10 Best Hotels
Santorini rewards a holiday with more than one perspective. From the caldera rim, white villages and hotel terraces look across a vast volcanic seascape. At water level, old harbours and dark beaches give the island a different scale. Inland, vineyards and villages reveal a landscape shaped by agriculture as well as tourism. Choose your base around the experience you want. Oia has the classic cliffside setting and a remarkable concentration of hotels and restaurants; Imerovigli offers another commanding caldera position. Fira adds museums and town life, while the south and the hills around Pyrgos invite a less concentrated itinerary. The distinction between a caldera stay and a beach stay matters more than a hotel's headline description. Our edit brings those contrasts together: carefully designed places to stay, restaurants that range from ambitious tasting menus to accomplished island tavernas, and experiences that explain the landscape. Make time for Akrotiri and the prehistoric museum, taste the wines among their vines, and leave an afternoon free for the sea. Santorini is most rewarding when the schedule allows you to look beyond the sunset.
Grace Hotel
Imerovigli, Greece
Grace makes the landscape the centre of the stay. Its white terraces descend above the caldera at Imerovigli, while the rooms and suites use a restrained palette that leaves the sea to supply the colour. The infinity pool is a compelling place to spend an unhurried afternoon, and Varoulko Santorini gives dinner a distinct Greek identity. Choose it for a concentrated, intimate version of the island's cliffside hotel experience.
Caldera views with polished restraint
Canaves Epitome
Oia, Greece
Canaves Epitome offers a different relationship with Oia: space to spread out above Ammoudi, with westward sea views and a palette of volcanic stone, charcoal and white. Suites and villas have their own water features, making the accommodation itself an important part of the holiday. Elements adds a serious dining option. This is our choice for travellers who want the northern island's scenery with a more expansive resort layout.
Space and privacy above Ammoudi
Perivolas
Oia, Greece
Perivolas turns Santorini's cave-house tradition into a beautifully understated retreat. Restored dwellings, white vaulted interiors and terraces overlooking the Aegean establish a sense of place without elaborate decoration. The pool is a natural focal point, but the appeal is the opportunity to settle into the property and let the scenery do the work. Choose it for a couples' stay where atmosphere and architectural character matter more than an extensive resort programme.
Quiet cave-house character
Andronis Luxury Suites
Oia, Greece
Andronis Luxury Suites combines Oia's cliffside drama with individually configured suites and villas. Private pools or hot tubs, terraces and cave-like interiors give the accommodation a strong sense of occasion. Lycabettus makes an evening at the hotel worth planning around, while Mare Sanus Spa provides another reason to remain on site. Discuss the precise suite layout before booking: here, the relationship between terrace, water feature and view is central to the experience.
Romantic suites and destination dining
Mystique
Oia, Greece
Mystique follows the contours of Oia's cliffs, arranging suites and villas across a terraced landscape above the sea. The design favours curved forms and an organic interpretation of the island's architecture. This is a hotel to choose for the pleasure of spending time in your own outdoor space, with the caldera always present. Ask about the route to your accommodation and its terrace configuration when selecting a category, particularly if stairs are a concern.
Organic design on the caldera
Katikies Santorini - Pelagos House
Oia, Greece
Katikies Santorini's Pelagos House delivers the recognisable Oia combination of whitewashed architecture, steep terraces and open sea views. Private outdoor spaces and the pool decks invite long pauses between village outings, while Botrini's Santorini makes dining part of the draw. Choose this specific house for its position within Oia's established hotel scene. Confirm the property name on your reservation, as Katikies now distinguishes Pelagos House from the separate Gea House setting.
Classic Oia architecture
Istoria Beach
Perivolos, Greece
Istoria Beach puts the black sands of Perivolos at the heart of the holiday. Earthy colours, textured materials and contemporary Cycladic design provide a welcome change of visual pace, while the pool, spa and restaurant support days spent close to the water. Choose the Beach location when sea-level living matters most. The brand also has a separate Cliff location in Firostefani, so confirm the exact address and accommodation type when booking.
A design-led beach stay
The Vasilicos
Imerovigli, Greece
The Vasilicos is an owner-run collection of suites at Imerovigli with the atmosphere of a private house. Individual terraces, artworks and carefully chosen furnishings give the accommodation character, while the kitchen draws on Greek produce. The family's connection with Vassaltis Vineyards adds interest for wine-minded guests. Choose it for an unhurried stay on a smaller scale, and discuss the differences between suites rather than assuming their outdoor spaces and pools are interchangeable.
A small, personal retreat
Santorini Sky
Pyrgos, Greece
Santorini Sky looks across the island from the hills above Pyrgos, giving the stay a broad, elevated perspective. Its villas and residences favour private outdoor living, supported by a concierge team that can arrange island excursions and practical transport. The Sky Lounge adds a shared place for breakfast and daytime refreshments. Choose it when privacy and space matter more than being on Oia's pedestrian lanes, and clarify which of the property's two locations you are booking.
Panoramic villa living
Katikies Garden
Fira, Greece
Katikies Garden occupies a converted monastery in Fira, bringing a different kind of architecture to a Santorini stay. Courtyards and arched passages frame the suites, while the rooftop pool opens the property to wider views. Selene and the wine programme give evenings a strong identity. Choose it if you want to combine a town base with a hotel that has its own history; specify a sea-view category if that is essential to your stay.
Historic Fira and culinary evenings