Santorini, from Oia to the rim at Imerovigli
Santorini keeps its hotels on the caldera – the cliff that rises some three hundred meters out of the water. It runs along the western side of the island, with the villages strung along its rim: Oia at the northern tip, facing the sunset, and Imerovigli, the highest point of the rim, above Firostefani and Fira. The houses we list are cut into that cliff, cave suites and terraces stepped down toward the sea. We looked at every serious address on the island and kept only those whose service holds up to the view. One holds five-star standing; the three beside it are four-star addresses, listed at exactly the tier they hold. Four made the cut – every one of them on Santorini: Mykonos, across the water, has no house in the collection today.
Luxury hotels in Santorini
4 hotels
Oia
The village at the northern tip of the caldera rim, with three of the four hotels. It holds the blue domes and the windmills, the marble lane of galleries, the castle ruins where the island gathers for the sunset, and Ammoudi Bay with its fish tavernas down the stair below.
The neighborhoods
Oia
The village at the northern tip of the caldera rim, with three of the four hotels. It holds the blue domes and the windmills, the marble lane of galleries, the castle ruins where the island gathers for the sunset, and Ammoudi Bay with its fish tavernas down the stair below.
Imerovigli & Fira
The middle of the caldera rim, from Fira, the capital, to Imerovigli, with one of the four hotels. Fira has the cable car down to the old port and the Museum of Prehistoric Thera; Firostefani sits above it; and Imerovigli, the highest village on the caldera, faces Skaros Rock and the volcano, where the rim path sets off for Oia.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Santorini?
One. The five-star hotel we list in Santorini is Andronis Luxury Suites, on the caldera at Oia. Alongside it we keep three four-star addresses, each listed at exactly the tier it holds: Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection, on the cliff at Imerovigli; Katikies Santorini and Santorini Secret Suites & Spa, both at Oia. Each has its own page, reached from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Oia or Imerovigli – which part of Santorini should I stay in?
Three of the four are at Oia, the village at the northern tip of the caldera rim – Andronis Luxury Suites, Katikies Santorini and Santorini Secret Suites & Spa – all cut into the cliff below the lane of galleries and blue domes, with Ammoudi Bay and its fish tavernas down the stair. One is at Imerovigli – Grace Hotel, Auberge Resorts Collection – on the highest point of the rim, facing Skaros Rock and the volcano, with Firostefani and Fira, the capital, a walk along the path to the south. Choose Oia for the sunset and the village at your door, and its crowd at that hour; Imerovigli for the widest view of the caldera, quieter evenings, and Fira's cable car, museum and boats to the volcano close by. Every caldera house is built on stairs and terraces above the water: the beaches of black sand are on the other side of the island, at Kamari and Perissa, a short drive away.
When is the best season for Santorini – and when do the hotels close?
The island runs on a season. The caldera houses open around April and close around the end of October, and the Cyclades go quiet from roughly November to March – the concierge confirms each hotel's dates for your stay. May, June and September into early October are the weeks to aim for: warm enough for the plunge pool, the sea warming up, the lanes of Oia not yet full and the sunsets clear. July and August are hot, busy and windy at times, with the meltemi blowing down the Aegean, and rooms over the caldera go months ahead. On days when cruise ships anchor below Fira, the capital and Oia fill from late morning until the ships leave in the afternoon; by evening the terraces are yours again.
How do I get to Santorini, and do I need a car?
By air or by sea. The airport is on the east side of the island – about forty-five minutes' flight from Athens, with direct flights from many European cities in the season – and Oia is about half an hour from it by car, Imerovigli a little less. Ferries from Piraeus and Rafina, and from the other Cyclades, come into the port at Athinios, below the cliff on the road up to Fira; the fast boats take about five hours from Athens, the conventional ferries longer. A car is not needed in the villages: Oia, Imerovigli and Fira are for walking, the hotels sit below the road down flights of steps, and the hotel arranges the transfer from the airport or the port. Rent a car or hire a driver for a day out – the Minoan site at Akrotiri, the wineries around Pyrgos, the black-sand beaches of the east coast – or take a boat from the old port below Fira to the volcano at Nea Kameni.
Is Mykonos part of the selection?
Not today. The four hotels we list under this destination are all on Santorini; we have no house on Mykonos in the collection yet, and we present none until it has earned its place. The two islands are linked in the season by ferry – a couple of hours across the Cyclades – so a stay on Santorini pairs easily with one on Mykonos.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
