Štěpán Borovec inspects the new One&Only Kea Island near Athens, along with One&Only Portonovi, Montenegro’s flagship beach resort.
Comparing the two properties it’s obvious that One&Only really know how to develop an exclusive beach resort.
One&Only Portonovi opened in 2021 and is pretty much ten out of ten. It’s the best overall beach resort on the Adriatic, with perfect service, great food, a beautiful beach and accommodations.
One&Only Kea Island offers a new style of holiday experience for Greece. It only opened in June this year, so we can’t expect perfection, yet. I found the resort has enormous potential for next summer and beyond.
Inspecting One&Only Kea Island
Most Greek islands offer a similar experience, with well developed services for lots of tourists. Kea Island is different because it’s a very local island, with real authenticity and charm.
It felt like I was experiencing Greece before tourism. And yet I was staying at a very high-end all-villa resort.
That sounds like a contradiction, so let me explain!
- Kea Island
- The One&Only Resort on Kea Island
- Villa Accommodations
- What to do on Kea Island
- One&Only Kea Island Recommendations
- Getting to Kea Island
- Comparisons with One&Only Portonovi
Kea Island, near Athens
Kea Island is located close to Athens. Wealthy Athenians own summer houses on the island and go for a quiet weekend retreat.
It’s a rugged island of hills and stones, with a few villages and beaches. Inhabited since late neolithic times, Kea belongs in many mythological stories about Greece.
One says the island’s vast springs and fountains were home to nymphs. Jealous of the island’s beauty, the gods sent a fierce lion to chase off the nymphs, who carved a lion statue onto rocks to appease the animal. I hiked to this lion statue, outside of Loulida.
I didn’t find a single shop selling tacky gifts made in China, nor any restaurant menu with photos of the food. There weren’t any scammers or anybody trying to sell me anything.
I really enjoyed experiencing a more traditional side of a Greek island, rather than being in a place where everyone is a tourist.
It’s a relatively big island for around 2000 local residents, with a strong sense of space and nature. The roads are quite rough and the resort uses new Defenders to take guests around.
The One&Only Resort on Kea Island
The island’s only resort is a seasonal all-villa property sprawling across a hillside, with fantastic views towards the sunset. In 2025 it’s open from 1st April to 31st October.
One&Only Kea Island is a calm and romantic place, ideal for couples who want privacy and relaxation.
One highlight is the main lobby area, a two-floor structure without a roof, shaped almost like a stadium. It’s not a normal hotel lobby.
The main restaurant is on the lower floor, with a lobby, outdoor terrace and lobby bar upstairs. This is the place for a sunset drink and Instagram photoshoot!
You soak up flowering gardens, blue sky and sunshine here, the concept about creating a connection to nature.
Gastronomy was really superb during my stay and you can dine at either the main restaurant or beach club restaurant.
Then there are the bars. Kaiki at the pool, the Épicora wine bar, and my favourite, a speakeasy called Incognito with an interesting cigar menu.
As I expected from a new resort, the service wasn’t perfect. I could feel it’s still their first year in operations. There wasn’t any unwillingness from staff, but there were some mistakes in communication and operations.
One common concern I have at seasonal properties is staff retention. I do hope One&Only Kea Island are able to retain their staff for next season. The staff I met really want to learn and improve. With time I am sure they will, which will enhance the overall experience.
Villa Accommodations
The one- and two-bedroom villas are beautifully curated, with superb views and eight-metre heated private pools. They are identical to each other, only differing by location.
You enter a sunken courtyard with ample seating, an open fireplace and stone walls that provide a sense of privacy.
From there you continue to an open-plan living area with towering ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Aegean Sea.
Full-length sliding doors separate the bedroom, bathroom and living area. Light pours through the windows and dominates the villa, creating a nice effect as it plays with all the marble.
This design makes the villas feel spacious, although the one-bedroom villas are only around 75 metres, which is more the size of a suite than a villa you would get in the Maldives.
I wouldn’t recommend villas close to the beach, as other guests can see into them. Those on higher locations have complete privacy and better views.
Private homes are currently under construction and some of these should be available for next summer. This meant the resort didn’t feel fully finished during my recent visit, although this could be different by next summer.
Every villa comes with its own butler, reachable via WhatsApp. This was convenient and necessary, because the resort is really spread out and you need the on-demand buggy service to get around.
What to do on Kea Island
One highlight is the beach, a quiet pebble and sand beach with the most turquoise of waters. The water is similar to what you’ll know from other Greek islands, but the quietness and privacy are rare in Greece.
The beach is located in a bay and is well protected from the wind. I can imagine many full days relaxing here at the amazing Bond Beach Club.
