The Rooster is a ‘slow living’ wellness retreat in Greece that combines farm-to-table dining with organic, imperfect interior design. Rose Dykins reports
A new luxury boutique resort called the Rooster is opening on the Greek island of Antiparos – known for its slow living and its fascinating landscape – this summer, on June 1.
The Rooster’s founder and owner, Athanasia Comninos wants the resort to helps foster respectful tourism to Antiparos. Committed to working in harmony with nature and its local community, the property will offer an unpretentious, mindful approach to wellness, centred around the laid-back local lifestyle.
Antiparos is one of Greece’s Cyclades islands (along with Mykonos and Santorini). With sandy unspoilt beaches, caves filled with stalagmites and stalactites, and wide, open fields, the island is less crowded than its Cyclades counterparts in the summer months, meaning it’s a more peaceful choice for a holidaymakers.
This is inspired by Comninos’s own wake-up call moment in her life, where she re-evaluated what was truly important to her, and wanted to create “a safe haven for those who aspire to personal growth through travel, art and culture, where happiness can be appreciated in small details and simple pleasures”.
The Rooster also has an open-air bar, with a nearby “secret garden”. There’s also a picnic menu, where guests will be able to order organic food and drink to take with them to the beach.
Currently, Greece is set to reopen for tourists this summer, whether they have been vaccinated or not. Vaccinated travellers will not need to take a PCR test or self-isolate upon arrival, and everyone else will need to present a negative test result before travelling.
Photo credits: Yannis Rizomarkos and Nick Nikolaou. Styling: Anestis Michalis