Acro Suites stands on the cliff edge at Agia Pelagia, 26.7km from Heraklion, on the coast north-west of the city. Mononaftis Bay, below the fishing village, is one of the quietest stretches of shore near Heraklion. Acro comes from the ancient Greek akros, meaning on the edge. The resort runs to 49 villas and suites, and every one of them looks out to sea through a wall of glazing.
Cretan sculptors cut the Cave Suites out of the rock, into rooms that open to the outside and wrap around private infinity pools. Inside, the walls are natural stone, the furniture is made to measure in wood, and the marble is quarried at Ancient Festos, all of it in warm, earthy tones. A Cave Suite takes two adults, with a private terrace of 30 square metres and a cave pool of 11 to 15. Because these rooms sit inside the cliff, the rock holds their temperature steady and they need less heating and cooling than the rest.
The family that built it
Acro Suites was founded by Omicron Hotels with the Orfanaki family, who designed and built it alongside them. Omicron’s other houses are Seaside, Momi and The Tierras Villas.
The property was conceived by two sisters from Crete, Danae and Konstantina Orfanaki, cofounders of the firm Afoi Orfanaki. Their father handed them a hotel venture already under way on 20 clifftop acres above Mononaftis Bay, drawn with the local architect Stavros Peppas as a small white town in the manner of Santorini. The sisters changed the brief to something closer to the ground it stands on, and gave the rework to Alexandros Kolovos of the Athens practice CMH Architecture. The final form took about four years to settle.
When Greece closed for the pandemic and nobody could reach the island, the two sisters took the interiors on themselves. They worked with Cretan artisans on much of the furniture, and the textiles in every room are made locally from organic materials, with raw silk on the beds.
The 49 keys break down into 45 suites and four villas, set along the cliff as a stepped chain of one and two-storey structures, with a wellness centre, a restaurant and a terraced bar among them. The suites run to four types: Loft, Wave, Gaia and Cave.
Stone, chestnut and glass
Rooms are finished in pressed cement mortar warmed by chestnut joinery sourced at Mount Athos. The Gaia Suites set Greek craft against ancient wood from Mount Athos and Egyptian marble. The timber and stone are local, and some of the stone came out of the site itself. Rustic as the buildings look, they run on a geothermal system and a photovoltaic park.
The Bath House and the shala
The hammam-style Bath House is by Utopia Hotel Design and holds a sauna, treatment rooms, two swimming pools and a spa. It follows the plan of a traditional oval hammam and is built from the same stone and timber as everything around it, with a planted atrium throwing filtered light over the whirlpool tubs and the marble hot baths. Classes in yoga and fitness are held in the Asana Yoga Shala, which sits under a long barrel vault of timber and bamboo and faces open water.
Three rooms to eat in
Cremnos takes the traditional Cretan and Greek table as its starting point and reworks it. UMI sets Japanese cooking against Peruvian flavour. The third room is Eleonas, in the olive grove. The half-board arrangement covers breakfast and dinner at Cremnos, and there is no all-inclusive option.
Getting there, and what to ask for
Heraklion port is 25.5km from the resort and Heraklion international airport 28.9km, so the drive from either is short. Acro Suites will put on a private transfer on request, it can help with car hire, and parking on site is included.
Every suite has its own pool. Heating is arranged on request and needs two days’ notice before arrival, after which the water is tepid and usually reaches 25 to 26 degrees, depending on the weather. There is one outdoor swimming pool for everyone else and no indoor one.
Who is this for
A couple who wants the sea as the view from the bed and a pool of their own to swim in before breakfast. The ground is steep and the rooms step down the cliff, so the mood is quiet rather than social, and the spa menu sits at reception for anyone who wants it. Honeymoon stays come with a room setup and wine or champagne. The airport is close enough to land in the afternoon and swim before dinner.
