The Check-In: Sun Aeriko, Tinos
What's it like to stay at the most talked about new luxury boutique hotel in Tinos?
THE ISLAND
Tinos. Close to Mykonos. Venetians held on to it for a long time, as the Turks had more pressing affairs. The Venetians harvested pigeon poop and used it as fertilizer, and here many delicious things did grow. Still do. The white dovecotes where the birds did their marathon pooping are now a design icon on the island. Not a small island, by the way. Car essential. Lots of marble! That’s your Zen read.
THE HOTEL
Sun Aeriko is the most hotly anticipated hotel that is not part of a big chain to open on Tinos this summer. Billed as “a new-age boutique hotel that presents a spontaneous holiday concept that combines Cycladic ambiance, a strong connection with local art, and a contemporary approach to the agricultural side of the island, with popular cosmopolitan elements of the Aegean Islands."
32 rooms and suites, some with private plunge pools (not mine). Many with great sea views. There is a main pool (not big, but nice) and all-day restaurant. Not bargain priced but high quality. My skioufihta pasta Mediterraneo, 14€, featured homemade pasta cooked up on the spot with fresh tomato sauce and local farm vegetables.
THE CHECK-IN
Smooth. Welcome drink is a mocktail featuring fizzy lemonade and mango, which you can sip in the reception pavilion or in your room.
THE BREAKFAST
Extraordinary, to the point of game-changing.
SPECIAL REMARKS
Sun Aeriko opened in July. It’s already popular and the best place to stay by far if you want to be close to the port without being in the noisy tangle of Chora itself. In Tinos, an increasingly popular island less than two hours from Athens, this is one of the best.
