Althea Boutique Hotel

Rather than being conceived as a singular building, the hotel unfolds as a composition of two-storey volumes, creating a sequence of courtyards, narrow passages and outdoor spaces that echo the organic growth of the island’s historic villages.
The design draws from the accumulated knowledge of Karpathian architecture, treating vernacular elements as spatial devices rather than decorative references. The traditional mousandra, textured local flooring and the restrained geometry of the built volumes are integrated into the building’s morphology, façades and interiors, establishing a dialogue between cultural memory and contemporary hospitality.
A carefully curated palette of natural materials and tactile finishes reinforces the connection between architecture and landscape. Scaled to its surroundings, the hotel blends into the terrain while avoiding literal interpretations of vernacular architecture, instead offering a refined contemporary expression rooted in place.
The project frames hospitality as an architectural experience, translating the island’s long-standing culture of welcoming into spaces that feel both familiar and distinctly contemporary. Through its composition, materiality and attention to craftsmanship, Althea offers an interpretation of Karpathos that is shaped as much by atmosphere as by form.
Althea Boutique Hotel received the Silver Award in the Guest Service Excellence category at the Greek Tourism Awards 2021, recognising the project’s holistic approach to the guest experience.