The story goes that the grandson of Zeus and Electra left his home in Psophis, sailed across the Ionian Sea with his men, and arrived at this lush, forested island. This man, a central figure in the island’s cultural tapestry, was Zacynthus.

The island was a mythical playground for gods long before it was anything else. Artemis is said to have loved wandering its forests, and Apollo reportedly sat beneath its trees, playing his lyre and singing hymns to honour its beauty.

With or without the myths, one thing remains true: Zakynthos is breathtaking, and Olea All Suite Hotel has built a space that lets you properly take it in. There’s a particular quiet to a hillside covered in olive trees, and Olea sits inside that quiet, on a slope above the lively village of Tsilivi.

My friends and I arrived at Olea on a Monday afternoon, determined to catch the last moments of summer. We were welcomed with refreshments and a light bite that the team had thoughtfully prepared for us. The first thing I noticed was that Olea leads with water. You walk alongside water corridors and pools of all shapes and sizes to get anywhere. The design borrows from two places at once: Mediterranean tradition and effortless modernism. There are 89 suites across six categories, sleeping two to three guests, and the Honeymoon and Presidential categories face the sea directly. Your room choice can mean your own private pool, swim-up access to your bedroom, or a first-floor perch above the water-level suites with amazing views. I opted for a private pool suite, and a quick ride in a golf cart whisked me away to my room.

The suite showed thought and care in every detail. Many hotels these days make guests do the legwork of asking for what they need, but at Olea everything I could want was already there: fresh bottles of water, all of the toiletries, and a steamer for my clothes. The interiors are done in earth tones, and there is a particular luxury in a room that doesn’t ask for your attention – that simply frames what’s outside it and gets out of the way.

The estate welcomes guests aged 12 and over, which we deeply appreciated as a group of Londoners wanting a respite from city life. When lounging by the pools, there was no noise to try to ignore. We took that first day easy: we unpacked and had a quick dip in our private pools before meeting for dinner at The Botanic Garden. A decadent antipasti board arrived alongside the most delicious zucchini salad and a sea bass carpaccio, before freshly made pizzas and tiramisu joined the table. With live musicians walking between the tables, the smell of pizza everywhere, and the serenity of the estate around us, our first night in Zakynthos was perfect.

The next day, after breakfast at Omikron Restaurant’s buffet, we joined an intimate yoga class in the shala at the Ritual Fitness Club. With floor-to-ceiling glass offering the best views on the island, the class was all about presence and mindfulness. We headed back for a shower and a swim before lunch at Cocoon Resto Bar, ringed by the estate’s lagoon-style pools. We ate mezze and Greek salads, and had the good sense not to overdo it before getting back in the water.

Then it was time to explore a little further and hunt for souvenirs. We found the most fitting ones at Korfiatis Giorgos: the family’s homemade thyme olive oil. When the heat made us miss our pools, we returned to Olea for a swim. Dinner was in the open air at Flow Dine & Wine, where modern Mediterranean cooking meets a seriously considered wine list. We were surrounded by art and accompanied, again, by a live musician.

On our last day, we headed out on a boat tour to see Zakynthos’s caves and that impossibly blue water. I don’t think I have ever seen such a clear sea. Out there, with the cliffs going up white and sheer, the Greek myths require no particular effort to believe. As our captain told us how he spends his summers hosting boat tours and his winters olive-picking, I wondered whether a life by the sea might be the way to make the bliss I was feeling permanent.

We headed back in time for deep tissue massages at the Olea Royal Spa, a heavenly corner that’s as beautiful as the rest of the estate. Expect a treatment list running from massages to facials, and a 25-metre lap pool for anyone still interested in effort. We sipped our post-massage green tea, taking in the mountains, then slipped away for a sound bath. An hour of calm later, we walked to our farewell dinner at Flame, Cocoon Restaurant’s nighttime iteration, which serves premium cuts of meat over an open fire.

Leaving Olea’s calming, balancing atmosphere the next morning was incredibly bittersweet. We waved goodbye to our beautiful rooms and, most importantly, to the team who took such thoughtful care of us. Three nights at the Olea All Suite Hotel was enough to create a rhythm that felt like home, which made it even harder to return to our busy London lives. On our flight back, I thought about the captain – his summers on the water and winters in the olive groves – and how Olea had let us step into that beautiful Greek rhythm for a moment.

The Olea All Suite Hotel, Tsilivi, Zakynthos

89 suites, four restaurants, two bars, and a spa; welcoming guests aged 12 and over; six kilometres from Zakynthos airport.

More details at www.oleaallsuitehotel.com.

Words by Beril Naz Hassan