For those who seek beauty within nature, serenity & the rawness of simplicity, we may just have the perfect hotel in the perfect location just for you. The Leivatho Hotel situated on the idyllic island of Kefalonia encompasses all that and so much more. With its closest village being Sami, this project was brought to life by Greek architect Leonidas Papalampropoulos (LDLP).

The main idea behind Leivatho’s construction was to experience the landscape as an interactive place of pleasure and solve the typological problem of privacy that defines the function of the hotel. In order to achieve this, LDLP produced a two-type wall system for a construction that would both fulfill and challenge all the demands. First there is the crossing wall, which follows the land’s contours, avoids existing trees, delineates movement and therefore determines access to the  apartments. The second system is the perpendicular wall, which divides the landscape creating sheltered rear patios ensuring guests’ privacy. Through these two grid systems, dramatic shapes were produced which contribute to all that is natural. The enclosure itself is achieved with a folded concrete roof that derives its form from the landscape’s geometry. With this intact, the structure itself almost looks like it has broken out from the soil and has spread its roots. Of course the merging of all these factors is beautifully connected through the large glazed partitions allowing for outside-inside relations in combination with the stonework and finally the exposed cement façade. Pure naked beauty.

This outside-inside sensitivity does not stop there, as there is a whole philosophy behind the commitment to the environment for such a magical location. There is the presence of a water recycling system, an on-site recycling policy, the use of local organic produced foods and last but not least, solar energy as it is  a belief that ‘luxury lies in hospitality, simplicity and a healthy life in understanding the aesthetics as a culture’.

These aesthetics can be easily appreciated through such a dramatic scale of openness and the essence of freedom within a space. All the interiors are large naked spaces with the presence of colorful loose furniture only where the guests can really appreciate the serenity of the sea and the growth of the landscape. This same openness and allowance of ample circulation space is also interpreted in the bedrooms. With the presence of a hint from a vibrant color pigment and the mere positioning of the bed, you are surrounded by folding fabric blinds all around the room where with just a simple pull, you are left with a jaw dropping view. An endless and unobstructed view of the landscape, the sea, the sun, the soil and all that is Kefalonian earth. Now what can we say about the experience of a bubble bath or a shower uninhibited with no curtains drapes or walls but just the nakedness of the plantation?

We say Leivatho is our ‘Out of Kefalonia’ and we are proud to be able to experience it.