Milos Cove

Milos Cove, a contemporary five-star inception resort, lies isolated from the buzzing life of a Cycladic island in Angali, at the northeastern edge of Milos, where archaeological excavations recently unearthed the largest prehistoric sharpening workshop of obsidian tools in Europe.

Its limit is the vastness of the Aegean, contemplated from the edge of a sharp cliff, tens of meters above sea level.

There, in the shadows of the rocks of Milos’ volcanic terrain, singular in colors and textures, at a place silently reflecting mystery, Milos Cove does not compete with the majestic landscape; instead, it allows to be infiltrated.

The compound is revealed in a mythical, theatric manner. The difficult road, sloping downwards, winds in-between ancient rocks that stand silent, as immemorial guardians of the landscape. Ultimately, the first sight of the hotel is impressively framed from above. The building, humbled by the force of the landscape, crouches to be protected from the elements.

Architectural necessity designates a plot evoking a Cycladic settlement: narrow lanes, attached stairs, stone retaining walls; small and large openings that stage different vanishing points; shading pergolas, plants and flowers for freshness and ornamentation. Profoundly Greek architectural features are interwoven in a harmonious composition, under the unforgiving Cycladic sun.

Its colors are earthen, found in its environment; so are the materials, in an archetypal reflection of the place, which is symbolically integrated in the building: the rock, the marble, the tree, the water, dark glass, light and shadow.

The reflective surfaces of the water volumes, and the oversize glazing, create “intermediate spaces” where, through the play of light, the landscape and the building interpenetrate each other, trying the limits between real and fictional space.

Thus, in this singular environment, the visitors may enjoy the amenities of a contemporary resort, concurrently receiving all the stimulation for a voyage within, seeking their own reflections on deep waters.

ALD Architects

Workshop Dionisis Sotovikis

George Messaritakis

242 | November 2019