18 Grapes
The rather nondescript façade of this family-run property, named for the 18 vines that once grew on the ground where the hotel was built, isn’t much different from some of the places I used to stay in back in the eighties. Duck inside, however, and you discover a dazzling white-on-white sanctuary sheltered behind high (white) walls, whose main focus is a shimmering lap pool surrounded by well-upholstered sun beds and curtained cabanas, where waiters (who are mostly family members) rush to pamper you with snacks and handcrafted cocktails. Back from the glittering pool, 18 cosy suites have cool tiled floors, softly gleaming marble sink surrounds, Marshall speakers, and luscious Nuxe toiletries. Décor, including sheaves of sweet-scented lavender in wicker baskets, and bamboo and cane furnishings, manages that difficult balancing act of striking a homely note without seeming twee.
Some suites have their own, very capacious, steam rooms with marble seats big enough for two; others have furnished balconies or terraces with neatly trimmed lawns and plunge pools or whirlpool baths. Star of the show is the rooftop infinity pool, where evenings are spent sipping cocktails – including their delish signature vodka based Red Lotus, marinated with an aromatic mish-mash of forest fruits, yuzu, fresh lime juice and strawberries, whilst the sun sets in melting icecream puddles of pink and gold over the flamingo-dotted Alyki salt lake and the distant blue whale hump of Paros opposite. Next to the pool Tanines seaview restaurant is the place to snaffle succulent dishes made with seasonal ingredients: from the kakavia fish soup spiked with Kozani saffron and served with a béchamel-topped baguette to the new-age moussaka with Naxian arseniko cheese cream, potato chips, and minced beef — this is globally inspired local cuisine at its best.
Address: 18 Grapes Hotel, Agios Prokopios, Naxos, 84300, Greece
Price: Rooms from around £165 per night.
Ammothines
Ammothines means sand dunes, and there are plenty to sink your bare feet into at this 16-suite hotel surrounded by fragrant herbs and trimmed lawns, and linked by alleys fringed with wind-waved bamboo canes to Plaka, the island’s longest and loveliest golden beach.
When I first came here five years ago the resort sat in glorious isolation and even now, although several other hotels have mushroomed close by – and even though it’s only three kilometres from the buzzy resort of Agios Prokopios – Ammothines still seems blissfully remote, like a little island clustered around its sparkling L-shaped pool and set opposite a stretch of Plaka that’s rarely crowded even in the height of summer.
Much of the décor in the 16 suites is the work of owner Odysseus, who crafts luminous white Naxian marble to create balustrades on balconies, lamps in bedrooms and silky smooth bathroom sinks. Some rooms have American oak floors; all have plump beds and distant sea views. Sun-dazzled days here are spent padding back and forth between cabanas on the endless golden beach and sun beds by the pool, whilst evenings are serenaded by some of the island’s best flavours: whether it’s the flaky homemade pastries, tender grilled lamb, or satin-soft aubergine purée, dishes made according to the recipes of the family’s grandmother are a delight for the tastebuds.
Address: Ammothines Cycladic Suites, Plaka, Naxos, 84300, Greece
Price: Rooms from around £221 per night.