Amanzoe in Greece is a temple to luxury
Designed by the late American architect Ed Tuttle, Amanzoe, the renowned resort's Greek outpost, is a heavenly hilltop retreat in the Peloponnese
Ed Tuttle is behind the abstractly Grecian forms of Amanzoe, the celebrated hospitality brand’s Greek outpost. The backdrop to our recent summer fashion story, it is only the third Aman property in the Mediterranean (following Montenegro’s Aman Sveti Stefan and Turkey’s Amanruya). American architect Tuttle has been a defining force in the famous brand’s architectural incarnations, having designed seven of them, including the very first one, Amanpuri in Thailand in 1988. Here, on the eastern edge of the Peloponnese, a short drive from Athens, he drew on Aman’s winning combination of peace and experiential drama, as well as the location’s spirit, sea and sun, to craft a perfectly poised 38-suite destination outside the picturesque town of Porto Heli.
Amanzoe: nodding to classical Greek architecture and the landscape
The low, gentle composition is not only refreshingly clean and contemporary, featuring serene neutral colours and minimalist architecture; it also elegantly hints at classical Greek architecture, as displayed by the column and cornice detailing throughout. At the same time, the whole feels entirely embedded into its green landscape, offering 360-degree vistas towards the sea and surrounding verdant nature. Amanzoe is smartly placed at the top of a gentle hill, just a ten-minute walk from the heart of Porto Heli.
Marble and stone appear throughout, becoming a key building block in Amazoe’s architectural identity. They are ‘the most basic and noble materials of Greece’, in the words of Tuttle (who passed away at the age of 75 in 2020). There is beige-coloured Sinai Pearl Antique and dark-green Guatemala Verde marble, mixed with the region’s traditional dry stone cladding. At the same time, timber elements, such as the outdoor terraces’ pergolas, connect the spaces further to the local landscape. Amanzoe includes a handful of private villas, created in similar style, and placed alongside the hotel offering.
A version of this story appears in the June Travel Issue of Wallpaper*, available now in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Raw, refined and dynamic: A-Cold-Wall*’s new Shanghai store is a fresh take on the industrial look
A-Cold-Wall* has a new flagship store in Shanghai, designed by architecture practice Hesselbrand to highlight positive spatial and material tensions
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Gucci’s new book is a love letter to London and its contradictions
Part of the ‘Gucci Prospettive’ series, Sabato De Sarno has drafted Charlene Prempeh and Lewis Dalton Gilbert of A Vibe Called Tech to curate an expansive portrait of their home city of London through a collage of artworks, photography and text
By Jack Moss Published
-
Teenage Engineering introduce the OP-XY sequencer, an ode to Teutonic sounds and style
A dynamic performance sequencer, the Teenage Engineering OP-XY is the latest highly desirable piece of kit from the Swedish electronics firm
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Tour an Athens hotel that doubles up as a retro swim club
Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens is a glamorous urban oasis for overnight stays or just a day
By Danielle Demetriou Published
-
One&Only’s portfolio of ultra-luxury escapes reaches out to new horizons
From the Maldives to Mexico, One&Only’s resorts and private homes around the world offer exceptional stays in idyllic locations, soon to include a first USA property, designed by Olson Kundig
By Simon Mills Published
-
New luxury getaways to add to your Greek island-hopping itinerary
Whether heading to the beloved destinations of Mykonos and Santorini or venturing to lesser-known treasures like Syros and Rhodes, here's our pick of new Greek island getaways
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Tour Odera, the first luxury hotel to open on the Greek island of Tinos
Courtesy of Studio Bonarchi, Odera is a thoughtfully designed haven embracing the Aegean Sea
By Mary Lussiana Published
-
Surrender to these six swim-perfect outdoor hotel pools
Discover the best outdoor hotel pools, from Amankila’s aquatic triptych by Ed Tuttle to Nicolas Party’s swimmable artwork at Le Sirenuse
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Anandes Hotel in Mykonos is a love letter to the island’s allure
Anandes is a luxury boutique hotel designed by Studio Bonarchi, right in the heart of the Cycladic town
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Tour Gundari, the unspoilt retreat to know, on breathtaking Greek island Folegandros
Gundari, set high on rugged cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea, boasts Cycladic-style suites and villas designed by Athens studio Block722
By Emma Love Published
-
This Kea island resort offers seclusion and sea views, just a short journey from Athens
The new One&Only Kea Island is an all-villa resort that delivers uninterrupted Aegean luxury in Greece’s Cyclades archipelago
By Imogen Green Published