For an outsider looking in, Calilo Resort in Ios, Greece can read as a high-end Home Goods store on an acid trip, yet it remains one of the most Instagrammed properties in the world. Its stacked-stone, mountainside facade, featuring a meticulously curated portfolio of inspirational messages and colorful, Keith Haring-esque art pieces, is a far departure from what anyone would expect from a luxury hotel that caters to wealthy clientele.
A Unique Greek Island Resort Beckons Guests to Create a Life They Love
And yet, upon closer inspection and an actual visit, this juxtaposition of kooky maximalism and seamless craftsmanship is part of its allure. The days of muted and neutral color palettes are gone, or at least put on pause, to inspire guests to surrender any preconceived notions and judgments and simply feel the spirit of the resort and its natural surroundings.
“Calilo was born from my personal exploration of life’s fundamental questions—what brings us happiness, what does it mean to live close to the truth of who we are, and how can we use this truth to connect with nature, ourselves and each other?” shares owner Angelos Michalopoulos. He, along with his family, have made it their mission to not only marry a love for thought-provoking art and five-star hospitality, but also preserve the land and culture where it exists.
“I wanted to create a place that celebrates life, kindness, and the beauty of art and nature, in their truest and most honest forms—a place where the soul can be liberated enough to touch the world around it with its emotions,” he adds, revealing that Calilo follows a “create a life you can fall in love with” mantra that is meant to challenge how guests may approach their daily routines, both mentally and emotionally.
Hooked on a Feeling
Emotions do, indeed, run rampant at Calilo. Aside from its towering, awe-inspiring suites with intricate mosaics, gentle waterfalls and heart-shaped infinity pools, the entire hotel is fitted with quirky, almost bizarre installations, including a rotating well of negative thoughts that greets guests in its main lobby. It is here where visitors are asked to dump words like “hypocrisy” and “malice” before starting their vacation with a positive mindset. This one-of-a-kind, interactive design approach is an extension of Michalopoulos’s personal tastes and philosophy of unbound optimism. The collection also includes many of his own personal works.
“In a world that increasingly seeks to neutralize emotion through standardization, minimalism and emotional impartiality, we deliberately choose to embrace the full spectrum of human feeling and create spaces that resonate deeply with the soul,” he explains. “At Calilo, we hold authenticity and truth as the very foundation of our existence. It is not merely a concept but a lived experience, woven into every facet of our space.”
Instinctively, one may think this approach will lead to sensory overload and that the intentions are gaudy and gimmicky, but every motivational cliché (just shy of “live, laugh, love”) and neon-colored sculpture manages to achieve the impossible by blending seamlessly and authentically into the area’s remote, natural terrain, anchored by a turquoise ocean cove that lets Mother Nature do most of the talking.
The unique artistry, instead, is meant to be interpreted as “luxury for the soul,” but backed by tangible opulence with an award-winning spa with treatment tables on floating islands, a massive open-air gym with cutting-edge equipment, and rooms that feel more like private king and queen quarters with oversized tubs, slabs of intricate stone and practically every amenity needed to kick your feet up and detach from reality.
Without trying to sound too hyperbolic, there really is no other place like it in the Cyclades and beyond.
Back to the Beginning
Perhaps Michalopoulos’s most meaningful project yet is the launch of his non-profit, The Calilo Foundation, with a goal to preserve the property he’s invested in and ensure it’s not overrun by corporate greed.
“For over 12 years, we have been actively involved in a range of philanthropic efforts on the island of Ios, supporting projects in areas such as environmental protection, public health, animal welfare, youth empowerment and cultural contributions,” he says. “With the creation of our Foundation, we aim to build on this commitment, expanding our reach and efforts both locally and globally.”
The most notable commitment is one of sustainability: Michalopoulos and family have pledged to develop only one percent of the land that they own to protect Ios’s natural beauty and guarantee that future generations will be able to enjoy the island’s character and integrity.
“We aim to inspire not just a stay, but a feeling, a transformation, and a deeper connection both to the world around us and to the world within us,” he adds.
All Eyes on Ios
While the idea of hopping to more popular Greek islands such as Santorini and Mykonos may be appealing, especially for a Mediterranean first-timer, consider Callio for an experience that effortlessly satisfies a need for swanky R&R while also encouraging an appreciation for art and self-reflection. You may just come away from your holiday as a changed person, ready to see the world through a different lens and with a newfound energy to rethink the role you play as a human in society and as a human in the natural world, which is exactly the resort’s objective.