By Eleni Stasinopoulou

I’d already stayed at Minos Beach, the sister property just down the coast, so I thought I had a sense of what to expect from Minos Palace. I didn’t. You cannot understand what this place is hiding until you’re actually inside it.

From the road, even from the entrance, you get no clue. The arrival is impressive on its own, large-scale artworks greet you before you’ve even checked in, then it opens into something vast, a big freshwater pool lined with tall trees and palms. But that’s just the introduction. Walk further and the property reveals its real secret: an entire private peninsula between Agios Nikolaos and Elounda, crystal blue water on every side, rocky decks, little stone stairs leading straight into the sea. It genuinely feels like an island within an island, and the privacy that gives you is not something you can picture from a photo. You have to walk it to believe it.

The stay: Nothing less than an Infinity Lagoon Suite

I stayed in one of the new Infinity Lagoon Suites, part of the resort’s final phase of transformation for 2026, and the concept is a smart one. There’s your own private pool, and then a shared lagoon-style pool that flows between all the suites, so you get seclusion when you want it and a quiet sense of connection when you don’t.

Two sculptural islands sit within the lagoon itself, deliberately echoing the two real islands visible on the horizon, a small architectural wink that I only clocked on day two. Beyond the lagoon, open sea.

It’s a layered view, private pool, lagoon, horizon, and it makes the suite feel far bigger than its actual footprint. Bonus: a large olive tree that offered plush shade throughout the day in the most idyllic way. Of course, I sat under it for hours with my book.

The resort overall has 101 rooms, 12 suites and 9 bungalows, 28 of which come with a private pool, all adults-only. Everything is deliberately grounded in earthy tones and natural materials, which suits the setting rather than fighting it.

The real story: Nao, the longevity hub

Rooms and views aside, the thing that actually sets Minos Palace apart is Nao, the wellness concept the hotel built two years ago, and it’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced in Greece. It’s not a spa in the usual sense. It’s a longevity hub, built around diagnostics, science and a genuinely personalized program rather than a menu of massages.

Nao sends thorough pre-arrival questionnaires, so by the time you land, they already have a working picture of you. Once there, you go through biometric testing and consultations that build out a full personal profile: metabolism, cardiovascular fitness, sleep, stress markers.

We visited two or three times over the weekend. The first session was tests and questionnaires, followed by a conversation with Nao’s scientific team going through the results. The whole program carries the scientific signature of Dr. Evi Hatzianddreou, Director of the Nao Longevity Programme and its Scientific Board, who oversees every treatment and protocol on offer, and what struck me most is that this isn’t wellness dressed up in scientific language. It’s genuinely rigorous, and it’s built to actually be used, not just admired.

Once you arrive at Nao’s genuinely striking facility, your path toward longevity starts properly, and it keeps going after you leave if you want it to. The first evaluation measures your resting metabolic rate, the RMR, through a special mask you wear while you simply lie back and relax. From your breathing alone, they work out how your metabolism behaves in a state of complete rest.

Then comes something I hadn’t experienced before: a body scan platform that slowly rotates while it maps your entire body, giving the Nao team everything they need on fat percentage, where it’s distributed, your body proportions, and more. After that, a run of balance, endurance and strength exercises, plus breathing tests that measure how well you can actually control your own breath. It sounds clinical written down, but in the room it felt more like being properly seen than being tested.

From there, the day softened into the treatments themselves. We tried sound healing, and my husband was asleep within five minutes. Hydrotherapy followed in an indoor pool that’s genuinely beautiful, daylight pouring through big roof windows onto the water below.

Somewhere in between, I found myself under the sensory rain shower, water falling in slow, deliberate rhythms with shifting light and scent built into the experience, and it’s the kind of small, strange moment that ends up staying with you longer than the massage does.

And the massage, honestly one of the best I’ve had, opened with a magnesium leg mask that left my legs completely reset, no heaviness at all.

Nao’s facility itself is a two-floor space with treatment and consultation rooms, a lab, touchless therapy rooms with photobiomodulation and cryotherapy, a meditation area, red sauna and salt room, hot and cold plunge pools, a vitality pool, and that sensory shower tunnel, so there’s real depth here if you want to go further than we did. For anyone wanting to properly commit, Nao runs structured programs from a One-Day Discovery up to a Fourteen-Day Longevity Pro, all built around the same five pillars: nutrition, sleep, movement, self-mastery, and connection.

Days by the water

Away from Nao, the rhythm of the place is simple. You find small private spots shaded by umbrellas, or better, actual trees, with sunbeds tucked away where you genuinely disappear from everyone else.

We spent hours like that, reading, swimming, coming back up, no noise, no crowd. The hotel also has its own blue flag beach if you want sand rather than rock. Bliss.

Breakfast, but curated

This is the detail that surprised me most. As part of the Nao program, you don’t only see a doctor, but also meet with a dietitian who uses your metrics to build a personalized eating plan, then walks you into the breakfast room herself to guide your choices.

I’ll admit I’m not at my best in the mornings and mostly went with instinct. My husband, on the other hand, followed every recommendation and built what I can only call the ultimate healthy breakfast plate. The breakfast room looks straight out over the tip of the peninsula, so the view does some of the convincing for you.

Dinner is split between Amar, the beachside restaurant doing Mediterranean classics with a modern edge, and Mom, the all-day spot built specifically around the wellbeing concept. At Amar, the menu is signed by chef Michalis Marthas, with the view doing half the work before the food even arrives

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By Eleni Stasinopoulou

There were two signs that the Heromylos weekend was going to be different from the start. The first was that almost none of my friends had heard of it, not the resort, and not even the beach that gave it its name. Only the Evia locals knew, and the handful of people who actually go looking for unspoilt, paradise-level coastline instead of waiting for someone to tag it. The second sign was a divine smell. It hit me the second I stepped out of the car, 2.5 hours after leaving Athens.

