Grace Hotel, Auberge Collection ranks #28 on our 2026 list of the best honeymoon hotels in the world. The case below explains why — the hotel itself, the standard it operates at, what it does specifically for couples on a milestone trip, and the alternatives we tested it against.
“Imerovigli's highest address, quietest atmosphere. The Michelin restaurant Varoulko and 180-degree caldera views make every other meal a disappointment by comparison.”
The hotel itself
The Grace Hotel, now part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, sits at the highest point of the caldera rim in Imerovigli — the quietest, most elevated of the caldera villages and the one with the most commanding view of Skaros Rock and the submerged volcanic crater. Perched at 300 metres, the hotel offers a 180-degree panorama of the Aegean that many Oia properties, despite their fame, simply cannot match in scope. The light here is different: more northern, more austere in the mornings, more dramatic at sunset than anywhere below.
The twenty-one rooms and suites follow white stone Cycladic architecture with a level of design restraint that sets the property apart from the more showy offerings elsewhere on the island. Rooms feature hammam baths in several categories — a detail that becomes a daily ritual within 24 hours of arrival. Upper-category suites include spacious terraces with private plunge pools positioned to face the caldera directly; the Junior Suite and Two-Bedroom Suite are the hotel's most requested accommodations for couples and small groups respectively.
The Varoulko Santorini restaurant, helmed by acclaimed chef Lefteris Lazarou, is the hotel's defining feature and one of the most serious kitchens in the Cyclades. Lazarou, who has held a Michelin star at his Athens restaurant for decades, brings a Greek seafood tradition to the caldera terrace with exceptional results — the raw fish preparations, the grilled octopus, and the kakavia (Greek bouillabaisse) are dishes that justify the flight to Greece. The sunset dining experience, with the terrace positioned to face west, is a meal with a built-in second act.
Why it works for a honeymoon
The Mediterranean honeymoon hotel sits between resort and city — close enough to the village to walk for an espresso, far enough that you can see the village from the bath. The successful ones offer the boat trip, the sunset table, the Michelin kitchen on-site, and the back-of-house service that makes ten days feel like a weekend.
Auberge Resorts Collection — Mike Pomeranz's family-run group — is one of the few American luxury operators with the discipline to grow slowly. The properties are a mix of trophy resorts and the kind of repositioning project where Auberge has taken over a one-off and made it global without making it generic. For honeymoons Auberge rewards the couple who wants a property-of-its-place that still has the back-end of a real luxury group.
The spa offers a thoughtfully curated programme of treatments combining Greek herbal traditions with contemporary wellness methodologies. The infinity pool is positioned at the cliff edge with a horizon line that merges seamlessly with the Aegean below — one of the great pool situations on the island. Service at Grace is among the most consistent in Santorini, reflecting both the Auberge Collection standards and a genuine warmth that distinguishes Greek hospitality at its best.
The altitude of Imerovigli — and the hotel's deliberate quiet — creates conditions for a wellness stay that caldera-edge properties in Oia cannot replicate. The spa's programme is more than decorative, and the kitchen at Varoulko works with exceptionally clean, Mediterranean ingredients that make healthy eating feel like an aspiration rather than a restriction. For solo wellness stays, Grace is the best-positioned hotel on the island: quiet, serious, and without the social pressure of a resort atmosphere.
Where it ranks against rivals
For a 2026 honeymoon at this level, the most direct comparisons are Il Sereno Lago di Como in Lake Como (#27 on this list), Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice (#29 on this list), Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita in Mauritius (#26 on this list). Grace Hotel, Auberge Collection earns the higher rank for one or two specific reasons we explain in the verdict above. The other properties are not lesser hotels — in some cases the answer for your particular trip is the runner-up, and the city-specific page below has the full local ranking.
Practical: getting in
Address: Imerovigli 847 00, Greece. Honeymoon-suited categories book six to nine months ahead in shoulder season, twelve months ahead in peak. The full review at the hotel page has current rates, room categories worth paying up for, and the dining and spa programmes worth booking pre-arrival. Use our honeymoon occasion page for the broader context.