If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR382.30), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Things get celestial at Cosme, on the Greek island of Paros in the Cyclades, with stargazing spots, sunset vistas and a low-slung stone spaceship for a spa. The beachfront retreat is near the buzzy harbour town of Naoussa and within a short walk of its seafood restaurants, waterfront bars and boutiques. Or stick around by the half-moon pool for sundowners and your pick of the Mediterranean menu by a superstar chef. Cosme means order, harmony and beauty – and there’s no shortage of all three.
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Double rooms from £369.81 (€432), including tax at 13 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional government tax of €10.00 per room per night on check-out.
More details
Rates usually include breakfast.
Also
Cooking classes can be arranged in the garden for when the sun starts to go down – there’s a communal table set up to enjoy your hard work afterwards.
Hotel closed
The hotel opens for the Greek summer season, from May until October.
At the hotel
Free WiFi throughout, beach, gym, yoga classes, dedicated stargazing area. In rooms: Nespresso coffee machine and a kettle, TV, minibar and Korres bath products.
Our favourite rooms
The prize for best outdoor space goes to the Astro Suites, which have a private pool with a cabana at one end and the hotel’s main pool and the beach beyond it. Families should book an Ocean Suite, which have lots of space.
Poolside
The half-moon pool is open for swims from 8am until 8pm, but you’ll have to leave your inflatable flamingo at home.
Spa
The Elios Spa has treatments by homegrown brand Korres, yoga classes and an outdoor heated Jacuzzi to drink your herbal tea in post-massage.
Packing tips
There’s a small shop at the hotel for anything you may have forgotten to pack, even if that includes some local pottery.
Children
All ages are welcome and babysitting can be arranged on request for an additional cost. Cots for babies are free; rollaway beds can be added for €100 a night.
Sustainability efforts
The construction used as much Paroan stone as possible, along with ceramics that were custom-made on the island.
There’s no bad seat in the house, since all of the tables are positioned for peak Aegean admiring.
Dress Code
As sandy and salty as you like.
Hotel restaurant
There are two: Volta and Parostià. Top Greek chef Yiannis Kioroglou has taken time out from his schedule in the kitchens of St Tropez and St Barths to oversee the Med menu at Parostià, named after the traditional stone ovens on the island. It’s the perfect spot for sustenance and shade-seeking beneath its rattan ceilings.
Hotel bar
The cocktails may be calling at the Beach Club, but don’t miss the Greek wines on the bar menu, some of which haven’t travelled far (only the neighbouring Moraitis winery). There’s also a lounge area with a bar for anyone pulling up a pew for sunset.
Last orders
Breakfast hours at Volta are from 8am until a hangover-friendly 11.30am. Parostia serves lunch between 1pm and 4pm, and dinner from 7.30pm until 11.30pm. The Beach Club bar is open from 10am to 8pm.
Room service
Meals and snacks can be ordered in around the clock, with a more limited menu on offer after midnight.
Cosme is in the Cyclades, on the island of Paros and right next-door to the harbour town of Naoussa.
Planes
The island has its own airport with some international flights, but most travellers will have to connect to a domestic service in Athens. Flight time from the Greek capital is a swift 40 minutes. The hotel can arrange transfers.
Automobiles
You’ll be within walking distance of Naoussa’s nightlife, but a car will come in handy for exploring the rest of the island. There’s a car park at the hotel.
Other
Lots of ferries of varying speeds set off from Athens to the Greek islands – for a faster (but potentially choppy) route, try the Seajets fleet (journey time: just under three hours); or take the four-hour scenic route on board one of Blue Star’s leisurely vessels.
Worth getting out of bed for
Paros’ buzziest town is a few minutes away on foot – Naoussa has all of the whitewashed buildings, flagstone pathways, cute boutiques, sea-edge bars and seafood restaurants you could hope for in a Greek island. Other high-on-the-charm places to visit include the port town of Parikia, the fishing village of Drios on the east coast and the inland Lefkes on a hilltop. Unsurprisingly, there are also lots of beaches to explore, including Kolymbithres, Golden Beach (especially good for windsurfing), Farangas and the secluded Kalogeros. And, the Moraitis winery is helpfully within stumbling-home distance post wine tasting.
Local restaurants
Naoussa has lots of restaurants to choose from, including scene-y Barbarossa, Giacomo for Italian dishes at the water’s edge and Kargas for the greatest gyros going. Mr E, at sister hotel Parilio, serves updated takes on classic Greek dishes, along with other Mediterranean favourites. Vegans and legume fans will enjoy the baked chickpeas at Kolymbithres Tavern on the namesake beach.
Local cafés
Nonna Crema in Naoussa serves the best ice-cream in town, all made with local milk.
Local bars
Nearby bars to go in search of ouzo include Fotis, the aptly named Come Back, Agosta and Sommaripa. For the prime sundowner spot, take your seats at Kastro Art Lounge.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this beachfront hotel in Greece and unpacked their bikinis and board shorts, a full account of their island break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Cosme in Paros…
With the Meltemi winds cooling even the hottest summer days, the Cycladic island of Paros is precisely where you want to find yourself between Greek Orthodox Easter and October. It may be a luxury hotel, but the fuss is firmly out, since it’s designed to feel far more laid-back than that (guests have been known to hug the bellmen goodbye as they leave). This may have something to do with Greece’s legendary hospitality – or philoxenia, which translates as ‘love of strangers’ (we told you they were keen). The hotel has borrowed acclaimed Greek chef Yiannis Kioroglou to man the Mediterranean menus, or you can stroll the short distance to the buzzy bars and restaurants of nearby Naoussa. The hotel takes its name from a Latinate word meaning order, harmony and beauty – and at this symmetrical whitewashed stay, where even the shape of the pool mirrors that of the bay, it’s equilibrium all the way.
