Lauren Southcott travelled to Greece to spend time with Athanasia Comninos, the founder of The Rooster. Photography by Charlie Pike and Lauren Southcott.
The Rooster in Antiparos has become a sanctuary for discerning travellers – those seeking texture, culture, and respite from the hurried crowds of neighbouring islands. When we speak of destination hotels that feel like home, The Rooster is the epitome.
Here, slow living isn’t a trend, it’s a philosophy. The property unfolds in complete harmony with its natural surroundings: the stone, sky, and sea all existing in conversation.
The Rooster is the lifelong dream of Athanasia Comninos, who, though born into a shipping family, always felt drawn to hospitality and design. After studying interior design in London, she returned to Greece and found her calling on Antiparos – the smaller, more intimate island where her vision could finally come to life.
When describing The Rooster, Comninos told us, there were a few non-negotiables. Each villa must have its own horizon line and private pool. The other is a sense of lighting. After all, “lighting is both the vibe and the memory,” she says. And the final one was hospitality – the kind that lingers long after guests leave.
It has to feel like a place to return to. “I want guests to leave nostalgic, with that warm, old summer feeling you can take home,” Comninos added.
And indeed, during our stay, nostalgia was everywhere – the thyme on the footpaths, the sun-warmed stone walls, the hush of soft music at dusk, and the sense of isolation and peace.
In the early days of building The Rooster, consultants recommended tents, vast dining halls, and sunbeds to Athanasia. But Comninos knew instinctively that such ideas were antithetical to her vision. “Stones and stars,” she said simply. “Not canvas.” Every decision, she explains, was guided by one principle: timelessness over trends.
“I didn’t want a spa full of trends… I wanted rituals that actually unlocked something.”
Athanasia Comninos
This philosophy also shapes The House of Healing, The Rooster’s wellness sanctuary. What began as a modest spa evolved after a kundalini retreat shifted Comninos’s perspective. Today, its rituals are elemental – from a rare foot-pressure massage (one of only two in Greece) to a smoke chair purification ceremony designed to help guests “arrive in their bodies.”
“I didn’t want a spa full of trends,” she explains. “I wanted rituals that actually unlocked something.”
The same truth holds in the kitchen. Chef Simos Triantafyllou leads with home-style cooking deeply rooted in the land itself. Every ingredient comes from The Rooster and every dish crafted with a profound sense of place. The Farm even has a dedicated baker—Despina Bitzaraki. At lunch, her crackling bread (a signature) is followed by elevated Greek classics such as smoked beans and tahini.
“We were friends and while making her bread at the farm, I told her I wanted her to cook with us,” Comninos explains. “But Despina said ‘I’m not a chef’ and I replied, ‘exactly — I don’t want a chef. I want grandma’s food.’” Despina’s lunches are now a famous attraction. “We keep this lunch up to six people max for the homely feeling.”
“The dishes come to me in dreams,” says Bitzaraki. It was the kind of meal you never want to end – one that lingered into the afternoon with long conversations and glasses of ouzo shared with Despina.
Returning each night to my villa, I was met with the same feeling of sanctuary. The staff anticipated needs before I even voiced them – greeted with fresh fruit by the pool and umbrellas and picnics on the beach the next day. There were no regimented rows of sunbeds, no background music – just the raw beauty of the coastline and nature.
Athanasia Comninos. Photo by Charlie Pike.
Although privacy is key, Comninos insisted on utilising the local community as much as possible. Local artisans, healers, and musicians contribute to The Rooster’s cultural rhythm. The local community is integral to The Rooster, Comninos says. They hosted a Greek festival at The Farm at the end of July. “The ladies of Antiparos danced traditional dances, and cooked traditional food alongside Despina, Simos, and the kitchen staff. We made sure it was open to the public.”
This is extended to The Rooster’s boutique, a treasure trove of local and artisanal pieces. “The boutique is curated by me from my travels. The designers are mainly Greek and local,” Comninos insists. Then there is her latest project, The Beach House—born from a desire to protect the shoreline. “My soul is here at The Rooster,” she says, “but the Beach House will grow into something entirely its own.”
Regardless, timelessness remains a part of the enduring vision. “We’ll evolve, but never chase trends,” she confirms to me. Her focus is clear – to refine, not reinvent. To offer that rare kind of place that makes something inside you think “this is it” from the moment you arrive, and even more so every time you return.
