Amanzoe
Hotel Name: Amanzoe
Number of Rooms: 38 pavilions and villas, the smallest of which is over 2,000 square feet and has its own pool
Location: In Porto Heli, the understated getaway on the Peloponnese coast, a 25-minute chopper ride from Athens
A place so utterly beautiful, you’d think its name was Greek for “perfection,” Amazoe is a flawless display of intelligent design. The hilltop property sits poised above Porto Heli, a tiny resort town on the Peloponnese, offering views of distant olive groves and swaths of Aegean blue. White colonnades and carved entablatures recall the country’s architectural history, while swaths of slate and marble direct the aesthetic towards the modern era. Standalone guest pavilions, set between walled courtyards and swaying cypress trees, are supremely private and feature slate plunge pools. Guests spend their days lounging at the on-site beach club or exploring the nearby islands of Spetses and Hydra, before gathering for nightly sunset cocktails on the property’s legendary terrace.
What We Loved: In this day and age, few places feel truly epic, but Amanzoe is verily Olympian. This is a luxury hotel of which Zeus and company would approve. At TLF, we keep reams of notes that stay behind the scenes; in Amanzoe’s file, we’ve written, “Best hotel in Greece by a landslide.”
What We Didn’t Love: If you need to walk out of your room and on to the sand, taking the shuttle down to the beach club each day might feel a bit Sisyphusian (but at least it’s downhill, and worth it upon arrival).
Right For: Travelers ready to spend time truly discovering the magic of Greece beyond the marquee attractions. This is a place to take your time.
Wrong For: Families are welcome, but the crowd here skews couple-y since the whole operation feels confidently sophisticated.
Best Time to Visit: The hotel is open seasonally, from late April through the end of September.
TLF Tip: Honey harvested from on-property beehives is amber-colored and herbaceous, and you’ll find it everywhere from your morning Greek yogurt to your afternoon spa treatment to your evening cocktail.