The One&Only Kéa Island resort is situated on a 60-hectare beachfront site on the west side of the island

Due to open in 2021, One&Only Kéa Island is a luxury resort offering private residences on the little-known Cycladic island of Kéa. The development is being overseen by global real estate investor Dolphin Capital Partners in partnership with Kerzner International and will comprise 75 beachfront villas alongside the hillside homes. Here, we speak to DCP’s Founder and CEO Miltos Kambourides about the project and why Greece is set to be the next big destination for luxury residential developments

Miltos Kambourides

1. Can you talk us through your vision for the One&Only Kéa Island development?

Our vision for One&Only Kéa Island is simple and ambitious: create the ultimate luxury resort with private residences – not just on the Aegean shoreline, but for the entire Mediterranean. That is a bold statement, however, we are committed wholeheartedly to delivering this project and our vision for turning Kéa into a world-class destination, for the community of Kéa, the visitors it attracts, and the new residents of the resort.

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2. What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced with the project?

With any project there are always challenges, you’d be naive in thinking that wasn’t the case. Having been responsible for a number of leading hotel and residences around the world – such as Amanzoe [Greece], Amanera [Dominican Republic], Pearl Island [Panama], – we are used to the usual challenges that such ambitious projects face.

For a development of this scale, challenges such as building permissions have been a lengthy process. However, we are committed to getting this right, and considerable thought and detail has gone into every element of One&Only Kéa Island.

3. Do you gain inspiration for developments through your own travel experiences?

Greece is home, and while I always draw inspiration and ideas wherever I go, as they say: home is always where the heart is. Being able to work on another iconic Greek project means so much to me personally, and to Dolphin Capital as a leading Athens-based developer, and together we are looking forward to creating another world-class destination.

The resort will include 75 villas, as well as a limited number of One&Only Private Homes available for purchase.

4. What has it been like working on Kéa Island?

Despite its proximity to Athens, Kéa is still an undiscovered island. We enjoy the support and encouragement of the locals, Athenians and citizens of the world who call Kéa their summer home.

Kéa is an island full of picturesque villages with quintessential blue, white and terracotta coloured villas surrounded by olive grove filled landscapes and pristine turquoise beaches, it’s one of the most scenic islands in the Cyclades. So overall, not a bad place to work!

Read more: Knight Frank’s Andrew Hay reveals where he would invest $200m on real estate in emerging markets 

Working closely with the community is critical for any project, no matter how big or small the development is. We are extremely committed to developing in unique locations and supporting our local economy, to create incredible destination retreats. One&Only Kéa Island will present a beneficial return to all: creating new jobs, sensitively developing the region and offering investment.

An example interior of one of the luxury villas

5. Where do you predict the next desirable location to be for luxury residence developments?

It is without a doubt definitely in Greece. Greece is thriving at the moment. Where exactly, I couldn’t tell, but I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

6. Where’s next on your travel wish-list?

I spend nearly half of my time travelling, which is exciting and means I get to see some incredible destinations. Due to the nature of my job, and my passion for exploring the world, I’ve been lucky enough to visit 137 countries. So with regards to my wish list, it has got to be somewhere I haven’t yet been. I am constantly in search of new places to travel to, over the next few months I’ve planned to go to Tunisia, New Zealand and Madagascar, and can’t wait to keep adding to this list.

For more information visit: oneandonlyresorts.com/kea-island; dolphincp.com

In Kenya at Sanctuary Olonana, Abercrombie & Kent guests have the opportunity to go on walking safaris and take survival lessons led by Maasai warriors. Image supplied by Abercrombie & Kent

Luxury travel is evolving, but who’s driving the change? Millennials, says Abercrombie & Kent Founder Geoffrey Kent. Welcome to the age of transformational travel.

The first generation of digital natives, millennials, as defined by the Pew Research Center, were born between 1981 and 1996. This age group – which we increasingly need to recognise for their affluence and significant spending power – have led the way in redefining what the term ‘luxury’ itself means.

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Prior to late 2007, luxury was linked to ostentatious spending and opulence. Within the travel industry this equated to first-class flights, five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and designer souvenirs. After the global recession, a major shift occurred, and luxury has become much more experiential.

‘Experiential travel’, and its evolutionary step of ‘transformational travel’, are the industry’s biggest trends. Millennials have rejected the term ‘tourist’. They don’t want to visit a destination to trod well-worn tourist trails, eat at restaurants that cater to non-residents and have pictures on the menu, or meet the same type of people they see in their local coffee shop on the way to their 9:00 am meeting. Millennial travellers want total immersion in a destination and want to make connections with interesting local personalities.

The Ganden Sumtseling Monastery in the Yunnan Province, China. Image supplied by Abercrombie & Kent

In the last decade, as an industry, we have seen this generation beginning to travel in style despite economic uncertainty. Just-published studies reveal that millennials see travel as more important than buying a home, paying off debt or investing in a car. Wary of investing for the long-term, they spend freely on travel, seeing it as an investment in themselves.

Read more: An aesthetic adventure in India’s chaotic capital Delhi

The next step beyond experiential travel, which is becoming ubiquitous and therefore unappealing to millennials, is transformational travel. In an excellent article, Vogue magazine has called transformational travel, ‘experiential travel, but a step further – defined by a shift in perspective, self-reflection and development, and a deeper communion with nature and culture’. More than memory making, it is the type of travel that inspires an inner journey and leads to life changes when travellers return – and exactly the type of travel worthy of investment by these 20 and 30-somethings.

There is nothing new in the transformative power of travel, or young people looking to step out of their comfort zones as they develop and grow as global citizens. Think of the Grand Tourists (young aristocratic men touring Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries) or the Beat Generation on epic American road trips. Change – through the broadening of one’s horizons – is palpable when one travels.

Geoffrey Kent outside a safari tent in Manyara, Tanzania. Image supplied by Abercrombie & Kent

In 1958, when I was 16, I rode a motorbike from Nairobi to Cape Town. On this 3,000-mile journey of self-discovery along some of Africa’s most dangerous roads, the mantra that I would build my life and business upon came to me: adventure by day, security and luxury by night. More than 55 years after founding A&K, I still like to push my boundaries (by day) and like to encourage travellers to expand their horizons.

In southwest China, A&K guests meet with the ‘Living Buddha’ at the Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri-La in Yunnan province, a Tibetan autonomous region. This exclusive, one-to-one interaction gives A&K guests a profound understanding and insight into this traditional culture.

The Lion King is many children’s first introduction to Africa. At A&K, we’ve arranged for millennials and their young families to watch the film on a large screen in the middle of the bush, followed by walking safaris and survival lessons from Maasai warriors – the live-action version of “the circle of life.”

Do these kinds of experiences have the power to transform a person’s life… I think so.

To find out more about Abercrombie & Kent’s luxury travel experiences visit: abercrombiekent.co.uk