Welcome to the third iteration of Vogue’s global spa guide, a compendium of the 100 best spas in the world, compiled based on first-person reviews and careful editing. This year, we’ve renewed our focus on establishments that have established a reputation for exceptional care of body and mind, though there is a great variety in the list. Whatever you are seeking when it comes to wellness, there is something here for you.
Why go here?
The hotelier Loukas Tourkomanis left a career at Airbnb just after the company’s IPO. But rather than retire, he chose to fulfill a lifelong fantasy: opening a luxury, climate-sensitive, sustainable resort and spa in his homeland of Greece. Every detail at Tella Thera has been meticulously considered, from its site on a Cretan hillside dotted with olive trees and meandering sheep to bioclimatic architecture by design firm Pieris.Architects and its zero-waste restaurant and custom pillows made in Singapore at a nonstandard size to optimize comfort. Tourkomanis’s path from tech to Tella Thera provides the spa’s blueprint for the ideal guest experience. “We want people to disconnect from their screens, phones, computers, technology, and really reconnect with nature,” he says, “to look into the mountains, look into the sea, and reconnect with people and the environment.” In 2025, Tourkomanis held his own wedding at Tella Thera to stress test the property; 2026 marks its first full season open to guests.
What’s the vibe?
Upon arrival, you’ll be shuttled via golf cart to your suite—one of the 20 that comprise the resort—molded of sandy poured concrete and set in a calm, undulating mountainside terrace. The suites are spacious, each with its own pebble patio appointed with kiln-dried beechwood lounges, seagrass umbrellas, a garden of native plants, and a small private pool (heated upon request). Expect to spend time sipping coffee and gazing out at the cerulean Mediterranean Sea. Sustainability and upcycling are visible in every facet of the resort’s aesthetic: Tella Thera’s staff wears loose, linen uniforms made by the Athens linen-upcycling company Thiswasasheet. In your room, you’ll find slippers that were once towels and sustainable wooden amenities like hairbrushes and toothbrushes. I don’t think I saw any plastic during my four-day stay. Calm infuses the resort, with fellow guests sometimes dangling a foot into a round infinity pool or padding to the subterranean spa in loungewear.
The history?
Tourkomanis loves to relate how he chose Tella Thera’s site. “When we first visited, back in 2021, we were greeted by a white horse named Artemis—it was a sign. This was the first plot we saw.” Tourkomanis and his general manager, Leon Ganis (a fellow Airbnb alumnus), spent the next five years designing the campus and offerings. “We made a decision to go the custom route for everything. Our olive oil is custom, the hangers in the rooms, and our amenities. Everything is custom to fit the mission.” The mission, as far as Tourkomanis is concerned, involves using Tella Thera as a jumping-off point for exploring the marvels of Crete, which he calls “a country within a country.” Tella Thera, while privately owned, is a member of Design Hotels, a global portfolio of boutique hotels.
What should you try? What’s new for 2026?
During its first fully operational season, Tella Thera staff are especially amenable to customizing guests’ stays. The morning after my arrival, I sat down with Foteini Mavromataki, head of guest experience, and described my dual loves of hiking and gastronomy. Within a half hour, she’d sent me a bespoke plan featuring hikes to Balos Beach and up the Sirikari Gorge with Vangelis Milonakis from Strata Tours, with a planned stop to harvest horta (wild greens) needed for my favorite Greek dish: hortopita (Greek greens pie). One afternoon I was chauffeured to a private wine tasting at a magical nearby winery called PoTolo, where I sampled (and bought) spectacular low-intervention wines. On my final night, Tourkomanis, Ganis, and I decided to test out Tella Thera’s new electric bikes from Unicorn Mobility, which we rode down olive-lined lanes to reach Gramvousa, a farm-to-table restaurant in nearby Kissamos. Yes, a magnesium-oil massage and antiaging facial—mine were by Asimina Gkraikousi—are essential to the Tella Thera experience. But you’d be remiss to pass up opportunities to visit local sites and producers. As Tourkomanis put it: “‘Wellness here is a holistic approach. It’s not just having a spa. It’s the food, it’s the connection with people, it’s community. We showcase the great work being done all around us.”
What else do we need to know?
Tella Thera is not a spa to go to if you’re hoping to do a juice fast or lose those last five pounds. It’s a place to go to relish everything Crete has to offer, from nature to culture to food and wine.
Who can go?
Both the spa and restaurant are open to nonguests.
Booking details for Tella Thera
Address: GJ3J+J9H, Kissamos 734 00, Greece
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.