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Created by Mold Architects, the project follows biophilic and bioclimatic principles, using natural materials such as reclaimed stone and integrating elements like wind, water and light into the architecture itself. Spaces are carved into the terrain and open outward toward the Aegean, creating a continuous relationship between interior and exterior.

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The Ilisian Athens is entering a new chapter. Once known as the Hilton Athens, the landmark that defined modern Greek hospitality in 1963 is being reintroduced as a multi-layered luxury destination anchored by Conrad Athens, branded residences, a private members’ club and a nine-venue culinary ecosystem.

Opening in Spring 2026, The Ilisian Athens is not simply a hotel reopening. It is the reinvention of one of the city’s most recognisable buildings into a contemporary cultural and lifestyle district, reconnecting Athenians and international travellers with a new vision of modern luxury.

From Hilton Athens to Conrad — A Landmark Reborn

When the Hilton Athens first opened in 1963, it symbolised a new, outward-looking Greece. Its marble façades by Yiannis Moralis became part of the city’s architectural identity, while its public spaces functioned as social stages for decades. Today, under the Conrad name, the building retains its architectural integrity while embracing a contemporary sensibility. The lighting redesign by Eleftheria Deko enhances the original structure, while interior direction by AvroKO draws inspiration from the optimism and artistic energy of the 1950s and 60s, reinterpreted through a refined, modern lens.

The result is not nostalgia, but continuity.

For a deeper look at the transformation from Hilton Athens to The Ilisian, revisit our detailed breakdown of the project’s evolution and architectural legacy.

Conrad Athens — The Hotel at the Core

At the heart of the development sits Conrad Athens, The Ilisian, the hotel that anchors the entire project. The property will offer 307 guest rooms and suites – among the largest in Athens – many featuring balconies with views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill and the Aegean horizon.

The suite collection includes three Presidential Suites, a Royal Suite and the Omega Penthouse: a 400-square-metre residence with a private pool and sweeping, amphitheatre-like views across the city.

The design language reflects architectural clarity and natural light, favouring calm materials, sculptural lines and understated elegance over theatrical excess.

Branded Residences: A New Era of Luxury Living in Athens

For the first time in Greece, both Conrad Residences and Waldorf Astoria Residences will operate within the same landmark development. A total of 55 branded and serviced residences introduce a hybrid model of urban living, combining private ownership with hotel-level services and amenities. Positioned in the city centre yet integrated within a larger lifestyle ecosystem, the residences mark a significant evolution in Athens’ high-end real estate landscape.

Gastronomy as the Backbone of The Ilisian

At The Ilisian, food is not an amenity — it is infrastructure. More than nine distinct culinary and entertainment venues will gradually unfold, transforming the building into one of the most dynamic F&B hubs in Athens.

Among them:

Onuki, the refined Japanese restaurant by acclaimed chef Stamatis Skriapas, already setting the tone poolside with precision-led technique and cosmopolitan atmosphere. We previously explored Onuki at The Ilisian in detail, including its culinary direction and design identity.

Byzantino, the historic restaurant returning as a chic brasserie blending Greek ingredients with French culinary discipline under executive chef Angelos Lantos.

The Galaxy Dispensary, reintroducing the iconic Galaxy Bar as an eclectic gastro bar with an extensive wine and premium spirits collection.

The Galaxy Supper Club, an elevated fine-dining and entertainment venue reviving the building’s rooftop legacy.

Athenian Lounge, designed as the social heart of the lobby, active from early morning to late night.

Together, these concepts form a layered dining ecosystem, designed to bring Athenians back into the building as much as it attracts international guests.

House of NYNN and the Rise of Members’ Culture in Athens

Spanning more than 5,000 square metres across three levels, House of NYNN introduces a new model of private members’ culture to the Greek capital. Developed by TEMES, the club blends co-working, curated programming, dining, wellness and social spaces into a lifestyle environment shaped by balance and community.

Members have access to lounge and bar spaces, an event forum and office pods, a state-of-the-art gym, indoor pool and heat experiences, as well as the largest outdoor pool landscape in the city centre.

Explore our full feature on House of NYNN for an in-depth look at the club’s design, philosophy and cultural positioning within The Ilisian.

Wellness, Longevity and the Largest Pool Landscape in Central Athens

Wellbeing at The Ilisian is approached as an integrated system. The development includes more than 2,000 square metres of indoor wellness facilities, anchored by a 500-square-metre Longevity Clinic overseen by Dr Costas Papageorgiou. Guests, residents and members will have access to personalised aesthetic and diagnostic programmes, restorative therapies, specialist fitness studios, an indoor heated pool, a 700-metre rooftop running track and the largest outdoor hotel pool in central Athens.

The new pool draws inspiration from the geometric language of Yiannis Moralis, while the original 1963 diving board returns as a symbolic bridge between past and present.

The Ilisian as a New Cultural Landmark in Athens

The Ilisian is not simply the rebirth of Hilton Athens under a new name. It represents a recalibration of how luxury operates within the city.

Rooted in the Ilisia neighbourhood and within walking distance of major museums, ancient landmarks and contemporary districts, the development occupies a natural crossroads between old and new Athens.

By combining Conrad hospitality, branded residences, a members’ club, extensive wellness facilities and a robust culinary identity, The Ilisian repositions the building as a living, evolving ecosystem rather than a static hotel. Its stated motto “connecting the world with modern Athens” becomes less a slogan and more a framework for how contemporary Athens chooses to present itself to the world.

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