Plan My Journey
Cycladic bay with whitewashed walls and calm sea in late light

The portfolio

Greece

A new generation of Greek houses: small, built from what the place provides.

Greece has changed in recent years. Alongside the familiar islands, a series of small houses has appeared, working with local stone, craft and a very quiet architecture — and they are missed after leaving.

This selection deliberately reaches beyond the Cyclades: a former raisin factory on the Ionian Sea, a retreat below Mount Taygetos, a cliff on Folegandros.

01

Gundari

Folegandros

Why we chose it

A house on an undeveloped cliff, built from volcanic stone and set so deep into the slope it is barely visible from the sea. Folegandros has no airport and no scene — which is the point.

Best for

Travellers who know the Cyclades and want the version without an audience.

Our favourite room

A suite with a private pool at the cliff edge; the rooms cut into the slope are cooler and just as good.

When to go

May, June and September. The house closes in winter.

Pure Voyage note

Getting there is the hard part: ferry from Santorini or Milos. Allow a buffer day, the meltemi moves timetables.

02

Parīlio

Paros

Why we chose it

White lime, local stone and concrete in a very reduced language — one of few new Cycladic houses that reads as architecture rather than postcard.

Best for

Couples and friends who explore the island by day and want quiet by evening.

Our favourite room

A room with its own courtyard at the back of the property, away from the pool.

When to go

June and September. July and August fill Paros up.

Pure Voyage note

Naoussa is ten minutes away and gets loud after nine. For a quiet dinner, drive inland to Lefkes instead.

03

Kalesma

Mykonos

Why we chose it

Twenty-seven suites on a slope above Ornos Bay, built in Cycladic manner with stone walls and timber. Proof that Mykonos can be quiet without leaving the island.

Best for

Travellers who like Mykonos but do not want to live in the middle of it.

Our favourite room

A suite in the upper row facing west — the sun sets behind Delos from there.

When to go

May, June and September into early October.

Pure Voyage note

A car is essential on Mykonos; in high summer reserve it months ahead.

04

Dexamenes

Kourouta, Peloponnes

Why we chose it

A 1920s wine factory on the Ionian Sea whose concrete tanks became rooms. Raw, still and entirely undecorated — architecturally the most singular thing in Greece right now.

Best for

Travellers drawn to architecture and industrial history who do not need marble.

Our favourite room

A tank room in the front row, metres from the water.

When to go

May to June and September; the coast is pleasantly empty then.

Pure Voyage note

Olympia is forty minutes away. Go for the eight o'clock opening, before the coaches.

05

Euphoria Retreat

Mystras, Peloponnes

Why we chose it

A retreat on the slope below the Byzantine ruins of Mystras, built around a subterranean domed pool hall. The programmes are serious rather than decorative.

Best for

Travellers looking for a week with real structure — movement, treatment, rest.

Our favourite room

A room over the Sparta valley; the suites in the upper building are more generous.

When to go

April to June and October. The valley turns hot at the height of summer.

Pure Voyage note

Five nights is the minimum for a programme to do anything. Less does not justify the journey.

And then

Which house suits you is best settled in conversation.

Between two very good addresses, the decision usually comes down to season, length of stay, or what comes before and after.

Speak with the conciergeAll regions of the portfolio
Pure Voyage NoteDestination Note

Which island suits which kind of stay?

Small islands for quiet, larger ones for variety. Ferry links are seasonal and thin in spring — only plan island-hopping if you stay at least four nights per stop. June and September are the most agreeable months. In August the meltemi shapes entire days, especially across the Cyclades.

Noted by Pure Voyage

Common questions

What guests ask us about this

How does Pure Voyage choose its houses?
We only recommend houses we can judge — from our own experience, from research and from what guests tell us afterwards. Location, character and everyday reliability decide; not stars or lists of facilities.
Does booking through Pure Voyage cost more?
No. You pay the house's own rate. Through our partner programmes many houses add value — breakfast, a credit, later check-out or a better room when available.
Which room should you book?
Almost every house has one category worth far more than its supplement, and one that isn't. Each house page says which we would take under “our favourite room”.

Continue through Pure Voyage

Where to go from here

Not a catalogue, but a next step: the houses, routes, countries and essays we would mention at this point in a conversation.

An Invitation

Once a month: hotels, new openings and travel ideas

One hotel that convinced us, with our advice on suite and season. The openings that actually matter. And a destination at its best right now. No offers, no advertising.