Argentikon Luxury Suites

The Argentikon Luxury Suites, a hotel that has received multiple awards in the Kambos district of Chios, is a fine example of a late medieval mansion. It has been designedated a Historic Monument and Cultural Heritage reference point by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Its history began in 1346 with the arrival of the Genoese on Chios. Silvers, a high-ranking army officer, was so taken with the beauty of the island that he asked the Genoese ruler for permission to remain permanently there. The name is listed in the Genoese equivalent of the Libro d'Oro, where he was given the title of Marquis and granted this property of 32,000 square meters in the Kambos for a summer residence. In 1550 his family built the first palazzo and over the years another four were constructed. In 1881, after a devastating earthquake, Argenti's descendants returned to Genoa, but at the turn of the last century Filippo Argenti returned to the estate and began the restoration of the palazzo.

In 1954, the estate's gardener was sent to Ventimiglia on the Italian Riviera and to Nice on France's Côte d'Azur to study landscape design, specializing in the gardens of Liguria. And this is the style maintained at the Argenti gardens even today.

In 1993, the new owner of the Argentikon began renovating the property, which took ten years. What we see today is a faithful reproduction of the original restored estate, according to engravings and descriptions in period books, but also based on the memories of older people who lived near the estate and watched the comings and goings of many notable international political figures.

The eight suites, in five separate stone buildings on the grounds, each with its own identity, take us several centuries back with their genuine handmade antique furniture, their painted ceilings, exquisite chandeliers and stone fireplaces. Nevertheless, the most compelling aspect of the Argentikon is the magnificent gardens, whose incomparable serenity and staggering beauty have won numerous awards.

Wandering through the organized gardens gives one enormous pleasure. The pebbled or flag-stoned paths lead you to beautiful open cisterns, decorated with marble motifs or covered with water lilies, fountains and evocative old water wheels, and to the groves where you may swoon from the fragrance of the hundreds of various types of citrus trees that offer abundant fruit.

In 1988, the Argentikon joined the French Society, La Vie de Château, and in 1991, the international magazine Harpers & Queen named the Argentikon as one of the 100 best summer resorts in the world.