Go coastal — soothing stays by the sea
Smart new seaside retreats for an autumn reset
So many new hotels have opened this year in Europe that it’s hard to keep track. In Greece alone there are now 82 rooms set aside for holidaymakers for every 1,000 people. To help you decide on which sunbed to rest your head for that final dose of blissful summer sun, we’ve reviewed two of the loveliest new openings: one in the forested hills of Mallorca (with an enormous pool and very smart cabanas), and one on a cliff overlooking the sea in Crete, with views of Dia, the island of Zeus. Don’t bury your bikini just yet…
Acro Wellness Suites, Crete
Jutting out over the Aegean Sea on a limestone cliff, looking across to mysterious Dia, the island of Zeus, the Acro Suites resort is a dramatic hideaway fringed with emerald waters. From one of the 49 suites, which range from lofts to four-bedroom villas, it feels almost as if you’re standing on the prow of a ship; it is both mesmerising and soothing, part of a carefully calibrated atmosphere of peace and privacy in a hotel that caters only to adults. Each suite is sea-facing and has its own pool set in rocky gardens of olive trees, aloe vera and wild grasses. The only sound is the thrum of bees clustering around purple sage, lavender and bougainvillea. Earthy tones and natural textures of wood and stone exude a Cretan village aesthetic designed to meld with the sparse coastal landscape, while the rooms are minimalist and cool with brushed concrete. At the main infinity pool guests can make the most of the cliff-top breeze as they sunbathe in secluded pods, while staff in olive tunics deliver healthy snacks and juices as well as wicked cocktails. Curved around a hillock of wilderness garden, the Cremnos restaurant serves fresh fish, grilled meats and zingy salads with excellent Greek wines. The head chef, Yannis Rokanas, hosts occasional collaborations with cooks from Michelin-starred restaurants, concocting showstopping seven-course tasting menus of deconstructed Greek fare. To work it off there is a gym and a yoga studio, plus a spa with a hammam, where you can indulge in a two-hour steam, scrub and massage. Then, in a state of bliss, the best thing to do is lie in the shade of an ancient olive tree and gaze at the incredible views over the sea.
Details Doubles from €400, acrosuites.com
Jane Wright
Grand Hotel Son Net, Mallorca
When, in 1672, an aristocratic Spanish family decided to build a palacio on the island of Mallorca, they had most of the interior to themselves. So they picked the best spot: a sunny hillside within the forested slopes of the Serra de Tramuntana, surrounded by vineyards, the village of Puigpunyent below and the city of Palma ten miles away. Three and a half centuries later Son Net has been reinvented as a glamorous 31-room hotel, its once-agricultural quarters transformed by the Spanish designer Lorenzo Castillo into cosy bars and living rooms, its stables turned into four pool suites and its mountain slopes dug out to house a Moorish-style two-storey spa. Like its Andalusian sister property, Finca Cortesin, there isn’t a dud room. Cosy, fabric-festooned spaces and grand high-ceilinged suites are adorned with antiques, draped in linens, silks and velvets, hung with gilt-framed portraits and maps, and adjoined by marble-clad bathrooms. Among the garden’s giant palms and ancient cypresses are pockets of pretty flowerbeds with fragrant jasmine and white roses. It’s here, around a huge pool, that guests spend their days, sipping chilled malvasia wine from the hotel’s vineyard and tucking in to fresh seafood, paellas and inventive salads. In the evening the cosy, lamplit bar twinkles with brass and gilt. Outside under pretty lamps, guests feast on lobster stew and chicken with truffle. With hiking and cycle paths, beaches and Palma all close by, this is a palatial country pad in which to be treated like royalty to the soundtrack of birds and the waft of roses before heading out to explore the island.
Details Doubles from €880, sonnet.es
Lisa Grainger
