The Rooster Antiparos is one of those hotels you hear a lot about and wonder if the reality will match the hype. In many ways, it absolutely does. There are a few niggles that I have but overall we truly enjoyed the vibe and the beauty of the place and would definitely recommend it.
It’s also important to know that it is suited for families. We saw many of them with kids of all ages. The rooms/houses are big enough to accommodate children on the sofa or to add extra beds.
The most magical sunsets at the Rooster Antiparos
Location 5/5
The Rooster is on the West coast of Antiparos. You get there via a quick ferry transfer from Paros. Antiparos has been preserved from mass tourism until recently. In the past 6 years, more hotels are opening but the whole island still feel quite peaceful.
The Rooster Antiparos stands above Livadia bay, a wild beach with no lounge beds, no bar, just the waves breaking on the shore with more or less strength (the last day it definitely was strong and I ended up twisting my knee and limping for a week). It’s a favourite spot for surfing and has a wonderful sunset.
Being so close to the sea – it was a 5 min walk direct from our room – was a wonderful treat. We loved going there early in the morning after the yoga session. It was only us then, which is something that is so rare in Greece in August!
The Rooster location on the West coast and in particular the bar perched high up on the hill, also makes it the ideal spot to watch the absolutely beautiful sunset. Many people come from all around the island and Paros to enjoy a cocktail and take multiple selfies. It was quite fun to do people watching as there was some proper dressing up!
Antiparos is not a big island so from the hotel, you can also quickly get to Chora, the main town, which is only a 10 min drive, the caves to visit and then the various beaches. You do need to book a car to explore. You can order a taxi but there are only three on the islands so they ask you to plan one hour in advance.
Truly beautiful style and interior design at the Rooster Antiparos
Style 5/5
Much has been written about the Rooster interior design and overall style and rightly so. It is simply beautiful everywhere. Rather than spending time describing it, I uploaded many more photos than usual in the gallery above.


There are only 16 rooms at the Rooster. But they are actually more like mini houses, each having a lounge area and an outdoor space with private pool. I definitely recommend asking for the houses nearer the beach. You do have to go up the hill to get to breakfast, diner and the bar but you are very close to the beach, the Healing House, and much more isolated than the ones at the top. Those probably have a great view but they are closer to the road circulating throughout the Rooster and in particular closer to the entrance and the cars arrival. Given all the people who come at night for the sunset, I suspect there is quite a bit of traffic and noise then.
Our living room turned into Zoe’s bedroom and it was big enough for us to not feel it was a bedroom during the day. There is a very nice outdoor shower which immediately makes you relax and gives you the signal to unwind. The bathroom was a bit of a tight space for the three of us, especially one being a teenager who spends a lot of time there!
Our bedroom as well as the living room had French doors opening onto the outdoor space. It meant that we could get up and enjoy a swim in the sea or the pool in the morning without waking up the teenager!
The outdoor space is really what makes it special. There are various seating areas, lounge beds and a pool which is the right depth to properly refresh yourself and even have a bit of fun jumping in. We loved relaxing here and also getting room service in the evening.
The Rooster Antiparos is very relaxed, sometimes a bit too much 😉
Service 3/5
This is my main niggle about the Rooster as service was hit and miss. It was good at breakfast, restaurant and bar and absolutely lovely at the healing house.
However, I had a very chaotic pre-arrival experience. I emailed several times and called 3 times before I could get a response on restaurant bookings, car rentals or spa treatments.
When we got to the hotel they had messed up and despite confirming our dinner reservation by email after the back and forth I mentioned, we didn’t have a table on our arrival. They actually managed to find one in the end.
When we arrived we also were made to wait for 45 minutes before getting into our room despite being there 3 hours post the check in time they required.
Turn down service also didn’t happen the first night. We had to call at 22:30 to ask for Zoe’s bed to be brought in as there was no mattress for her.
On the plus side, they were helpful with the car rental and having this delivered and collected at the hotel was a definite bonus.
For restaurants bookings in town my advice is to do it yourself. I asked 5 times for a specific booking and they never got back to me. In the end we called the restaurants ourselves.
Channel your inner hedonist vibe at the Rooster Antiparos spa
Activities 4/5
Above all, the Rooster invites you to forget who you are and to become this cool, young, carefree, in touch with nature woman you may secretly dream to be. That’s why they call themselves often The Rooster wellness lifestyle resort.
Here are some of the moments of delight I enjoyed:
- Walking to the beach and being there alone in the morning.
- Strolling around the peaceful estate. With only 16 villas you rarely cross other guests.
- The complimentary morning yoga session with Anastacia. She was truly a fabulous teacher, very caring, attentive and adjusting her teaching to the level of the group.
- Sunset in the evening. Many people drive to the Rooster just for it. It is a magnificent sight and it’s fun to watch people dressed up to the nines for it.
- Relaxed atmosphere at the bar during the day. Lovely cocktails and the bartender joyously shared his passion for it.
- Reading and eating picnic on the beach. The hotel has a small beach house on the way to the beach where a beach boy will lend you (and install them for you) chairs and an umbrella. He also delivers picnic baskets with food and wine if you order them. The baskets clearly had been custom made for the Rooster. They were like a cooler bag but in a wicker basket! There are also some tipis a bit away from the beach if you want less noise and wind.
- Zen and relaxation at the Healing House, the Rooster spa. The space is beautiful. The massages I had were not great (a bit too “efficient” and without a magic touch) but you might get luckier with another masseur/se. There are also a variety of healing ceremonies which you might want to try (not really my jam).
- Peace and privacy in your house. The outdoor space with the pool – which is deep enough at one end for kids to jump in – the lounge chairs, the sofa and table really invites you to while the time away.
There are other activities that they can arrange for you. We saw people having surfing lessons for instance. You can also borrow paddle boards at the beach house.
The Rooster Antiparos restaurant : delicious moments at the Secret Garden and the Farm
Food 4/5
The breakfast was very good. There were lots of choices on the menu which were very tasty, apart from the pancakes that were too greasy to our taste. But the freshly squeezed orange juice was a winner every day. The fresh fruit salad also changed daily which was a nice surprise. Of course, lots of healthy options if you want to continue the “my body is my temple” theme.
I highly recommend that you ask to have lunch at the farm one day. It was one of the best meals of our holidays. It is a 20 min walk from the hotel. The farm is where they grow all the vegetables for the hotel restaurant. It’s also where Despina, the baker, does her magic. Every day she creates delicious and beautiful sourdough breads, focaccias, chocolate bread etc. She is also an excellent cook and prepared for us traditional Greek food using produce from the garden or the sea. We also were served the most delicious lemonade. Alone in that courtyard, chatting with her and the French manager, we savoured a true moment of peace.



The restaurant is called the Secret Garden for a reason: it is protected from the wind and at night, with the dark starry night and the twilights all around, it was really a serene place. The food is international with some links to Greece. It was very good and a nice change from all the classic Greek fare we had before. The flat breads are actually like pizzas, they are big and tasty and come with different toppings on the very good pizza dough baked by Delpina.
I mentioned the cocktails before and all of them were really good. I had the Sun, the Beach and the Heaven (love the names) and was always delighted by my choice.
The Rooster Antiparos review – my verdict
Overall: 4.5/5
The Rooster Antiparos is truly a special place. It’s probably rare to find such beautiful design and space in Greece in the middle of the summer. If you embrace the whole well-being vibe and go there out of season, it must be truly magical.
We definitely enjoyed it very much and would go back. It brought us a lot of relaxation and serenity. Thank you to all the team.