One day with Vichy at Sterna Residences * Nisyros

It is possible that Sterna Residences Nisyros offers the most authentic greek-island experience a visitor can have in Greece

When talking about a country with 3000 islands, this is quite a thing. Sterna Residences Nisyros may be not a hotel but when I found myself there, I fell in love with the unique kind of vacations one can have there and thought that I really had to write about it.

I visited Sterna Residences at Nisyros thanks to greek Vichy PR team, who organized a media trip to this untouched Greek island of Dodecanese in order to launch their new product, a skin booster called Mineral 89. In Niryros, there is the biggest active volcano in Europe and the people of Vichy wanted us to have a similar experience to that of the Vichy region in France. Drawn from the depths of the French volcanoes there, Vichy Mineralizing Water is rich in 15 essential minerals, capable of strengthening skin’s natural defences. The brand uses it in all its products.

They couldn’t have picked a better place than that of Sterna Residences, which is located within the medieval Castle of Pantoniki in Emporeios and overlooks both the volcano and the big blue of the Aegean sea . After a stroll at the white washed pebbled streets of Mandraki (the Nisyros port) and a light lunch at a fish tavern by the sea, we first followed our guides to the picturesque village of Emporios, then to a cave which proved to be a natural sauna (heated by gases coming from the volcanic soil) and finally to a narrow stairway up the hill, where Sterna is found.

The place is jaw dropping. You look at a really modern minimal house which has at the same time all the characteristics of a traditional residence of the past century. (After my return, I read at their website that “the restoration owes its high level and preciseness to the research of photographic archives and to the few but significant structural and morphological findings of the excavation”). Sterna. which is available to rent per week, owes its name to the cistern (sterna, in Greek) situated in the interior of the main residence, the biggest cistern ever built in Emporeios. It also houses an art project (read more about it here) and it is without doubt an alternative getaway proposal for everyone that really wishes to escape mass tourism. With two storeys, a spacious living room and open space kitchen on the ground floor and two bedrooms n the first, Sterna sleeps up to 4-5 people. The house also features a 110sq.m. outdoor living space consisted of a 40sq.m. terrace with a big dining table and a 70sq.m. rooftop lounge area with sun beds and living room.

While I was there, I tried to make the most of the moment, feel the energy of a unique place, lose myself in the breathtaking unobstructed view and of course take as many photos as I could. It’s surely a moment you want to hold on to forever.

It was at the Sterna terrace that the Vichy team talked to us about their new product which is made to fit all skin types and all ages. Mineral 89 is the first daily booster to improve skin’s health, leaving it more beautiful with each passing day due to a unique formula. Vichy laboratories started with the Mineralizing Water that comes from the volcano and associated it with hyaluronic acid, a highly hydrating ingredient, which also strengthens the skin’s barrier function. These two ingredients have a complementary action to protect the skin’s integrity and work miracles together in the bottle of Mineral 89 which is used before the moisturizing cream in order to boost its action and maximize its result.

A most appropriate choice of venue I would say for a revolutionary product. A really eye-opening experience!