Here are the best hotels in Greece right now, from acropolis-like properties on the wild mainland to palatial suites with private pools on magical islands.
Every time you think you know Greece, you’ll come across another bit of coast, sail to another island, or discover yet another best hotel in Greece – and your perceptions will be flipped once more. A lot of attention is paid to Santorini (bright-white churches with blue domes that melt into the sky) and Mykonos (dinky beach bars arranged around a Venetian harbour). In addition to the larger, more bohemian islands such as Antiparos and Syros, there are also the scrubbier, craggier islands of Crete and Corfu. With clever art, restaurants, and bars, Athens is always pushing the boundaries on the mainland. From sweeping retreats for switch off to low-key hangouts that put wellness first, the country is home to some of Europe’s best hotels. The Athens-raised Rachel Howard picks her favorite hotels in Greece, from island spots to mainland attractions.
The Wild Hotel, Mykonos
Wild Hotel was created by the restaurateurs behind Interni, a Mykonos institution with outposts in Athens and Belgrade. Hotel patriarch Nikos Varveris also created homewares brand Moda Bagno (not a bad combination). Varveris’ children used to jump off cliffs enclosing scoops of sand on the peaceful southwestern coast of Mykonos when they were small. Here, Philip and Alex have grown up and created The Wild. It opened on the cusp of the pandemic with 40 rooms and suites, some with plunge pools. Local stones and wood were used in Sofia Apergi and Matina Karava’s architecture. A handcrafted lampshade and kilim soften polished concrete spaces. It’s organic and rustic yet sleek – like a higgledy chora. Infinity pools, a spa, a bar, and a restaurant are all located at the bottom of the cliff. There is a stone staircase leading down to the beach.
Mykonos is known for its raucousness, but The Wild avoids it. In contrast, the sons followed the template and memory of their family home: a convivial and aesthetic space filled with friends. Taverna, a simulacrum of a village cafe, offers Myconian cheeses, crisp pies, meats, and catches of the day, embraced by a slow-food philosophy. Featuring botanical cocktails, sakes, and Greek wines, Raw is a multi-level pine-framed restaurant overlooking the beach. There is a Greek-Japanese plant-based and paleo-inspired menu here by Kazouaki Sitamori that caters to demanding palates. The menu features rib-eye steaks, aubergines, Cycladic urchins, salmon roe, and spicy tuna with black sesame.
It is designed for eating beautifully, having spa moments, drinking long, poolside coffees, and lounging on the beach. This year, they offer trips to secluded swim spots off-island on a rekitted sailing boat. It’s time to kick back and relax. Partying takes place elsewhere.
Onar, Andros
A jet-setting industry scion exhausted by his hard-partying lifestyle, Mateo Pantazopoulos built a couple of stone cottages overlooking Achla, one of his favorite beaches on Andros. This castaway fantasy has evolved marginally over the past two decades. A total of 15 elegantly spare houses have been built, including five smart new villas with lap pools and planted roofs. There is only one way to reach Achla (or, if weather permits, a 15-minute speedboat ride from Andros’ elegant Chora): a challenging 9km dirt road. You can cool off in lurid green rock pools amid wetlands teeming with partridges, hares, and turtles. Cicadas lull us into long siestas while we drift to and from the beach in a soporific daze. At communal tables under giant plane trees, simple summer dishes (tomato and basil bruschetta, sausage and potato omelette) are served. Your supper may be grilled around a beach campfire by a local fisherman if you’re lucky.
Aristide, Syros
In contrast to other Greek islands, Syros was a major shipping and commercial center during the 19th century. Unlike other Greek island hotels, the Aristide stands out. Located in Vaporia, the most aristocratic neighbourhood in the stately port capital, Hermoupolis, this nine-suite hotel was built in the 1920s as a sugar-pink mansion. While keeping the original neoclassical features (patterned floor tiles, stenciled ceilings, huge picture windows), the interior has been enhanced with intense colours, intriguing contemporary art, and modern designer furnishings. Everything from the energy-efficient cladding to the locally produced organic cosmetics (in glass containers, naturally) was guided by sustainability. As sensational as the sea and harbour views are the à la carte breakfast and rooftop restaurant, which serves calamari, zucchini, black garlic aioli and poached fish fricassee from the hotel’s fledgling vegetable garden. In addition to artists’ residencies, workshops, and exhibitions, the island also features a vibrant cultural scene.
