Haute & cold: The sexiest spots on the Med are now at their coolest in the winter
It was an unlikely spot to spend the season.But before Daniel Kerzner opened his first hotel, Santorini Sky, in summer 2020, he spent the colder months of the year discovering a different side of the Greek island paradise. “You think the sunsets are nice in the summer? It’s like the sky is on fire in the winter,” he raved.“So why is nobody here?” Unlike most of Santorini’s sleek but seasonal stays, Kerzner was so enamored with winter on the Med that he weatherproofed and insulated his resort to stay open year-round.It was a prescient business plan.
The Hilton-affiliated, 10-villa estate now buzzes all winter thanks to improved air links — there are now 10 flights daily from Athens to Santorini’s new airport.Government initiatives intended to encourage off-season visits, like only granting licenses to new restaurants on the condition they don’t shutter in winter, have also invigorated the winter scene. “It’s more casual and laid back,” Kerzner said, “and the hikes are better than in the heat of summer, and our rates are half.”Santorini Sky isn’t an outlier, and the surge of interest in midwinter in the Med is unarguable.
Luxe travel operator Untamed Traveling says winter bookings are up 15% year over year, while Zicasso, a high-end travel marketplace, saw a 14% rise in winter bookings to France and a 9% increase to Spain for the same window.All-biz class airline La Compagnie has bolstered its New York-to-Nice connection to year-round, too.
Nice’s own tourism stats show a rise of 10% year over year for winter stays.Hotelier Valentina de Santis added an indoor pool to her award-hogging Lake Como property Passalacqua, in part to help extend her season, and the new Airelles in Venice also has an indoor pool for much the same reason. Note, too, the new itineraries the smarter cruise lines have started offering.
Luxe upstart line Explora Journeys has stationed its second ship in the Med rather than the Caribbean this winter, pinballi...