The Vogue review: ACRO Suites

The elevator pitch:
A zen holiday retreat, this adults-only hotel has a wellness focus and an in-built romance, plus a private plunge pool for each room.

What’s the aesthetic?
What feels like a relaxing immersion into nature, with the entire hotel seemingly all carved out of wood, stone, marble, with wabi sabi touches, perched cliffside between mountains and water as far as the eye can see. Each of the 49 rooms has been fit with a private pool on a balcony with jaw-dropping sea views, some inside their own cavern, and others with an infinity pool feel ending at the top of the deck. With a bed as the centrepiece of the room, in a spot that feels like a magic bubble away from the rest of the world, there is an inherent romance to it, so while its gorgeous to visit with family or friends, couples may appreciate it all the more.

What’s for dinner?
As a wellness hotel, its central poolside restaurant, Cremnos, focuses on nutrition. Authentic Cretan cuisine with a “new age twist”, there is a wealth of health on offer. With a wide selection of fresh seafood, from grilled octopus with chickpea cream and cherry tomato confit, to sea bass fillet served with artichoke chips and lemon jam, there is also corn-fed chicken and rib-eye steaks. Using hand-picked produce from organic farms, the salads are each based on a different vegetable: kale; spinach; roasted beetroot; alongside the classic Greek. Desserts include raw matcha cheesecakes and ekmek lemon meringues. Then there is Umi, which combines Chinese and Peruvian cuisine, which means soba salads sit next to shrimp tacos on the menu, and Eleonas, newly opened and tucked away in an olive grove for al fresco dining.

Where to visit:
Check out the spa, where the hammam scrub will open every pore and calm each nerve, before you’re sent out to relax with a hot tea on a deck chair. There’s also the yoga studio and gym, where around three times on most days, an expert will coach you in small classes, in a gorgeous airy wood-panelled room with the most absurd view. Watching the sun rise over the sea through a wall of window bent in pigeon pose unlocks a special type of nirvana. Perched over a cliff, there’s also small beaches nearby, and in the little village resort, there are some cute shops for trinkets to take home.

Source: vogue.co.uk