Abaton Island Resort & Spa, Crete. Dialogue with nature is another definition of elite

words Matteo Mammoli

The construction of the structure has not changed the environment, but they have modeled themselves on it. Curves characterize nature more than straight lines

Abaton Island Resort & Spa in Crete

At Abaton Island Resort & Spa you can see the sun rise and set. The feeling, standing along this jagged cove, sometimes rocky and sandy, stretching towards the sea, is that of being the first. The first to welcome the wind blowing from the sea, the first to see the arrival of the waves. Watch every detail of the dynamics with which nature moves things, the water. It swells, higher on one side, it breaks, it becomes foam.

In the ancient Greek world, the word ἄβατον indicated a part of the temple or a sacred place, access to which is forbidden to the profane. The monumental burial of Artemisia II had been erected in Rhodes to commemorate her success in becoming mistress of the island. After regaining their freedom, the Rhodians made it inaccessible, hence the subsequent name of ἄβατον. We then find the term in post-Alexandrian Egypt, where Ptolemeos the Second ancestor of Alexander the Great named an island in the red sea as Abaton and built a temple on it dedicated to Goddess Isis.

The hotel’s location

In Crete, Abaton is the name of a hotel – Abaton Island Resort & Spa. It is not a concept of exclusion, not a financially elitist place accessible to a few. But a landing place for those who know how to grasp the beauty inspired by nature and respect of one and other. In front of the Abaton Island Resort & Spa, there is an island. Between the shore and the island there is also a natural lagoon. A map of underwater species that live here is provided by the hotel. The lounge’s outline follows the contours as well as the heights of the land. The construction of the structure has not changed the environment, but they have modeled themselves on it. Curvy lines characterize nature more than straight lines.

From the lounge you get a view of the gulf of Hersonissos and the local city from a distance of two kilometers. Not far inland is Knossos and its Minoan palace. The reconstructions by the English scholar Sir Arthur Evans – who worked in Knossos for over forty years starting from 1900 – allow us to understand how the other palaces could have been villas from the same period. We do not have any written sources of the Minoan cities.

Lampoon review: Abaton Island Resort & Spa complex

The complex represented the center of power, administration and culture of Crete between 2000 and 1450 BC. One-thousand-and-four-hundred rooms characterized it. Some buildings were up to four floors high. White and light mark the suites. White means safety, purity as well as cleanliness. It also reflects the blue that comes from the sea and the sky of Greece.

All the furniture has a different design. Objects that the property has collected over time, bought from around the world. Headboards hand crafted in Indonesia, pillows handmade in Kreta, stools brought from an antiquities store in Rome, lounge chairs from a furniture store in Paris.

Upon arrival, a variety of local fruits and sweets await the guests. Among these, the pastries made with kataifi dough (κα (ν) ταΐφι). I didn’t find better ones during my stay in Greece – kataifi is a type of fine noodle used to make sweets and pastries. The Ottomans invented it, but it is also widespread in Turkish, Greek, Albanian and Levantine cuisine. The threads are woven between them irregularly, along with dried fruit, and are soaked in sugar syrup.

Most suites enjoy a private rectangular pool, like in a David Hockney painting. Time ticks at a different pace when you swim at night. From the swimming pool, you go down the stairs and enter your own garden, facing the sea. You can relax lying on a rattan sofa, under the stars, without too many lights to prevent your observation. The interior spaces – halls, lounges, terraces – are large. Nature guarantees social distancing. It is, in fact, about privacy and giving value to space.

Moreover, the international breakfast takes place on a terrace, bathed in the morning sun. The wind mitigates the sun. À la carte, or with menus already structured to avoid self service. The salty pancake with salmon, cream cheese and caviar on top deserves mention. After breakfast, you can access the seawater swimming pool as well as the resort’s three beaches – sandy or rocky.

Five restaurants are also available to hotel guests. F- Zin Ivy League Restaurant, Bony Fish Seafood Restaurant, Elemes Cretan Cuisine, WOW Steak House and Buddha-Bar Beach Crete Abaton. Abaton Island Resort & Spa is a member of Virtuoso, Travel Leaders and Traveler Made élite networks, opened in 2020 for its third operational season. Further, the hotel has been awarded as a best Luxury Honeymoon Resort in Europe at the World Luxury Hotels Awards and as a best Hotel & Resort in Greece by Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality Awards.