Contessina Suites & Spa

Right around the corner from the slightly larger Contessina Hotel, and a block from the west end of Tsilivi Beach, is the more intimate and more luxurious — and, crucially, adults-only — Contessina Suites & Spa. Its style is modern and rather minimal, with not a hint of island kitsch; in fact it’s sophisticated enough to feel quite urban, even while its compound-like design makes it feel like something of a world unto itself.

Luxe touches are everywhere: some suites have freestanding baths, others have hot tubs, and many either come with their own plunge pool or share one with their neighbor. Don’t let the boutique-hotel looks fool you — this is a properly high-end experience.

Of particular note is the spa, with its curvaceous grotto-like pool. Another pair of open-air pools are on hand for guests who didn’t book pool villas. And the Ionian Sea, of course, is a scant 250 meters from the hotel’s door. As are several worthwhile restaurants — but the hotel’s own offerings run from a classic Greek breakfast and a poolside snack bar to Lentika, the ground-floor restaurant surrounded by gardens, and Nobile, the rooftop fine-dining venue with a view of the pool.