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Grace Hotel, Santorini: clean, white comfort at this uber-romantic design hotel

 (Grace Hotel Auberge Resorts)
(Grace Hotel Auberge Resorts)

Santorini is best known for two things: sunsets, and honeymoons. The two factors are perhaps not entirely unrelated.

As a result, the Greek island’s west side is replete with romantic hotels catering to the couples’ market, particularly in the upmarket town of Oia at the northern tip of the crescent.

A short way along the coast at Imerovigli, the highest village on the island, the Grace Hotel by Auberge Resorts Collection is perched, built into several levels of the cliffside.

Something of a gastronomic destination, as well, apparently, as one of the top five proposal locations on Santorini, the hotel is a couple-friendly spot blending privacy and luxury with a top-class restaurant, glorious swimming pool and warm, professional service.

Style

Pristine and white, white, white. When asked how often the impeccable paintwork gets retouched the staff just laugh. Interiors are understated – pared back and clean are the bywords here – and the views are left to do most of the talking. Why compete with nature when it looks that good?

 (PR handout)
(PR handout)

The hotel is designed to offer total comfort and ease in which to enjoy the scenery and the sunshine. Polished concrete floors, white soft furnishings and black and white photography are the order of the day.

Thoughtful touches include a pillow menu, a delicious and comprehensive selection of Greek brand Apivita’s toiletries, and a turn-down service offering a different gift or experience each evening.

Each room also comes with its own plunge pool where guests can wind down after a hard day lounging by the pool and watch the sunset in relative solitude if they prefer. Look up and you’ll see the entire town transfixed by the view, and you might even spot the glamour show of women in brightly coloured billowing gowns posing for photo shoots, but from the room the view is yours alone.

 (PR handout)
(PR handout)

Local design gem

There’s really no need to leave the hotel if you don’t want to. The boutique is well stocked with high end Greek island attire, trinkets and gifts to take home with you.

Stroll through Imerovigli’s winding cobbled paths for all the Mediterranean garden inspo you could possibly want and call in for a drink at Altana Café Bar for an eclectic, vintage ambience to contrast with the sleekly styled Grace.

Good to know

The hotel boasts the largest swimming pool in the village, as good for lap swimming as cooling off while gazing over the shimmering Aegean and hazy islands on the horizon. On the beach-free side of the island this is most definitely a welcome addition – on Santorini visitors must choose between beaches and sunsets, and there’s only one real option for a true romantic.

The ruined castle on craggy Skaros Rock is the closest landmark. It’s a popular hike, and the path leads directly past the Grace’s swimming pool. The trip’s well worth making but in hotter months best attempted early, as the puffing walkers trudging back up the hill past the hotel in the afternoon will testify. At five courses it can’t hurt to build up an appetite for breakfast.

Dinner at Santoro restaurant (Grace Hotel Auberge Resorts)
Dinner at Santoro restaurant (Grace Hotel Auberge Resorts)

Make sure to have dinner at Santoro on the dramatic terrace at least one night, the tasting menu and local wine pairing meld French and Greek cooking to delicious effect.

At the right time of year Venus burns brightly overhead, unless the meltemi rolls in, at which point visibility quickly becomes quite comically bad – the waiters even struggled to see how full our glasses were thanks to the level of condensation on them during our meal.

Best room

The deluxe rooms are extremely relaxing places to be, but for total seclusion and ultimate luxury it’s got to be the villa, with its own private swimming pool, huge outdoor terrace, private kitchen and dining area and cigar bar.

How to book

Rooms cost from €750 per night, including breakfast. Book at aubergeresorts.com/gracehotel/

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