“They called our islands arid,
Because they never understood the love
Of water for the rock,
Of fennel for the lentisk,
Of treeless land for the bush on summer stamens.
On our islands, salinity becomes respiration,
beyond good and evil
There is also the infinite;
you must always give the sea,
But never ask.”
Yiorgos Anomeritis Okta
Our Ethos
Founded in 2018 by Italian art director Allegra Pomilio, Mèlisses is more than just a place; it's a feeling—of sunlight dancing on stone, of shared meals al fresco, of silence made sacred by the sea. A home crafted slowly and intentionally to be lived in with grace.
Here, time stretches like linen in the breeze, and beauty reveals itself in every detail: a marble bowl of figs, a curved plaster, a page turned.
Mèlisses embraces the mindset and flair of the Mediterranean: slow living, appreciating the seasons, and creating magic in every detail.
The Team
The Founder
Behind Mèlisses is a small but mighty team—young, international, and made up mostly of women who share a relaxed and intuitive approach to hospitality.
Anna, Sappho, Effi, Cristina, Aisha, Aida, George, and Thanassis each bring something different to the table, lending the house its warmth, character, and creative spirit.
It is the team, above all, that makes Mèlisses feel like a home.
Born and raised in the Italian countryside of Abruzzo, Allegra grew up with Greece as a second home and the setting for some of her happiest summer memories. She studied visual arts in Brussels and photography in London and Africa, before moving to France to work as the assistant to a cookbook author, gaining experience across food, oenology, styling, and culinary workshops. Her work has always existed between hospitality and visual storytelling, with a particular sensitivity to the atmosphere and details that give a place its character.
At 24, Allegra returned to Greece to open Mèlisses on Andros—a place where like-minded people could gather, slow down, and find inspiration. The house has since become a creative retreat for travellers, artists, photographers, writers, and epicureans from around the world, featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Condé Nast Traveller, among others.
Each year, Allegra and the team collaborate with chefs, artists, and creatives to curate intimate gatherings inspired by Andros. Every experience reveals the island through its food, landscapes, traditions, and people, while retaining the warm and deeply personal hospitality at the heart of Mèlisses.
The Property
Mèlisses is about a 20-minute drive from the port of Gavrio.
The house was thoughtfully built in a strategic and more sheltered part of the island – halfway between all the main landmarks of Andros.
This location protects Mèlisses from the Meltemi, the Cycladic island winds, which blow during the summer.
The property comprises a main house, two saltwater pools, four beautiful accommodations (six bedrooms), a seasonal vegetable garden with homegrown ingredients and wild herbs, a mini animal farm for our goats and chickens and landscaped stone stairs that lead right down to the sea.
Over the years, we have crafted and curated our design and interiors to reflect an old-world Mediterranean air with beautiful antiques from Italy, France and Greece.
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