Since local-born Nicholas Tselementes wrote the first Greek cookbook here in 1910, Cyclades island Sifnos has been a magnet for foodies. Verina Astra is the perfect gourmet bolthole with its glittering infinity pool surrounded by 16 seaview suites and a restaurant serving local specialties. So whether you love leisurely breakfasts (creamy sheep’s yoghurt; melopita honey pie; crispy kritsinia crackers) served to your room, or long lazy dinners for two (dining on red wine-marinated mastello lamb, brine-fresh fish and other local delights on the brine-bathed terrace beneath the stars), this one is sure to woo. 

Tip for honeymooners: Dazzling suites are named for the stars: pick of the crop Norma has fabulous sea vistas and a private pool.

Address: Verina Astra Hotel, poulatis, Sifnos 840 03, Greece

Cotommatae Hydra 1810

The hipsters’ port of call

Greece’s answer to Portofino, the white isle of Hydra, an hour’s ferry ride from Piraeus port oozes romance. Boho hangout for decades, writers Lawrence Durrell and Patrick Leigh-Fermor once strolled the mansion-lined waterfront of this storied island, and songster Leonard Cohen had a house in the maze of cobbled backstreets. Be warned, however: the only traffic is four-legged, so you can expect a luggage-loaded donkey to lead you to Cotommatae Hydra 1810, a 19th-century mansion with burnished chestnut floors, painted ceilings and antique furnishings hidden behind a high-walled courtyard, where romance is guaranteed.

Tip for honeymooners: Book the blissfully private Pigeon suite and enjoy heavenly stargazing from the outdoor hot tub.

Address: Cotommatae Hydra 1810, Ύδρα 180 40, Greece

Calilo

The island idyll

After 20 years sailing the world, stockbroker-turned-artist Angelos Michelopoulos and their wife Vasso bought a big chunk of Cycladic Island Ios and built Calilo, a bijou 30-suite hotel on a vast plot of thyme-studded land overlooking the sheltered waters of Papas beach. A far cry from Mylopotas beach’s backpacking hordes, this sophisticated hideaway – whose name is an acronym for Michelopoulos’ mantra: create a life you can fall in love with – is a Gaudi-style wonderland, with bridges crossing lagoon-like pools, intricate mosaic floors, decked with the owner’s Miro-like sculptures and hammocks strung from the gnarled branches of ancient olive trees. Equally OTT, vast suites have plunge-pool-sized marble tubs or immense heart-shaped infinity pools surrounded by sand-strewn beach areas, complete with deckchairs.

Tip for honeymooners: Reached via a 25-foot-long bridge, the Passage to Love suite has an indoor cave pool and a marble-decked infinity pool.

Address: Calilo, Papas Beach, Ios Island 840 01, Greece