Perivolas, Santorini
Perivolas epitomizes the Cycladic spirit: simple, light, carefree. As an instant classic built (and still run) by the Psychas family in the early 1980s, it was way ahead of its time. After a devastating earthquake in 1956, the village of Oia had all but been abandoned when native craftsmen carved the white ‘cave houses’ from the cliff-face. It was Santorini’s wavy infinity pool, suspended over the flooded caldera, that made it famous. In contrast to other hotels along the caldera, here on the very edge of Oia, there is space, privacy, and calm. Every table at the elegant restaurant, a converted wine cellar, feels like a first-class seat. Perivolas recently added a small spa, sun-drenched gym, and yoga pavilion, reducing the need to venture beyond the resort. With so much natural beauty and great taste surrounding you on Santorini, why bother braving the crowds?
The Rooster, Antiparos
There’s a curious mix of go-slow wilderness and upscale Cycladic chic on the tiny island of Antiparos. In the pint-sized port town, hippies still hang out on the island’s campsite and party all night while highfliers visit their modernist villas by helicopter. The Rooster bridges the two faces of the island beautifully, stretching across a peaceful valley overlooking Livadia bay. Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway, a wellness retreat, or a family vacation, you’ll find it here. An idyllic Mediterranean garden surrounds 16 stone villas, each with a private pool. With tan-and-tawny interiors and wine coolers, as well as shady terraces with outdoor kitchens and showers, the feel is more like a second home than a hotel. It’s a remote location, but there’s plenty to do on slow days and starry nights: sunrise salutations or sound baths in the House of Healing, picnicking on the empty beach, sunset margaritas at the open-air bar, and seasonal Cycladic tapas in the Secret Garden. A ten-minute drive will take you to the dinky bars in ‘downtown’ Antiparos if you feel like channeling your inner hippy.
Mèlisses, Andros
Allegra Pomilio hosted her first culinary and creative retreat at the summer house of her Italian family on the deliciously underrated Cycladic island of Andros when she was just 25 years old. She eventually had to run a very private guesthouse for six months of the year due to the hot demand for these deeply nourishing (and impeccably styled) retreats. The cluster of stone buildings is completely hidden behind a steep, unpaved road at the foot of the coastline. There are four separate suites and apartments at Melisses, which sleep up to 12, all of which feature wide-angle views of the sea and sky, as well as sun-dappled hillsides and herb-scented gardens. A few stone steps lead down to a secret jetty and a few deckchairs wedged between the rocks – perfect for an idle afternoon or an early morning dip. With antique armoires, carved wooden beds, vintage photos, vintage cookbooks, and flea market curios, the bedrooms and indoor-outdoor living areas are simply yet harmoniously decorated. It seems that every detail has been placed in its rightful place by nature. Mèlisses is renowned for its food, but it’s the service that makes the place stand out. A seasonal menu might include green gazpacho, tomato fritters, and barbecued lamb, with most ingredients grown organically on the island or in the garden. Weekly suppers, exclusively for guests, look as exquisite as they taste. We might start the morning with iced tisanes, Greek yoghurt, granola, baked apricots, just-laid fried eggs with sage, and chocolate, pear, and hazelnut cake. When you try a different three-course breakfast every day, you’ll never look at another hotel buffet the same way again.
The Vasilicos, Santorini
Despite its small size, The Vasilicos features seven spacious suites that offer breathtaking views of Santorini’s fishbowl horizon – and has established itself as one of the best hotels in Greece. The terraced, cliffside residence was designed by bon viveur Vasilis Valambous as a summer house for hosting extended family and friends, restored by his daughter Daphne, and managed by her husband Makis. A leaf print of the native metrosidiros plant is featured on these bespoke beach towels. Family recipes are used to make the homemade baklava. The books on our bedside tables are curated by Atlantis Books, a legendary local bookstore. In summer, the traditional architecture keeps the dazzling white rooms cool; in winter, there are heated pools. There are different views of the caldera from every door and window. In addition to producing awe-inspiring views, Santorini’s volcanic landscape also produces remarkable wine. Daphne’s brother, Yannis, runs Vasaltis Vineyards, which sells award-winning wines and has a minibar stocked with award-winning wines. There’s no doubt that this is one impressive family affair.
