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 (EUR2,500.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
One&Only Kéa Island feels like a far-flung escape, just without the long haul – this close-to-Athens retreat is a world away from its tourist-toting sister isles. Hillside-hugging residences – accessorised with horizon-blurring infinity pools, lofty atriums, and fire-lit courtyards – blend with the rugged natural landscape at this all-villa resort, in a bid to respect the island’s rustic roots. Tempting you away from the seclusion of your clifftop perch is a Mediterranean restaurant, view-blessed beach club, four spirited bars, and a sizeable spa. This chic Cycladic hideaway is all set to be a castaway hit…
Please note Don’t let our enticing gallery deceive you, these images for One&Only Kéa Island are in fact computer generated. Apologies, real-life photographs will be with us soon…
Smith Extra
Get this when you book through us:
US$100 resort credit per villa to be used on food, drink or spa treatments
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability and an extra charge. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £2429.99 (€2,838), including tax at 13.5 per cent.
More details
Rates include a breakfast buffet, plus à la carte dishes.
Also
If you’re able to navigate the rugged island’s boat or helicopter transfers, you’ll find that the resort’s public spaces are accessible for those with reduced mobility, as are four of the villas.
Hotel closed
The hotel is open from 1 May to 31 October 2024; from 2025 onwards, the opening date will be 1 April.
At the hotel
Beach club, gym, tennis and padel courts, yoga studio, library, chapel, piazza-style courtyard with a bakery and boutique, and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, free bottled water, tea- and coffee-making kit, minibar, and bespoke bath products.
Our favourite rooms
The democratically-minded designers at this island idyll have made things easy when it comes to deciding on a villa – each has a secluded terrace with a private infinity pool and a cosy courtyard with a fire pit. Floor-to-ceiling windows play into the biophilic design in all residences, but those in the Sea View and Panoramic Sea View villas edge ahead with their vantage points over the Aegean, the colour palette of which matches the immaculate interiors – every-shade-of-blue fabrics, pale marbles, and crisp linens.
Poolside
The elevated stone structure of the pool – its infinity edge blending with the sapphire sea in a seamless stretch of blue – is dotted with cloud-like daybeds and tête-à-tête cabanas. The shushing of the waves mixes with the beats from the beach club below, composing a siesta-stirring soundtrack. Pearly umbrellas offer shady respite from the active Aegean sun and a pool bar pours freely – tanning is thirsty work after all.
Spa
The ancient Greeks were ahead of the wellness curve with their concept of sophrosyne (mindfulness, to you) and this age-old ethos is enthusiastically adopted at the resort’s seafront spa. The souped-up space impresses with four pools – indoor, outdoor, Watsu, and plunge – plus a sauna, steam room, and Jacuzzi. If you prefer to put your relaxation in someone else’s hands, opt for a calming cocktail of ayurvedic and ancient Greek-inspired treatments, which are kept all-natural with botanical remedies and aromatherapy oils.
Packing tips
Whatever you feel most at home in – the tucked-away villas allow for judgment-free dressing.
Also
For the ever energetic, family-friendly non-motorised water sports are on hand at the beach cabana; Club One is a health hub for teens and adults, with an open-plan gym, yoga studio, and padel and tennis courts.
Pet‐friendly
Pups under 10kg can stay in all villas for €100 a night (plus tax), which includes a bed, water and food bowls, treats, and daily housekeeping. See more pet-friendly hotels in Kéa.
Children
This is an equally special stay for little Smiths of all ages – there’s a KidsOnly club for ages 4–12, with cooking classes and treasure hunts, plus a dedicated teens’ area for older offspring. Babysitting can be arranged on request.
Best for
Babes of all ages are very welcome, but over-fours have the most to gain.
Recommended rooms
The Two-Bedroom Cliff Villas are more spacious for families. One rollaway bed and baby cot (for under-twos) can be added to each villa.
Crèche
The KidsOnly club keeps little Smiths aged 4 to 12 busy (there is a supplement for under-fours). Plus, Club One has a dedicated area for teens.
Activities
Club-organised activities include cooking classes, art and crafts, and treasure hunts. Sea-based thrills are served up from the hotel’s beach cabana, or wheel through the hills along forest-flank trails with a session of mountain biking.
Swimming pool
The heated outdoor pool is family-friendly and has a lifeguard, although all little Smiths must be supervised by an adult.
Meals
Children's menus and high chairs are available at the restaurants.
Babysitting
The hotel can help arrange babysitting subject to availability (price on enquiry), and the more notice you can give, the better. Baby monitoring equipment can be provided on request.
Sustainability efforts
To respect and protect the island’s natural abundance, materials for the resort’s construction were sourced locally; the same applies to the produce at the restaurant and beach club – ingredients such as mushrooms, honey, pork, and seafood come from Kéa.
Tables at Atria’s terrace edge dazzle with the sunset and sea as their beatific backdrop. Or for extra special soirées, book out wine bar Èpicora to have it all to yourself.
Dress Code
Channel Aegean-inspired simplicity – natural hues, breezy linens, and sun-catching metal accessories.
