The Best Places to Stay and Do in Greece

Stone houses scattered through a valley whose Greek name, Aspros Potamos, translates directly to "white river," which is also how the place got its name. These self-catering cottages in a remote eastern corner of Crete run from studios to four-bedroom layouts, each with a shaded terrace, a full kitchen, and a modern bathroom tucked behind traditionally built walls. The pool is large, the common areas are not, and dinner means a short walk to the village of Makrigialos.

Terracotta blocks clustered like a hillside village, connected by pools that catch the Aegean light, set the tone at this design-forward resort on Samos's eastern shore. Rooms come as swim-up suites, private-pool retreats, or rooftop escapes, all done in linen, rattan, and concrete. The Beach House handles food and cocktails by the firepit. Pythagoreio's harbor and tavernas are just beyond the gates, which is a useful corrective when the poolside spell gets too comfortable.

Grikos Bay sits right there through the window, a stretch of translucent blue framing bobbing sailboats and steep green islets, and the whole point of this small family-run boutique hotel built into the hill above it is that the view never really leaves you. Every room has a private balcony, breakfast goes on the breezy terrace, and the mosaic pool mirrors the same blue. Getting here takes some doing, which the guests who find it tend to consider a feature.

Low-rise honey-hued stone houses scattered across sand dunes and wild Antiparos scrubland, each with its own pool, terrace, and open-air shower. The Rooster is a boutique resort that leans hard into the landscape rather than fighting it, with driftwood four-posters and sandwashed plaster walls doing the decorating. Indoor-outdoor living isn't a marketing line here; the architecture makes staying inside feel faintly beside the point.