Kalesma, Mykonos
Mykonos is not often associated with understatement, but the island’s vernacular architecture and pre-tourism lifestyle made simplicity a virtue. An edgy modern aesthetic blends with the soulful austerity of the Cyclades in Kalesma. The interiors feature black-and-white sandblasted stone, weathered wood, and untreated marble, dressed up with horsehair lights by Apparatus, a Rick Owens double bubble sofa, and ceramics by Aleksander Vac. An atmosphere of discreet hedonism permeates the look of stealth wealth. Guests rarely venture out to the open-air Aloni lounge before sunset because all 13 suites and 14 villas have their own pools. Kick off the evening with a fiery Burning Sun cocktail (mezcal, mastiha, grape juice, agave, and pepper). Pere Ubu restaurant offers a weekly supper club, where wood-fired ovens produce warm flatbreads to scoop up crab and cauliflower taramasalata, roasted artichokes with anchovies, and smoky scallops. A waiter slips you an eye-watering bill (until one of the three Greek owners, Makis Kousathanas, Aby Saltiel and Sofia Kousathana, holds court).
Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
In the late 1960s, the ‘Athens Riviera’ was coined with the opening of the Astir Palace, a landmark Modernist building on the pine-fringed Vouliagmeni peninsula. The hotel was once the home of sheikhs and starlets before the Four Seasons stepped in to turn it around. With oligarchs and influencers now staking out the sunbeds and restaurants at the poolside, the ritzy revival lives up to the hype. Avra bar and Pelagos, both designed by Martin Brudnizki with maximalist aplomb, are among our favorites. The luxury bungalows with plunge pools hidden among the pines are divided into two wings – the subdued Arion and the livelier Nafsika. Although there isn’t much of a beach, guests have the entire coastline to themselves. After a restorative treatment based on Greek herbal remedies, the sea-view spa’s hydrotherapy zone is bliss. Those seeking opulence should expect to pay handsomely.
Amanzoe, Porto Heli
Acropolis in Athens bears more than a passing resemblance to Amanzoe’s soaring colonnades and pale marble surfaces. The main building is ambitious, imposing, and, yes, awe-inspiring, like wandering into a hilltop temple surrounded by water. The floating veranda is lit at dusk with a firepit, the perfect place for a sunset Martini. With private pool terraces overlooking nothing but nature, 38 stand-alone pavilions are surrounded by olive and cypress groves. Rooms feature double-height ceilings, twin dressing rooms, complimentary minibars filled with Greek treats, and a sunken bathtub that can accommodate two people. There are four staff members to every guest, so service is respectful but discreet at all times. Despite being gated and surrounded by a private beach, the views of rolling hills and glittering bays create the impression that you own the entire Peloponnese. There’s no better place in Greece to switch off and be utterly spoiled if you’re looking to switch off and be utterly spoiled.
Ammos, Crete
It is rare to find a family-friendly hotel that does not compromise style for baby-proof convenience. However, Ammos is the definition of offbeat cool – a boxy number bang on a sandy beach outside Chania. Amid the collectibles by Studio Mama, Martino Gamper, and Pierre Yovanovitch, the high chairs are almost an afterthought. With an undulating marble lobby and 33 colour-blocked rooms and studios, Nikos Tsepetis and architect Elisa Manola don’t shy away from bold patterns and forms. There are also drought-resistant gardens and works of art by contemporary Greek artists decorating the walls. As much as he is obsessed with good design, Tsepetis is also obsessed with good food. From sourdough pies to viennoiseries, the breakfast menu at ammos covers all the Cretan classics, but nothing compares to the homemade breakfast at ammos. You can see why so many grateful parents never miss the summer here when there is a pool filled with inflatables, a wholesome kids’ menu, and a playroom with free childcare six days a week.
Nikolaou Residence, Aegina
With its radiant light, ancient ruins, and time-warp tavernas, Aegina has quietly attracted artists, poets, and aesthetes for decades. Nikos Nikolaou, one of the greatest Greek painters of the 20th century, attracted many of them to the island in the 1960s. Almost every night, Nikolaou hosted epic dinner parties at his seaside home, with guests such as César, Yannis Moralis, and Odysseas Elytis. In honor of his aunt and uncle, Nikolaou’s nephew Theodore Zoumboulakis built a guesthouse that revives the warm spirit and artistic temperament of their childhood home. Nikolaou’s five studios are surrounded by pistachio, fig, and pomegranate trees and decorated with his own works of art, antiques, bespoke furnishings, and photographs by Zoumboulakis. There is a beautiful time capsule in Nikolaou’s atelier (open to non-residents by appointment), filled with his paintbrushes, rare books, painted stones, and glowing nudes. Through pine trees, a path leads down to the sea across the road. By ferry boat, you can reach Athens in just one hour.
