TRAVEL WELL
132 | JULY 2019 Women’s Health
PH
OTOGRAPHY:^
VASC
O^ CÉL
IO;
JESSY^ MEY
RICK;^
A.I
SS
OCKWhat? Five-star fitness and
fun in Greece
Where? Daios Cove Luxury
Resort & Villas, Vathi
How much? From £249 a
night per person, half board;
daioscovecrete.com
Isn’t Crete
all package
holidays and
mahogany tans?
There may be an
element of that,
but Greece’s
largest island
also has some very cool hotels
and Daios Cove is the hippest
of all. It’s spread over five levels
across a hillside, overlooking
a private beach close to the
whitewashed, arty town of
Agios Nikolaos, and the
contemporary design is so
stunning that I whipped my
camera phone out quicker
than you can say ‘selfie’ on
arriving at the glass-walled
clifftop reception area.
Everything here is utterly
Instagrammable: think shots
of you gazing out to sea in
the infinity pool at sunset or
sipping cocktails al fresco
on the terrace of Crystal Box
bar, which has white sofas,
DJs and panoramic bay views.
So it’s hip, I get it – but
what’s healthy?
There’s a large gym packed
full of Technogym kit (we’re
talking treadmills, exercise
bikes, elliptical cross trainers,
rowers), and you can kickCRETE
Amanda Statham,
Contributing
Travel Editor
things off with a 3D Styku
machine body scan to find out
your composition and any
areas ripe for improvement,
followed by a personal
training programme based on
the results (a private hour-
long session with a PT costs
€60). A tranquil yoga studio
for group classes with floor-
to-ceiling windows and a
kinesis wall will also get you
moving. Down at the beach,
the activities are aplenty.
Book a scuba diving session
(experienced divers can
explore a shipwreck),
challenge your balance and
strength on a stand-up
paddleboard and learn how
to sail a catamaran. Still got
energy to burn? A tennis
pro’s on hand to perfect your
serve on one of two courts,
or just take the 30-minute
stroll to the nearby town,
making sure to splurge on
straw bags and Greek leather
sandals in the market.
And when I want to relax
and refuel?
You’re in the right place. Did
I mention the GOCO spa?
With a thermal pool circuit,Finnish sauna and Anne
Semonin treatments (the
Cryo Time Freeze facial with
ice cubes shaves off 10 years
instantly), it’s way better than
your average hotel spa. Daios’
four restaurants are so good
it’s tricky to decide where to
dine. I rotated between Greek
salad with huge glistening
black olives on the sun-soaked
terrace of Taverna, catch of
the day at The Beach House
and marinated octopus at
the posh Ocean restaurant.
Sticky local jams on warm
bread and freshly squeezed
orange juice that tastes of
sunshine at Pangea’s buffet
breakfast is worth dragging
yourself out of bed for.
And what a bed. My deluxe
sea-view room came with
a king-sized bed, marble
bathroom and (small scream
of excitement) its own infinity
pool on the balcony.