Hotel of the Week: This Retreat on an Island in Greece Beckons with Rustic Splendor

It’s called Gundari—“rocky place” in Phoenician—and is the brainchild of Uruguayan-Australian businessman Ricardo Larriera, who became smitten with the island after visiting with a close friend whose family has lived there for many generations (said friend is now partner in the project). The resort itself is perched on 80 enviable acres of “raw nature” on a the island’s south-eastern coast. It’s a secluded spot at the end of an unpaved road, a stone’s throw from a tiny village that was the island’s first agricultural settlement.

Larriera tapped architecture studio Block722 to design the resort, with 25 suites and two villas, inside and out. Construction was a challenge. It was a five-year process, part of which took place during the pandemic. During the summer, a handful of ferries arrive every day. In the off-season there may be two every week. And the landscape, while beautiful, was unforgiving.

“It was important to be respectful to the land and to the island. The location was very rocky, very hard, and it was difficult for us to work there,” says Elena Milidaki, the lead architect on the project. “But [Ricardo] wanted the architecture to integrate with the landscape and to preserve as much as possible, creating an eco-resort.”

All rooms were designed to take advantage of epic views of the Aegean. The forms, noted Milidaki, follow Cycladic architectural traditions. “They are very minimal and neutral, with texture added by natural materials like stone and wood. We used excavated stone to build many walls of the property, indoors and outdoors.”

The suites exemplify the indoor/outdoor living that is very much a part of Greek life, especially in summer. Strategically placed pergolas filter the sun. Some suites boast private pools and outdoor showers. All have furnishings, many designed by Block722, in a color palette designed to compliment the natural surroundings.

Guests at Gundari also have access to an onsite spa (a full menu of services along with sound baths, yoga, and mediation workshops will be available by end of the year) as well as a restaurant featuring a menu designed by Greece’s first Michelin-starred chef, Lefteris Lazarou. Electric bikes are available for those who wish to explore off-property, as is an Electric Fiat 500e Cabrio. The staff can also arrange scuba diving or snorkeling trips, and private boat tours of Folegandros and the nearby islands of Polyaigos, Milos, Sifnos and Sikinos.

Larriera has described the island as having a “strong soul” and one gets the feeling that despite rumors of the resort’s expansion, it just might stay that way.

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