Amanzoe owes its …“zoe” (life in Greek) to Miltos Kambourides and the Dolphin Capital team who worked hard and methodically to create a world class exclusive resort worthy of the incomparable beauty of Greece.
It all began in the year 2000 in London, when Miltos Kambourides, then 27 years old, met Adrian Zecha, founder of Amanresorts, to whom he confided his dream of creating an Amanresort in Greece. Zecha, who had always considered Greece as a potential destination for an Amanresort, agreed. They forged a strong bond from their very first meeting, which formed the basis of an ongoing partnership that includes several other projects under construction in Greece and abroad. The project was implemented by Dolphin Capital Investors (DCI), which is the main investment vehicle of Dolphin Capital founded by Kambourides in 2004. DCI (www.dolphinci.com), is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has raised almost 900 million Euros in equity capital exclusively from international institutional investors to invest in the development of high end resorts integrated with residences in attractive tourist destinations such as Greece.
Right from the start, Porto Heli was considered as the perfect host for the first Amanresort in Greece. After extensive and detailed research, Kambourides found exactly what Zecha was looking for: a site consolidating the best characteristics of the Greek landscape, combining breathtaking views with green groves, access to an idyllic beach, tranquillity and privacy. The very first time that Zecha set foot on the hilltop of Aghios Panteleimonas in October 2006, he simply said, “This is an Aman site.”
From November 2006, dozens of plots of land were purchased, the most significan being Korakia – the coastal area which today houses the Aman Beach Club. Ed Tuttle, the renowned architect who designed several Amanresorts, was selected as the architect of the project and all relevant studies took two years to complete.
In 2008, following a tendering process, Domotechniki was awarded the construction contract of the project, and works began in early 2010. Nearly 100 million Euros have been invested to date in the project; a part of this amount was covered from a loan by the Bank of Cyprus. With the decisiveness for which he has been known since his childhood in Cyprus, Kambourides led the Dolphin team through the adversities that arose in all stages of the project, managing to complete the project during the worst economic crisis in the history of Greece. As a result, today, Amanzoe welcomes visitors from all over the world, who come to indulge in the unique experience of the resort while enjoying the best attributes the country has to offer.
In 2012, as Greece has become part the exclusive world of Amanresorts, the dream of two men is already a reality and a source of pride and moral satisfaction for those who envisioned its existence.
The Amanzoe Resort is just the beginning, as it is the first phase of a larger investment programme in the Argolida area, known as the Porto Heli Collection (www.portohelicollection.com), and forms part of many investments being realised by Dolphin in Greece and five other countries.
The idea behind each phase of the Porto Heli Collection is to follow the example and the high standards set by Amanzoe, enabling the “Greek Riviera” to take its rightful place in international high class tourism.