SOUTH BAY DIGS | Digital Edition Online

August 26, 2022

DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.

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8.26.22 | DIGS.NET 51 J O U R N E Y S | TA I N A R O N B L U E R E T R E AT A R C H I T E C T U R E + D E S I G N Looking out toward the sea, it is proud and assured. It's been here for centuries. You? Today this tower is the heart of a boutique hotel named Tainaron Blue Retreat by the architect turned hotelier responsible for its transformation, Kostas Zouvelos. A place to get away from it all? The hotel takes that proposition seriously. For starters, it is not in one of Greece's more splashier ports of call—glamorous, white-walled Santorini or hard-partying Mykonos. As established, it's rustic, historical, and out there. But with this hotel, Kostas and his wife, who is also an architect, is changing the landscape in Greece, rethinking what hospitality in this part of the world could be. First and foremost, spectacular. The mix of age-old stone and native vegetation against shimmering cerulean seas and blue sky is beguiling. But more importantly, as a destination where amenities, though many and enticing, are almost second to the architecture itself. A Homeric effort, Kostas spent five years overhauling the tower, utilizing organic local materials of wood, marble, and stone in its transformation. It now houses three guest rooms with the en-suite option encompassing the top two levels of the tower with a loft conversion accessible via a wooden ladder, as well as a shared kitchen, reception, and breakfast space. Given the confines, it is a remarkable work of architecture. Vertical with narrow openings, rocks jutting out from the walls and small picture windows that frame the hotel's scenic enchantments. Rugged modernism is the defining aesthetic. Under Kostas's watch, the hotel has lost none of its historical character. It's rustic, warm and simple, as if left alone to sleep (presumably to dream of fantastical Mediterranean mysteries). It also functions like a modern-day hotel. Not with every comfort, but more than enough. Space is limited, but the views beyond its walls are expansive. Along with minimal furnishings and vintage finishes are art works by sculptor Nikos Karalis. Outside the tower, one is assaulted by natural beauty, which is unspoiled, serene, and informed the materiel choices of the project. The views are tenacious and everywhere, from the laissez-faire outdoor courtyard to the shimmering pool, which stretches out toward the sun-kissed Aegean, nearly one and the same. A private kitchen moonlights for a restaurant and serves delicious Maniot cuisine. The pervading feeling is one of utter nonchalance. It's that type of hotel. Completely untroubled. One does not experience Tainaron Blue Retreat without considering its surround- ings. Many visitors come to the hotel liter- ally to hunker down. There is plenty here to help with that. Those who venture out to explore its outskirts, however, are much

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