Odera Tinos, Autograph Collection
Upon stepping off the ferry onto Tinos’s sun-warmed quay – coming straight from balmy days in Athens and a frazzled morning at the bustling Piraeus port – the island’s Cycladic calm washes over us. A quick transfer through olive groves brings us to Odera, where low-slung white walls and cobalt accents promise understated luxury. Soon we’re settling into our suite – a sanctum of serenity where wind-smoothed stonework meets the gentle lap of our own private pool.
Sliding open the floor-to-ceiling glass doors reveals a cocoon of crisp linens, muted sands and sun-bleached timbers. A built-in daybed beckons with oversized cushions and beyond the threshold lies our infinity pool, its dark grey tiles reflecting the Aegean sky.
Dawn at the Hidden Cove
Mornings begin here with the island stirring around us – the distant call of seabirds, the soft crunch of gravel as staff prepare the day’s terraces. Between languid dips, the beach beckons – a five-minute stroll downhill on a fragrant path of sage and rosemary. Each day, we settle into a sheltered cove below the main bluff: smooth pebbles underfoot, waist-high lapping waves and barely a whisper of wind. It feels like a well-kept secret, far removed from the breezier heights of the upper hotel.
Mid-stay, we succumb to a nurturing full-body massage at the Spa, where warm volcanic stones and locally infused oils seem to dissolve every trace of travel fatigue. Afterwards, we linger in a cool lounge, hands wrapped around a soothing herbal infusion, watching light play through lattice windows.
Sunset Terrace Revelry
Dining at Odera spans sunlit poolside terraces and the main hotel restaurant perched above the bluff. Beachside, simple Aegean flavors shine in freshly grilled octopus and crisp fava fritters – perfect accompaniments to midday shade and the lull of the waves. But it’s on the hotel’s main terrace where evenings come alive.
As the sun dips toward the horizon, lanterns are lit and tables are dressed in white linen. Plates arrive threaded with local ingredients – vine-ripened tomatoes, wild capers and island olives – each dish drawing on Tinos’s rich culinary heritage. The deepening sky becomes our backdrop as we linger over courses, wine glasses catching the last rays.
Cocktails follow on the rooftop perch Apollo, where mixologists weave local spirits into aromatic creations. Soft lantern light flickers against date-wood beams as we sip something tart and herbal, the breeze carrying scents of nearby jasmine fields. Below, the island’s whitewashed churches glow like sentinels against the violet dusk.
Service throughout our stay is gracious and unhurried – a gentle attentiveness that lets the island’s pace set the rhythm. Front-desk staff move with warm readiness, smoothing each request with calm assurance, while at mealtimes, teams adopt a leisurely Aegean tempo, reinforcing the sense that time here is meant to be savoured.
Here, perhaps the most unforgettable moments unfold in the quiet of our suite’s terrace after dusk. Lying in bed with glass doors wide open, we soak in the cicada chorus and feel the nighttime breeze. The infinity pool’s edge seems to merge with the darkened sea, and on the horizon we catch the lights of approaching ferries, small constellations gliding toward port. Suspended between water and sky, the gift of true privacy and uninterrupted tranquility becomes clear.
As the ferry pulls away, we carry with us a mosaic of private-pool mornings, hidden coves and Cycladic sunsets – an intimate portrait of Tinos at its most discreetly luxurious.
Where Vourni Beach, Tinos, Greece, 84200
Phone +30 2283-110200
Pricing £££
