Marie Rivalant
Hotel Mediterraneo is the work of one person's vision: Marie Rivalant, a Parisian architect who came to Kastellorizo, fell for it, and has spent years restoring its colourful old houses and shaping the island's quiet reputation as a place of beauty and calm.
A Parisian Architect on a Greek Island
Trained as an architect in Paris, Marie first discovered Kastellorizo during a visit as a young student. She was immediately captivated by the island’s raw beauty and stillness, a tiny outpost of neoclassical mansions at the far edge of Greece, which sparked a lifelong connection to the island.
She has restored several of its historic residences, bringing an architect's eye to each: a feel for light and space, a confident use of colour, and a deep respect for the buildings' origins. It is this sensibility, rare on so small an island, that gives her work its particular character, relaxed and full of life, but composed with real care.
The Hotels She Created
Marie's first project on the island was Hotel Mediterraneo, the seafront house of seven rooms on the harbour front. Some years later she created a second, very different hotel — Casa Mediterraneo — together with the designers Luc Lejeune and Grégoire Du Pasquier.
Set in three restored mansions on the hillside above the bay and painted in the burnt-orange tones of the island at sunset, Casa Mediterraneo looks down over the harbour, while Hotel Mediterraneo sits right on the water below.
Two distinct places, born of the same love of Kastellorizo.
Marie's Shop
Tucked within Hotel Mediterraneo on the harbour front is Marie's Shop, a small, carefully chosen collection of clothing, jewellery, homewares and objects, gathered from and inspired by her travels across Greece, Turkey, Morocco and beyond.
It is an extension of the same eye that shaped the hotel: colour, craft and a love of beautiful things from around the Mediterranean and further afield.
Marie's vision runs through every corner of Hotel Mediterraneo, from the colour of the walls to the welcome on the terrace.