Calendar Travel: The Rooster - The Calendar Magazine

Green-list-wise, Greece looks like it could be a promising bet later on this summer, and right at the top of our wish list is the little Cycladic island of Antiparos, where the main town, Chora, was built around a Venetian castle. Just a 30-minute ferry-hop from the bigger island of Paros, Antiparos is all whitewashed houses with Klein Blue doors and shutters, café tables on cobbled streets, sandy beaches, and the famous cave where Lord Byron carved his name. Despite Tom Hanks and (allegedly) Madonna having houses here, it still has a chilled, slow travel, under-the-radar feel, and long-time Antiparos summer resident Athanasia Komninou (who had a former life in interiors magazines) wants to keep it that way. June 1st sees the opening of her passion project, The Rooster – a small wellness retreat with a spa, farm, and just 17 houses sleeping 2–6 (each with a private pool), that celebrates the art of organic living and respectful tourism. ⁠⁠

VOIS architects helped her realise her minimalist, earthy aesthetic using sustainable wood and stone, sludgy colours and textures, rustic four-posters and artisan furniture. We can’t think of anything more restful than chilling in the holistic spa, with its rituals and sound healing, or heading to the Pavilion for complimentary yoga and meditation classes. Order homegrown food in the Restaurant (with vegetables and herbs you can pick yourself on the farm), or the fairy-lit Secret Garden, or book a Beach Basket filled with organic picnic treats when you’re heading for a swim and a snooze on Livadia beach.⁠⁠

If you’re after a party island, you are in the wrong place – but if you’re craving space, privacy, wholesome food and reconnecting with nature, you will love it. ⁠⁠

Doubles from €580 B&B, theroosterantiparos.com ⁠

For slow travel to Greece, take the train to Athens (see seat61.com), then the ferry from Piraeus to Paros, and the smaller boat to Antiparos. ⁠