Liz Dunphy
Pink sunsets, shady pines and views stretching for miles across the vivid blue waters of the Aegean… hotel settings don’t come more spectacular than this.
Perched on a hill on the southwestfacing Pounta peninsula, the Elivi boutique resort on the Greek island of Skiathos is pure beachfront bliss.
Sitting above ribbons of sheltered white sands and olive groves, meadows burst with bright red poppies and violets cover the surrounding hillsides. A protected wetland and lagoon teaming with birdlife lies off to the side.
“The view is what you should remember here,” Vivi Nathanailidi, co-owner of the new five-star resort, told us as we checked in.
The pleasingly low-rise building of 32 rooms, with two infinity pools, five restaurants and three beach bars, were designed to make the most of every vantage point.
In my Scandinavian-style room, a superior double, the island’s natural beauty certainly took centre stage. Through the glass doors on to a private terrace I could slip straight into a private chlorine-free pool overlooking the sea.
Built by modernist architect Aris Konstantinidis, the hotel was once part of a government project in the 60s and 70s to bring tourism to some of Greece’s most beautiful places.
But the then Xenia Hotel closed in 2000
Elivi boutique resort and fell into disrepair. “There was graffiti on the walls and horses had been living in the bedrooms,” said Vivi.
“But when you walked in you could see the frame of sea… it was abandoned but beautiful.”
A rare black swan which hangs out down at that beach has since become the emblem for the hotel, embossed on its logos and flying silently through the corridors thanks to clever shadow art.
The Elivi’s prime location means it has direct access to four of Skiathos’ 60 sandy beaches, including Koukounaries, often rated as the best beach in the whole of Greece, as well as the white sands of Ampelakia.
If you can tear yourself away from the plumped-up loungers lining the shores and pools, there are tennis courts, an outdoor yoga and Pilates studio, a spa with sauna, hammam and plunge pool, a
There are restaurants serving everything from sushi to local cuisine