I wondered if we had come to the right place when the ferry came into the port of Ios. We were shoulder to shoulder with teenagers, hordes of them, youthful energy bounding off their face. The ferry's boarding area felt like a furnace in the summer. There was a wave of fear. Kids were at a party. Not, we had. The people who go to Paris and return 10 pounds lighter, because of all the walking, are examples of what we sought.
The island could do both.
There is a lot of respite to be found within Ios. There are still goats on the island. It doesn't have an airfield. Since the 70s, Ios has been known for one thing.
A photographer who collaborated with the author on a coffee table book said that it was a place to party.
People were sleeping on the beach back in the day. Ms. Katopis-Lykiardopulo made the statement. Is it still a partying island? Is teenagers still coming? Of course. The island is trying to be more than that.
Mykonos and Santorini are inviting tourists to put up their feet and lean because they are aware that not all visitors want to rage until dawn or cross off points of interest with their fellow cruise ship passengers.
Calilo, a 3-year-old resort on the east coast of Ios, has enough hairpin turns over the hills and away from the port to almost eradicate the memory of a billboard advertising a nightclub called "Don't leave until you get stung". Calilo is a Disneyland for the optimistic.
Sandy Parisi, a Calilo concierge with a disposition to rival the midafternoon sun, led us through a breezeway with shapes strategically cut out of its roof.
There is a marble and metal sculpture in the lobby. It looked like a man had been hit by an arrow.
Ms. Parisi said that they threw away the darkness, the anger, and the negative stuff. The words were sculpted out of metal. She explained that the man was lifted up by the words "love, hope, pathos, which means passion, in Greek." I almost crashed into a heart-tipped arrow while taking a video of this carousel of good vibes.
The owner of Calilo, as well as six other restaurants and hotels on the island, said that the purpose of the experiment was to bring as much love and freedom to people as possible.
Calilo has aholistic approach to health. At the resort's restaurants, you can find a lot of the produce grown on an on-site farm. The décor tries to surprise and amuse. The sunken dining tables by the main pool look like something out of a Lewis and Clark novel, and all over the property, swings sway in the breeze. We drank coffee while swaying. While reading, we swayed.
I almost got over the idiosyncrasy of the neon slogan blinking above its bar when I heard Calilo over the course of three days. The fact that I was supposed to throw my cynicism in the pit when I arrived reminded me of the countless liberties I have taken with the language.
Many of our guests say that they enter a fairy tale when they come here. They can be grown ups again. People come to Greece to have fun. We want to stop that.
The couple came to Ios for a family vacation. The chora, the Greek term for an island's main town, where bars and nightclubs reigned, was what astounded them.
Mr. Michalopoulos was stunned after seeing some of the beaches. This place has two things that are completely opposed to each other: unbelievably beautiful and virgin. You can't have this in Europe. Between Mykonos and Santorini it is possible to remain pristine.
Mr. Michalopoulos lived in New York with his wife. They saw an opportunity to preserve the island's beauty while developing it in a sustainable way and didn't want to get into the hotel industry. They bought 182 parcels of land from 2,137 people. The local government gave them permission to build on a small portion of the land. Some of the olive trees that were marked for firewood were replanted. They hired a lot of people.
They opened Calilo in order to get a new type of traveler. The nightly rate in Calilo is 660 euros, or about the same amount as in dollars. They hope the generated income will keep their company going.
One of the couple's daughters, who is Calilo's director of business development and partnerships, said that the project is mostly a land preservation project. To preserve the land, we need to be financially sound.
The hotel is not the only one. It's a lot more than that. A new way of looking at a business is proposed.
One fifth of Greece's economy is attributed to tourism. The global phenomenon that is Mykonos: beautiful beaches and legendary sunsets, yes, but also streets jammed with Mercedes Sprinter vans, Starbucks and day clubs that can charge upwards of 150 euros for a sun bed is caused by the compulsion to drive up profits. We were going to stay in Mykonos for two days. Mykonos had something else planned.
Mykonian standard time is breakfast at 4 p.m., lunch at 6:30 p.m., and dinner at 11 p.m., according to Tasos. Do you want to sleep? "You don't go to Mykonos to sleep," said Mr.
The photographer said that Mykonos is a planet of its own. The island was thrust into the global jet-setting scene thanks to the arrival ofJackie O, who was the first person to do so.
Alemagou is a beach club that attracts people with watches and hats that say EBITA and Soho House. The chora of Mykonos exerts a magnetic pull on people who like to dance, drink and watch after dark. In spite of this, in July a new resort opened with the goal of getting guests to chill out: Cali Mykonos, an amalgam of clean lines and sumptuous curves fueled by solar panels, a rooftop herb garden and an on-site water purification plant.
The managing partner of Cali Mykonos said that a couple went to a beach club in the afternoon and planned to go into town in the evening. After getting to their room, they realized they have no reason to leave. They were sitting under the pergola looking up at the sky.
There aren't a lot of clubs in Santorini compared to Mykonos and Ios. The madding crowd functions differently on this volcanic island, with vistas so jaw-droppingly picturesque, they are frequently interrupted by social media celebrities and soon-to-be brides and grooms.
A health assessment that uses a strand of hair for epigenetic testing and a lantern-lit hammam-like spa are some of the atypical offerings at the new resort that was opened by the Greek company. The test claims to show you how to change your habits to lead a healthier life. It is becoming more popular. We do an assessment every few days.
A friend we met in Santorini compared the resort's high, undulating walls to the abstract curves of the sculptor Richard Serra. The Oia village of Santorini has a restaurant that sprawls out over 11 two- or three bite courses, best enjoyed as the sun dips into the Aegean.
An epigenetics test is a chance to get scolded. Bad vibes and negative energy are possible. It's not the right way to end a trip. On our final day in Greece, we decided to take a wine tour. It is healthy for the mind and soul.
We dug our hands into the soil beneath the vineyard of the family-owned Hatzidakis winery and marveled at how the vines had been kept low. Pyritis, a white wine made from Santorini's indigenous Assyrtiko grape, was served at the winery 10 minutes down the road. An excellent meal with great company outdoors is one of the mostholistic forms of wellbeing.
After lunch, the proprietor of Art Space Winery, an art gallery, history museum and winery across the street from Artemis Karamolegos found an unlabeled bottle and asked us a question.
This is my alcoholic beverage. Are you aware of moonshine? You will try it.
The only correct answer was given by my Cycladic understanding of wellbeing.
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