Santorini, Greece · Five-Star · #2 in Santorini
"Imerovigli's highest address, quietest atmosphere. The Michelin restaurant Varoulko and 180-degree caldera views make every other meal on the island a disappointment by comparison."
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.
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.
Grace's quietness is the point. Imerovigli lacks Oia's crowds but gains privacy, altitude, and atmosphere. A hammam suite with caldera terrace, Varoulko's Michelin tasting menu at sunset, and the spa's couples' ritual is a honeymoon day that goes beyond what any itinerary could plan. The hotel's small size (21 rooms) means the pool terrace never feels shared; you can spend an entire morning without seeing another guest.
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.
The Grace is one of the few Santorini luxury properties where arriving alone is not merely acceptable but actively suited to the hotel's atmosphere. The caldera terrace at breakfast, the spa that operates on its own schedule, the wine programme that rewards careful attention — these are pleasures that improve without an audience. The concierge team is genuinely good at guiding solo guests to the quieter corners of the island, from the Akrotiri archaeological site to the black sand beaches on the southeast coast.
Rates sourced from Booking.com and hotel direct. Prices vary by date.