Luxury on Kéa: Escape the world

If James Bond's chief inventor Q had designed this jet-black speedboat, 007 would have patted him on the back in recognition. The boat lies in the Athens marina of Lavrio like a black one among white swans, and it wouldn't be surprising if it could fly. The young, visibly proud captain says "Welcome", offers his hand, helps you get in, and you're already strapped into a leather seat - black, of course. Should he step on the gas? Of course, yes!

We speed across the sea, the spray foams, sunset. It takes about thirty minutes to ride to Kéa, pronounced Tzia by the locals, a Cycladic island with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants and still considered a well-kept secret. Athenians who can afford it flee to Kéa from the noise of their city and, in summer, from the heat, which in the harshest months can sometimes be over 40 degrees for days. So on Friday evenings, city dwellers usually take the ferry that takes them to Kéa in an hour, enjoy the mild climate of the island and return on Sunday evening as refreshed as if they had bathed in a fountain of youth.

As we approach Kéa, it is night, but the lights of the One&Only Kéa Island greet us from afar. They are spread out like torches over the slopes, as if the luxury resort had to make a statement even in the darkness. But the fear that the complex might be a concrete brutalist construction that doesn't care about nature turns out to be unfounded the next morning. The villas with their green flat roofs and the pool, which really deserves this name because you can not only splash around in it but also swim in it, nestle into the barren landscape, which is a bit reminiscent of the film "Mad Max". They are spacious retreats - there are 63 in total - with high ceilings, round arches, sliding doors, lots of marble and floor-to-ceiling windows. The morning light floods the terrace, while the opposite slope is still in shadow. In the same area where the helicopter landing pad is for those who are in a hurry to get from Athens airport, 40 One&Only Private Homes are currently being built, some of them so large that several families could fit into the luxury villas. However, only one couple will probably move in.

In the sheltered bay, hotel staff, who from a distance look as small as Playmobil figures, are putting cushions on the beach chairs. Golf carts zoom along the winding paths. They chauffeur guests who are too lazy to walk up to the cliff for breakfast, although the term "lazy to walk" is not entirely fair, as some villas are so far from the resort's main building that it's easily a twenty-minute walk, uphill, mind you. Sporty types can do their first training session of the day this way, but who wants to do that on vacation? Luckily, we don't have far to go to breakfast and we're still sweating when we get to the top - a buggy will be called tomorrow.

The view from the terrace is spectacular: only a few fluffy clouds hang over the sea, which is as smooth as glass and dark blue. Almost all of the restaurant's seats are in the sun, which is challenging even in the off-season. When asked, a hotel employee explains that the designer did not want to disturb the harmony of this place with parasols. If you look at this terrace for a moment with the designer's eye, which is uninterested in the sensitivities of the guests, you immediately understand the concerns. On the other hand, the most magnificent terrace is of little use if the guests are being grilled. The friendly hotel employee says that discussions are currently being held at the highest level as to whether parasols might not be an option after all.

The impressive glass front in the villas has been translated into gigantic proportions, which means that even inside the restaurant you feel like you are sitting outside. Reading a book? That would only distract from the view, which has the effect of an hour of meditation. Despite the magic of the Aegean, you don't have to miss out on that. Because you can quickly book a golf cart and have it take you to the spa, which was built into the landscape on three floors and is flooded with light like all the rooms at the One&Only Kéa Island.

In the evening we drive across the mountainous island with its steep cliffs to Ioulida, where the tour guide Sotiria Antonopoulou is waiting for us and turns out to be an incredibly amusing person. The small capital, which is better called a large village, is an atypical Cycladic town. The houses are not painted white like on Santorini and other Cycladic islands, but are spread out in bright colors and as if thrown into the landscape over the hills of Kastro and Myloi. We go up and down stairs, past taverns, boutiques and souvenir shops that sell noticeably little junk. The "authentic" stamp, which is used so often for advertising purposes, applies to Ioulida. Sotiria asks whether anyone knows that the German architect Ernst Ziller worked on the island. Two buildings were designed by him and represent the neoclassical architecture of the early 20th century: the old and the new town hall with their clear lines. We head northeast, twenty minutes, twenty-five at most, promises Sotiria, then we reach the Lion of Kea.

The sculpture dates back to the 6th century BC. Wrested from a granite rock, the predatory cat smiles at its admirers. What a harmless lion! The living specimens in the Serengeti would be horrified. According to legend, the island of Kéa was once popular with nymphs because of its abundance of springs and lush vegetation. The gods did not like this at all, so they sent a lion to chase the nymphs away - and with it the island also lost its springs and was dry from then on.

Back at the One&Only Kéa Island, we have another drink in the bar while listening to lounge music. On the terrace, a warm wind caresses our skin and the view of the starry sky promises a wonderful day ahead. It can't be any other way here.