Dexamenes Seaside Hotel
GREECE
PERSONALITIES
Lovers of the sea, design, history, and wine.
MOMENTS
Minimalistic historic architecture. Endless sandy beach. Open horizon. Unparalleled sunsets. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves.
BEST VISITING MONTHS
May - September
COST
WHY STAY
Dexamenes Seaside Hotel is a unique design retreat on Greece’s western Peloponnese coast. The hotel has been created from an abandoned wine factory from the 1920s, where guests get a chance to sleep inside old wine tanks.
Located on Kourouta beach steps away from the water, near the town of Amaliada, the postwar winery is an architectural gem, as well as a piece of Greek history.
The rooms have been transformed with steel, engineered glass, and timber, keeping the minimalist industrial design, beautifully juxtaposed to the vast empty coast and the flowing sea right outside of your door.
WHY WANDER
Tour the Peloponnese archaeological sites, wineries, and historical cities. Swim in Voidokilia, a perfect semi-circle of blue water, or in the green lakes of Polylimnio. Take a day trip to the miniature island of Elafonisis. Discover the unique rock formations of Diros. Take a hike through Lousios Gorge and wander through the sanctuaries of Elona and Sintzas. See the Unesco-listed sites of Epidaurus and Bronze Age Mycenae, or the ancient castles in Methoni and Nafplio.
INDULGE IN
Modern Mediterranean cuisine. Wine.
GETTING THERE
Fly into Athens International Airport and rent a car for a scenic 3 hour drive to the hotel.
*Images property of Dexamenes
WILD INITIATIVES
Sustainability was one of the major aspirations of the design process during the conversion of a post war winery into a resort.
Most materials were reused and upcycled. The blocks of concrete that were removed to create the openings of the doors of the suites were preserved and reused as the stepping stones in our lake or as coffee tables and chairs. The reclaimed bricks taken from the winery’s warehouse were used to create the floor of the restaurant and of the courtyard area. The old pipelines for the water supply of the winery are now the handrails of the esplanade.
Most of the materials used for the conversion were locally sourced. Almost all contractors were local and they applied as many traditional techniques as possible (such as making terrazzo surfaces etc.) Even the ceramic tiles of the new roof of the restaurant and of the multi use space, were made in an artisanship (less than 20km away from the hotel) that took samples of the original tiles and made contemporary replicas using the same clay as the original.
During the design process, the hotel applied bioclimatic principles, by creating a lake in the courtyard that cools the whole zone. In addition, local grape and currant varieties are becoming well established along the edges of the garden and will gradually make their contribution to the microclimate and productivity of the hotel.
The hotel invested in mechanical equipment (including heat pumps and solar collectors) that uses minimum electricity to heat or cool the rooms. In addition, the energy consumed for the air conditioning is at the same time used to heat the water used by the guests.
The staff takes over an active role in the implementation of of our policies. normally organises at least 1-3 annual meetings. The information includes issues of environmental management (water, energy, waste, cleaning, food and beverage, etc.), and other sustainability issues, but also issues of awareness raising of guests, staff, suppliers and the surrounding community.
Products are, whenever possible, produced locally in order to lower the environmental footprint from reduced transportation and to stimulate the local economy.