Elies Resorts is the most complete upscale stay on Sifnos, a quiet Cycladic island known for its food, pottery and walking paths. It is built in tiers on the hillside above Vathi, a deep, almost circular bay with calm water and a sandy beach. Rooms and suites face the sea and three categories of Pool Villa add private pools of their own.
For a honeymoon, the Pool Villas are the ones to book. The Junior Pool Villa, at about 90 square meters with its own pool, suits most couples. Larger Senior and Executive villas add more space. The resort also has a restaurant, Psammos and a spa with a hammam, sauna and a couples massage room. The beach is organized, with loungers and service, reached by walking down through the grounds.
Sifnos itself is the reason many couples choose this resort. It has no airport and no mass tourism, so it feels like the Cyclades of a generation ago, with white villages, monasteries and some of the best cooking in Greece. Vathi is one of its most peaceful corners, a small community of potters and tavernas on the sand. If you want calm water, a pool to yourselves and evenings in quiet villages, Elies is a strong choice.
Highlights at a glance
- Private pool villas from about 90 square meters
- Sheltered, sandy Vathi Bay below the resort
- Psammos restaurant
- Spa with hammam and couples suite
- On a quiet, food-loving island
Why Couples Love Elies
Vathi Bay is the star. Enclosed by hills, it is one of the most sheltered bays in the Cyclades, so the water stays calm even when the summer wind blows elsewhere. That makes it ideal for long, easy swims and floating together in the evening.
The resort's layout means most rooms have a view of the bay, with the beach in the center below. The Aegean sun reaches the hillside almost all day long.
Vathi also has character. A small chapel stands at the edge of the sand, a few potteries still work nearby and a handful of tavernas serve fish and Sifnian specialties. The island's main villages are a short drive away for dinner, but many couples find themselves staying put, which is the point of a honeymoon here.
Rooms and Villas to Book
The resort offers eight room types.
- Standard Room and Superior Sea View Room: around 30 square meters, with private terraces. Choose the sea view.
- Junior Suite and Suite: roughly 35 to 47 square meters, more space inside and out.
- Suite Deluxe: about 55 square meters, comfortable for a longer stay.
- Junior Pool Villa: about 90 square meters with a private pool, the honeymoon pick.
- Senior Pool Villa: about 120 square meters with a private pool.
- Executive Pool Villa: about 150 square meters with a private pool.
The resort is built on a slope, so ask how many steps lie between your room and the beach and restaurant. For a honeymoon, the Junior Pool Villa gives the best balance of privacy and value.
Food, Drink and the Spa
Psammos, the resort's restaurant, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with Mediterranean and modern haute cuisine. Sifnos has a strong culinary tradition, so look for local dishes such as revithada, chickpeas baked slowly in a clay pot and mastelo, lamb or goat cooked in wine.
The spa includes a treatment room, a couples massage suite, a traditional hammam, a sauna and a jacuzzi with a relaxation area. It is a good way to spend a windy or cloudy afternoon.
Save some evenings for the island's villages. Apollonia and Artemonas have good restaurants and a lively pedestrian lane. Kastro, the medieval village on the east coast, is beautiful at dusk. Vathi's tavernas on the sand are a nice change on the nights you do not want to drive.
Why guests fall for it
Things to Do
Sifnos is made for slow exploring. The island has an extensive network of old stone paths linking villages, monasteries and beaches and walking a section is one of the best ways to spend a morning. The tourist office and the resort can suggest routes.
Visit the chapel of the Seven Martyrs, a tiny white church on a rock below Kastro, for one of the most photographed views in the Cyclades. The monastery of Chrysopigi, on a rocky point near Platys Gialos, is another landmark, with a good beach next to it.
Sifnos has a long pottery tradition. Visit a workshop in Vathi, Platys Gialos or Kamares and take home a piece made by hand. Boat trips around the coast and day trips to nearby Serifos or Milos are easy in summer.
Getting There
Sifnos has no airport. Fly into Athens (ATH), then take a taxi or transfer about an hour to Piraeus and a ferry to Kamares, the island's port. Fast ferries take around two and a half hours, slower boats up to five. In summer, Sifnos is also connected to Milos, Serifos, Paros and other islands.
From Kamares, Vathi is about 30 minutes by car. The resort can arrange transfers. A rental car is useful for exploring villages, monasteries and beaches, though the island is small and taxis and buses also work.
The resort is seasonal, generally open from spring into autumn. June and September are ideal, with warm, calm water and fewer visitors.
Is It Worth It?
For couples who want a quiet Cycladic island with good food and a private pool, Elies is excellent value. Rooms and Junior Suites often start around the mid-hundreds of dollars a night in the shoulder season, while Pool Villas cost considerably more, especially in July and August. These figures are approximate.
The journey takes more effort than to islands with airports, which keeps Sifnos calm. If you want nightlife and designer shopping, Mykonos or Paros are better fits. If you want to walk to dinner every night, stay in Apollonia instead.
For a peaceful honeymoon built around swimming, eating well and walking old paths, Elies on Vathi Bay is one of the best places on Sifnos.
Insider tips
- Book a Junior Pool Villa for the best balance of privacy and price.
- Order revithada or mastelo at least once.
- Walk a section of the old stone paths early in the morning.
- Watch sunset at the Seven Martyrs chapel below Kastro.
