Porto Zante Villas and Spa Ξενοδοχείο

"It’s the steps down to the stone-clad spa here that I remember most clearly. Perhaps because I was eight months pregnant, and hyper-aware, but mainly because they were straight from a fairy tale: so dinky and intriguing, paved into the hillside and bordered by lush Mediterranean foliage. I’d walk down them to a different treatment every day, as per the family-owned hotel’s advice—gradually unwinding, resetting, reviving, listening, and watching the waves of the Ionian Sea through huge open windows. Porto Zante is ideal for a babymoon. The villas are vast and design-driven, but ultra-comfortable, with a temperature-controlled pool and a personal concierge, who embraced us and said, “You are our babies now.” Few places in Europe are as private or have service levels to match this. Want to eat from the Japanese-Asian menu at Maya, but in the Greek-Mediterranean Club House so you can listen to the resident pianist? Done. Need some time out from your toddler but they’re resisting the kids’ club? The determined staff will have them giggling in no time. Keen to explore the surrounding sea and villages or nearby city? Itineraries can be arranged on the day, then adapted from the four-by-four or yacht. It’s no wonder that presidents, royals, and cultural icons come here to disappear down those magical steps whenever they need to lighten their mental load. From $2,521. "