Patter Places — Sunset, Patmos

A renovated 1980s island motel on Patmos anchored by a great restaurant — warm, simple and full of life.

Sunset sits in Skala — Patmos’s small harbour town — slightly off-piste from the main stretch. Its 1980s bones are still intact, softened by a considered restoration that prioritises simple, honest materials with a touch of vintage decor.

The restaurant is the heart of it. Run by Wine Is Fine — the Athens natural wine bistro — it occupies the courtyard and sets the tone for the whole stay. The menu shifts with what’s local and what’s good, and meals here tend to extend further than planned.

There is a particular atmosphere at Sunset, one that comes from not trying too hard. The feeling is somewhere between a small hotel and a friend’s house, full of people who are genuinely glad to be there, “warm, simple, and full of life,” as co-founder Thomas Brengou puts it. The 1980s charm has been preserved rather than polished away, and the result is a place where good food, great wine, and good people come together.

Patmos has a mystical reputation among the Greek islands. It is understated, and energised with visitors for a few weeks each summer, then quietly itself again. The island draws a knowing crowd without becoming a scene, and Sunset understands its role is to frame that, not compete with it.

Getting there requires a little commitment — there’s no airport on the island, so the journey means a ferry from Athens via Piraeus, or a hop via Kos or Leros. The boat ride through the Dodecanese is part of the experience rather than an inconvenience. Islands that are harder to reach tend to stay more themselves, and Patmos is proof of that.

For nearby eating and drinking, the Sunset team point to Trexandiri — for the food and the company — and Café Vagia, which has the calm of somewhere that has always been there and intends to stay.

For more information, visit sunsetpatmos.com or follow @sunset.patmos. The restaurant is bookable separately — contact eat@sunsetpatmos.com.