4 Best Hotels in Spetses, The Saronic Gulf Islands

With cheerful, renovated exteriors surrounded by myriad flowers, this charming boutique-style B&B is only a few minutes' walk from the main harbor and offers decent value, especially in the off-season. The interiors, too, will charm guests with their old-fashioned wooden shutters and beds with wrought-iron frames—just the right accents to set off the cool white, minimalist rooms. And it's open year-round. During less busy periods, rates can be negotiable, and late checkout may be available for free.

Set with fin-de-siècle cupolas, an imposing mansard roof, and elegant neoclassical facade, this iconic mansion was acclaimed as the Saronic gulf's own Hotel Negrescu in 1914—like that Nice landmark, this hotel was built to attract the cosmopolitan ocean-liner set and, today, the Poseidonion has been hailed as the most elegant hotel in all the Greek islands. While restoration has preserved its aristocratic aura, it also brought everything into the 21st century, replete with minimal mod furniture and loads of classy five-star hotel luxuries. There is a renovated historic wing and a new wing (done in the original style) next to the main pool. The Verandah Restaurant offers a high-style menu of Mediterranean delicacies, while the Library Brasserie offers delicious Athenian cuisine lit up with flashes of local Spetses flavors. In collaboration with Baba Au Rum, one of Athens' finest cocktail bars, Palms shakes and stirs cool and colorful potions on the hotel's large terrace overlooking the cyan-blue Saronic Gulf. Treat yourself at the excellent Asian Spa with one of the many Ayurvedic therapies complementing the better-known massages and treatments.

Enjoy both privacy—surrounded by greenery, beach, and water—and proximity (about a 20-minute walk) to town at this spot, which dates back to the 1970s. Waiters can bring drinks to your lounge chair on the small private beach, and breakfast can be taken in bed, on your balcony, or in the terrace restaurant. Blue-carpeted guest rooms have wood-veneer beds covered in plaid spreads, and balconies with either a stunning sea or a town view. The helpful staff can help you arrange excursions to mainland sights, and the hotel provides transportation on arrival and departure.