Kea Island is known for its hiking and scuba diving. There are great trails around the island and wrecks that experienced divers can discover on wreck dives. Like Junkers 52, a World War II battle plane, and the 19th-century ocean liner S/S Burdigala.
At the resort there’s a pretty spa spread over three floors, with a small sauna, steam room and indoor pool.
I enjoyed the gym, which has nice views over the resort and sea, plus some outdoor spaces for working out.
There’s also a new tennis court and padel court.
You can do a half day or full day excursion on the resort’s sailboat, swimming in secluded coves and having a seafood lunch on board.
In the resort’s Defender you can visit villages and a few interesting places, but it’s not an island with tons of sights and things to do.
The appeal of Kea Island is relaxation and authenticity. You don’t come here to see the sights, rather to soak up the vibe. And to enjoy long and lingering sunsets with a cocktail at the bar.
One&Only Kea Island Recommendations
I recommend One&Only Kea Island for couples who want something different in Greece, while also enjoying a very top level stay.
The two-bedroom villas could also be an option for families with older kids, but there’s not much for young kids to do and the atmosphere won’t suit them. I can imagine more families coming here when the private homes are completed too.
Combining Kea Island with One&Only Aesthesis in Athens makes sense, not least because there will be some combination deals. And you can go by speedboat directly between the two resorts. Three or four nights in each would be a very relaxing holiday on the beach.
If you only stay on Kea Island I think one week is ideal. Even going there for three nights, like myself, is very relaxing.
June to September is the best time to go. In May the sea will be too cold to swim.
Like the rest of Greece, July and August will be hot. Except Kea Island shouldn’t be crowded, unlike so many other islands.
October is known to be a windy month so I think it favours last-minute weather-based bookings.
Getting to Kea Island
A 15-minute helicopter flight from Athens provides the best access to Kea Island.
Alternatively, it’s a 45-minute journey on the resort’s speedboat from Athens harbour, which is a 30-minute drive from the airport.
I don’t recommend travelling on the public ferry, as there are only a few departures per day and it’s hard to match the times with incoming flights. The ferry takes over one hour and it’s certainly not an exclusive or luxurious experience either,
For our clients it’s either helicopter or speedboat. However, note that the boat can’t operate in rough sea conditions and high winds, so on some days the helicopter becomes the only feasible option.
One&Only Portonovi
This September I stayed at and inspected many hotels on the Adriatic. One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro is definitely the best.
We’ve had many happy clients here and seen how the resort has improved year on year, since its opening in 2021.
The service was faultless during my stay. The food was amazing, especially the Italian and Japanese restaurants. And the beach is probably the best on the Adriatic.
It feels almost like Dubai, just with a much nicer sea and landscape. Unsurprising, given the sand is from Dubai!
Portonovi itself is a fancy new village development, with a super yacht marina, high-end boutiques and restaurants, some independent real estate and the resort.
Novak Djokovic owns an apartment here and I saw him enjoying the facilities at One&Only Portonovi with his kids – supposedly he is a regular, so maybe this is the place to come for you tennis fans!
You fly to Tivat. Then it’s a one-hour car transfer by around Kotor Bay, on roads that are often clogged with traffic. Or better, take a 30-minute speedboat across the bay, a Maldives-style transfer from the airport.
Rooms and suites at the resort are identical, only varying on location: very stylish, well equipped and still feeling fresh.
For more space and a private pool I recommend the resort’s private homes for families, instead of the resort’s two villas. Private homes benefit from their own private beach and jetty. And they’re around half the price of the villas.
I loved their Chenon Espace Spa and state of the art gym. It reminded me a little of my visit to JOALI BEING, as it’s much more than only a spa, rather a place for restorative wellness programs that have long-lasting benefits.
What impressed me most was how every type of client can be happy at One&Only Portonovi.
It’s wonderful for families, with the beach, pool, many facilities and services, plus the large accommodations.
You can come for a few nights or for two weeks, there’s enough to do and everything is such high quality you will want to stay longer.
A serene and peaceful vibe makes for a relaxing beach holiday. But we also had a client staying here who wanted to party. He just cruised across the bay by boat to Nikki Beach, then returned to One&Only Portonovi to chill.
If you’re active then spend your days on the sea, discovering little coves and caves and islands.
But I don’t recommend a day trip to nearby Dubrovnik though, as the border crossing takes a minimum of one hour, each way (up to four hours I was told in mid-summer).
Next Summer’s Beach Holiday?
Portonovi was the first ever One&Only property in Europe. We always expected a beautiful property from this brand.
Over the last four summers we’ve seen how One&Only can develop a destination and resort. I’m really looking forward to how Kea Island evolves.
Genuine exclusivity is becoming rarer in Europe and that’s why these two beach resorts are such a strong proposition for next summer.