Hotel restaurant
At indoor-outdoor restaurant, Atria, Aegean Sea and sunset glimpses come with every lantern-lit table. Dangling vines and lush bushes texture the restaurant’s dove-grey exterior, and a balmy breeze wafts from the sun-kissed terrace to tables indoors. Chef Theodoros Karinos leads the charge in the open-plan kitchen, and the menu pays homage to Cycladic classics – rosemary-crusted lamb; fresh, no-frills seafood, and honey-drizzled pastries – using island-sourced produce. With a licence to thrill, Bond Beach Club serves up Japanese-inspired fare and top-notch tipples to tree-shaded tables and seafront sunloungers. Long lunches turn into tangerine-tinged afternoons soundtracked by hypnotic DJ sets, which may lead to some after-dinner dancing.
Hotel bar
You’re spoilt for choice at sundowner hour. Though Atria and Bond Beach Club are accomplished thirst quenchers, the resort has a further four drinking spots. The lobby lounge, Kosmos, is flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a leafy patio; Incognito is a Cuban-style speakeasy, with a bottle-lined bar and plenty of cosy corners; wine bar Èpicora impresses with its list of Greek and global vintages; and post-dip drinks are delivered at pool bar, Kaiki.
Last orders
Atria serves breakfast (7.30am–10am) and dinner (7.30pm–10.30pm); Bond Beach Club opens at noon and Kaiki at 11am, both until sunset; Kosmos serves from 8am, Èpicora from 3pm, both until 10.30pm; Incognito pours from 7pm to 1am.
Room service
Select dishes can be delivered for dining a casa, at any hour.
One&Only Kéa Island perches panoramically on the Cycladic isle Kéa, near the shores of the Attica Peninsula.
Planes
Athens International Airport is a 30-minute drive from Lavrio Port, from where a 30-minute private boat can breeze you directly to the resort. Shared boat transfers start from €850 for two guests; private transfers are €1,700 for up to five guests. One-hour public ferries also cruise to Kéa Port, which is a 40-minute drive from the hotel (hotel transfers from the port are €120).
Automobiles
If you’ve hired a car in Athens, you’ll be able to bring it over on the ferry, plus there’s free parking at the hotel. But a vehicle isn’t hugely necessary at this want-for-nothing resort – island exploration can be arranged via tours and taxis.
Other
Helicopter charters can zip you from Athens’ airport to the hotel’s private helipad in 15 minutes. Sister stay One&Only Aesthesis is an 80-minute private speedboat-ride away from Kéa.
Worth getting out of bed for
Private pools, a stellar spa, activities for all ages, baking classes… One&Only Kéa Island pulls out all the stops to keep you entertained without needing to venture outside of the resort. But, a bounty of Aegean adventures, both at the hotel and beyond, add a thrill-seeking touch to this drop and flop destination. For the always active, the olive tree-textured hillsides are best explored through scenic hikes, hair-raising mountain bike tours, or guided trail runs (look out for native birds and pine martens as you go). Learn about the island’s rich history with the resident archeologist, who will teach you how to track down key sites at the resort, or on a visit to Karthea’s ancient temples of Athena and Apollo. As captivating as the rugged landscape is, the sea knows how to steal the spotlight – experienced and novice divers can marvel at marine parks and shipwrecks studding the seabed. For those who would rather be on rather than in the water, the hotel can charter a private boat or yacht for trips to secret coves, remote beaches, or nearby islands.
Local restaurants
The eastern end of the island is less developed, and Lygaria uses this to its advantage – the ever-changing menu comprises ingredients from the restaurant’s on-site farm. Delicately prepared dishes pair traditional flavours with modern techniques, in an intimate, rural setting. Just-caught seafood delights at Cousteau All-Bay Stories, where highlights include sea urchin pasta and salt-crusted catch of the day, with a side of sunset views over the fishing boat-dotted water.
Local cafés
Bag a balcony table at family-run Cafe O Filakias for strong coffee, saccharine breakfasts, and village views.
Local bars
In Ioulis, Leon Bar is a lively local spot with zesty cocktails and an intimate atmosphere. Opt for one of the barrel-turned-tables lining the street outside, or once the ouzo kicks in, head inside to the front row for some live music.
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 all-villa hotel in Greece and unpacked their ouzo and snorkelling kit, a full account of their secluded break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside One&Only Kéa Island…
One&Only Kéa Island is making waves when it comes to wellness and inspiration is sourced close to home – nearby isle Ikaria is one of the world’s five Blue Zones. Its slow-living lifestyle has been thoughtfully woven into this restorative resort: Mediterranean meals use island-fresh produce; poolside cabanas call for sun-coddled siestas; sessions of yoga or tennis are restorative rather than ravaging; and home-from-home residences are match-fit for family time.
Though natural ingredients and stolen snoozes might make you live 10 years longer, head to the state-of-the-art spa to look 10 years younger. Mindfulness is all the rage these days, but the ancient Greeks can proudly claim ‘we did it first’ with their concept of sophrosyne – a balanced body and mind – which underlies the spa’s holistic treatment menu. Dip into one of four pools – indoor, outdoor, Watsu, and plunge – which range from balmy to Baltic, before taking a moment to thank the ancient Greeks for their soul-soothing virtues.
