have a thin performance of the culture trucked in for you.<\/p>\n

How, then, do you sift through those hundreds of new accommodations and find the ones most worthy of your consideration? We thought you\u2019d never ask. Below, a handful of the best and most interesting Aegean island hotels recently added to the Tablet selection. They help tell a hopeful story of modern hospitality in this region \u2014 distinctive, connected, thoroughly luxurious yet willing to trade island-hopping glitz and glamour for a vibe that’s more grounded, natural, and earth-toned.
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Kalesma Mykonos<\/a><\/h2>\n
Mykonos, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Kalesma<\/a><\/p>\n

Mykonos is already as desirable as any destination in the Mediterranean, and the luxe and alarmingly stylish Kalesma only raises the stakes. It\u2019s set on a hilltop on the island\u2019s west side, fifteen minutes from town, and feels like a private refuge \u2014 one whose 25 suites and villas pay tribute to classic Cycladic architecture as well as modern interior design, and feature Rick Owens furnishings among their adornments.<\/p>\n

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La Perla Villas & Suites<\/a><\/h2>\n
Santorini, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"La<\/a><\/p>\n

Any hotel that\u2019s going to stand out in Santorini is going to do it by virtue of the fine details \u2014 and there will be guests for whom only La Perla, with its particular vision of modern-classic Cycladic hospitality, will do. The genre is subtle, modernist-inflected luxury, with boutique-hotel characteristics, and the color scheme sports a diverse array of greens, blues, and violet, against a backdrop of white and gray.<\/p>\n

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Soho Roc House<\/a><\/h2>\n
Mykonos, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Soho<\/a><\/p>\n

Soho House\u2019s expansion is notable not only for how well its urban-creative members\u2019-club concept has traveled, but for how effortlessly the brand has developed an equally strong line of far-flung destination clubs \u2014 including Soho Roc House, a 45-room escape on the south coast of Mykonos, close enough to the beaches and nightlife to feel convenient but removed enough to offer the privacy a members\u2019 club demands.<\/p>\n

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Magma Resort<\/a><\/h2>\n
Santorini, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Magma<\/a><\/p>\n

Named for the volcanic rock on which it stands, Magma Resort Santorini makes a powerful argument for the outer edge of this crescent-shaped island. It faces the Aegean rather than the inner caldera, which trades one dramatic view for a rather subtler one \u2014 and which affords the resort a substantial expanse of extra space, allowing its rooms and suites to spread to luxurious dimensions.<\/p>\n

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Mandraki Beach Resort<\/a><\/h2>\n
Hydra, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Mandraki<\/a><\/p>\n

The mythical hydra has many heads, but the island of the same name has only one sandy beach \u2014 and it\u2019s on this idyllic stretch of sand that you\u2019ll find the Mandraki Beach Resort, a modern luxury resort built on the site of a 19th-century naval fortification. It\u2019s this curious history that explains the aesthetic; one part weathered stone and one part crisp, contemporary minimalism.<\/p>\n

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NO\u016aS Santorini<\/a><\/h2>\n
Santorini, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"NO\u016aS<\/a><\/p>\n

With NO\u016aS, Dakis Joannou, the industrialist and art collector, has created a hotel that doesn\u2019t need a caldera view to supply a visual identity. Here a village-like collection of modern minimalist buildings \u2014 clearly descended from, but not in imitation of, the local village vernacular \u2014 stands around the centerpiece of a man-made water feature, a 50-meter L-shaped infinity pool. <\/p>\n

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Acro Suites<\/a><\/h2>\n
Crete, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Acro<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps inspired by similarly situated dwellings on the island of Santorini, Acro Suites brings cliffside romance and carved-rock drama to the north coast of Crete. This adults-only resort-style luxury boutique hotel is the smaller and more reserved sister to the Sea Side Resort, right next door \u2014 an arrangement that allows Acro Suites\u2019 guests to use Sea Side\u2019s substantial facilities, but not the other way around.<\/p>\n

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White River Cottages<\/a><\/h2>\n
Crete, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Masseria<\/a><\/p>\n

A relatively remote corner of the eastern end of Crete is where you\u2019ll find White River Cottages, a collection of stone houses in a valley called Aspros Potamos, whose direct translation gives the hotel its name. It\u2019s a refreshingly tranquil and pastoral experience, with access to some impressively wild countryside and with an atmosphere that\u2019s a fine mix of rough-edged rustic charm and contemporary boutique-hotel polish.<\/p>\n

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Cosme<\/a><\/h2>\n
Paros, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Cosme\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cosme is set in the village of Naoussa, on the northern coast of Paros, an island that\u2019s rather more tranquil than some of its neighbors, though hardly less desirable. In its 40 suites you\u2019ll find a thoughtful, tasteful approach to luxury, and a style that\u2019s memorable and modern while remaining unobtrusive \u2014 as always, the setting and the seascapes are the main attraction.<\/p>\n

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WeSense Santorini<\/a><\/h2>\n
Santorini, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"WeSense<\/a><\/p>\n

WeSense contains a mere two units: a Cave Suite called Zest, and a Cave Villa by the name of Bliss. The former sleeps three guests, the latter four; it\u2019s smaller than some vacation homes, and that\u2019s part of its appeal. Privacy and tranquility are assured at this scale, and the interiors in both are clean-lined and modern, with plenty of island character but not a spot of kitsch.<\/p>\n

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Pno\u0113s Tinos<\/a><\/h2>\n
Tinos, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Pno\u0113s<\/a><\/p>\n

A nearby alternative to busy Mykonos is the island of Tinos, practically undiscovered in mass-travel terms. And while Pno\u0113s Tinos will raise the island\u2019s profile, it\u2019s not likely to disturb the local tranquility \u2014 this ultra-stylish retreat comprises a mere three villas. They\u2019re the work of the Greek firm Aristides Dallas Architects, and they\u2019re a very modern evolution of the classic Cycladic white-on-white look.<\/p>\n

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Minois Hotel<\/a><\/h2>\n
Paros, Greece<\/h5>\n

\"Minois<\/a><\/p>\n

Minois, a 44-room boutique hotel in a style that\u2019s equal parts modern minimalism and Cycladic tradition. It\u2019s less a party hotel and more a luxurious little enclave, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s any less glamorous \u2014 its buildings combine a contemporary take on Greek architecture with a vibrant mix of Western Mediterranean influences, all unified by the confident hand of its Athens-based designers.<\/p>\n

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