Olea All Suite Hotel

Olea All Suite Hotel

Zakynthos has spent decades being associated with the louder end of Greek island tourism, and Olea exists as the quietly emphatic argument against that reputation. Perched on a grassy hillside above Tsilivi among ancient olive trees and native greenery, designed by Athens and Stockholm-based architects Block722+, it is a hotel that knows precisely what it is and who it is for, which is not the Laganas crowd. Eighty-nine suites in a tropical-modernist aesthetic of pale earthy tones, rattan, bamboo, and thatched roofs, all built around a 4,000 square metre lake-like pool that serves as the social and architectural heart of the property, its Ionian blue dissolving into the sky and the sea views beyond. Adults only above twelve, which tells you everything you need to know about the atmosphere the hotel is cultivating. The suites range from Superior Water Suites with direct pool access to Executive Suites with private pools and sea or countryside views, the best ones elevated enough that the Ionian fills the entire frame from the terrace. CocoMat mattresses, natural materials throughout, Zealots bath products, and the kind of blackout curtains that make mornings genuinely optional. Three restaurants, the centrepiece being Cocoon Resto and Bar, a circular space with a sandy floor built directly into the pool, open to the sky and the olive trees. The Royal Spa is 300 square metres of hammam, yoga studio, and treatments using aromatic and Mediterranean herbs. The beach at Tsilivi is eleven minutes on foot. A private yacht can be arranged for the Zakynthos coastline, the Blue Caves, and the beaches that only make sense from the water. Design Hotels member, open late April to mid-October. Short version: Eighty-nine tropical-modernist suites in an ancient olive grove above Tsilivi, built around a lake-like pool with Ionian views, adults only above twelve, with three restaurants, a 300-square-metre spa, and the quieter, more considered version of Zakynthos that the island has always been capable of and rarely shown.