The Greek Island resort on everyone’s lips

On the untapped island of Folegandros, expertly-designed Gundari Resort offers a new style of raw, rugged luxury that’s a welcome departure from the blue-and-white template of years past

Given the tourist hordes that descend on Santorini and Mykonos every year, I was beginning to wonder whether it was possible to find a Greek island getaway that could deliver the classic charm of the Cyclades without the crowds. Low and behold, mid-way between Santorini and Milos I find the tiny island of Folegandros – with no airport or cruise terminal – hiding in plain sight.  

Folegandros has shown up on the luxury radar because of the brand-new Gundari Resort, the island’s first five-star property, which is perched above rugged cliffs on 32 protected acres. Don’t expect the whitewashed walls and blue domes of a Cycladic postcard resort, though – Gundari embodies a raw luxury aesthetic hewn, as it is, from the very limestone of this unforgiving and harshly beautiful landscape. It is the passion project of Australian businessmen, Uruguayan-born Ricardo Larriera (who is the resort’s founder and CEO) and Greek Australian Terry Seremetis, whose family ties to Folegandros go back generations.

When I arrive at the resort’s airy reception area I am struck by the organic pottery pieces whose flowing lines appear to have been sculpted by the Meltemi winds that sweep down from the north. “I awarded the holistic design brief to Greek architect Sotiris Tsergas and Swedish-born interior designer Katja Margaritoglou of Athens-based architecture studio Block722 for their craft-oriented focus,” explains Larriera. “I loved how they collaborated with local artisans and artists to reinterpret Cycladic traditions with a contemporary spirit.”

A Greek Island home

The 27 suites and villas – each with its own solar-heated infinity pool and spacious deck and some with private outdoor showers – all face south, overlooking the Aegean and with their backs against the prevailing winds. Our suite has a minimalist palette of sand and earth tones with unpolished cement floors, oak timber tables and benches, and soft textiles creating a calming environment where the focal point is always the blue horizon outside the floor-to-ceiling doors. The subterranean deluxe suites are wedged into the cliff edge and their infinity pools merge with the vast blues of the watery horizon.

The expansive hotel pool, surrounded by taupe recliners, has a sunken swim-up bar at one end and the wide expanse of the Aegean at the other. The main restaurant and bar open out to a covered terrace overlooking the pool, while a walled-in courtyard area invites dining under the stars.

Larriera hired multi-award-winning spa expert Naomi Gregory to design Gundari’s spa offering, with all therapists trained under her tutelage in Australia. “We wanted to offer a fully-integrated holistic spa experience,” Larriera explains. “And Naomi has tapped into ancient Greek herbal remedies to ensure that treatments also honour a sense of place.” The cliff-edge subterranean spa and hydrotherapy pool sit below the hotel in a serene space that appears to hover between the Earth, sea and sky.

Larriera, a former advertising executive, fell in love with Folegandros when his friend, Terry Seremetis, suggested in 2018 that they buy a little hotel together on the island. Larriera envisioned a much more ambitious project: Gundari Resort. The name references ‘phelek gundari’, the Phoenician name for Folegandros, which means ‘rocky place’. But Larriera tells me the term has multiple connotations:  “It symbolises that Gundari has respect for the history and culture of the island. It also means ‘home’ in the language of the Bidjara people in Australia. And, finally, it’s the name of a Buddhist wisdom king who dispenses the celestial nectar of immortality.”

Go slow

The heart of Larriera’s philosophy for Gundari is to give back to the island. While many luxury resorts are focused on cocooning their guests so they never leave, I was struck by how much Larriera values and fosters the traditional way of life on Folegandros. He is passionate about helping guests explore the island and taste local delicacies.

Before construction began, more than 600 seedlings were collected and nurtured to regenerate the land with indigenous plants, while all the stonework incorporated into the property’s design came from rock excavated on site. Hot water and pool heating comes from renewable solar energy, and there’s a biological waste-water treatment program and water recycling for irrigation.

Gundari has also initiated a monitoring and conservation program for the endangered Eleonora’s falcon and Bonelli’s eagle, which nest in the area, and is supporting the regeneration of traditional agricultural practices, specifically with the establishment of a farm next door to the resort.

The cliff-edge subterranean spa and hydrotherapy pool sits below the hotel in a serene space that appears to hover between the earth, sea and sky.

Unique Folegandros

Unlike many islands in the Cyclades, small and arid Folegandros still moves to traditional ways, with a farming and fishing community of about 650 inhabitants – only half of which live there year-round. By comparison with the 3.4 million tourists who visit Santorini annually, only about 40,000 tourists come to Folegandros each year. They are, unsurprisingly, attracted to the island’s quiet beaches, small villages and gentle pace.

I love the walk up the whitewashed zigzag path to the Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary), which is the island’s most iconic site. The route is a fine place to watch the sun set without the crowds of Santorini. The nearby town of Chora, with its maze of alleyways lined by white-washed houses with bright shutters and bougainvillea, is one of the prettiest villages in the Cyclades and comes to life in the evening, when people gather to eat and drink at outdoor tables.

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Hotel notes

Folegandros is accessible by ferry from the Athens Port of Piraeus, as well as from Milos and Santorini. The resort’s boat can also arrange guest transfers to and from Santorini. The resort operates seasonally from May to October, and rates start from AU$740 a night. gundari.com

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While you’re here

Be sure to book an excursion on one of the resort’s motorboats to access remote beaches and waterfront restaurants, both on Folegandros and other nearby islands. There’s nothing like diving from a boat directly into the cerulean depths of the Aegean. Gundari also offers electric bikes for exploring and free shuttles to Chora village.

Must do

Participate in a history tour of Chora and the Church of Panagia with local cultural anthropologist Poly Gkiouri, and a cooking class with yia yia (grandmother) Irene Psaromilingou, whose family runs a grocery-taverna in the agricultural village of Ano Meria. Another highlight is hiking along paths rimmed with ancient stone walls to pristine beaches such as Livadaki in the northwest of the island.