Heaven is a place called Santorini Sky. In fact, You’d be totally excused if you wake up wondering if you’ve actually died and gone to heaven, since this high perched location overlooking the sea is actually occasionally in the clouds. Well, sometimes, the weather is usually gorgeous and clear.
Perched atop the highest point in Santorini, away from the hordes of tourists, this boutique property with 8 private accommodations stands on its own with a mix of full service amenities, but the privacy of an intimate villa, all with a jacuzzi, or more.
It’s one of the newest options on the hallowed Greek Island of Santorini, but also instantly one of the best, and the unique approach brings a refreshing style of travel which couldn’t be better timed during covid-19. And yes, you should totally go.
Santorini Sky: Location
Location, location, location they say. As the lone hotel in the area, you simply won’t find a more unique vantage point on Santorini than Santorini Sky, nearly 2,000 feet above sea level. Despite the visual drama in every direction, these infinity view villas are just minutes from the eclectic town of Pyrgos, home to some of the best food and most underrated photo ops on Santorini.
Santorini Sky is nestled into the hillside of Prophet Elias Mountain, and even arrival via the complimentary airport transfers is somewhat of a thrill, taking in incredible views from realistically… every angle.
On that note, the car company used for the transfers was fantastic in covid-19 times, with hand sanitizer, clean cars and excellent mask use. First impressions matter right now, and this made a great impression.
If you were to draw a map of horse shoe shaped Santorini, with Oia, the beautiful yet tourist centric district furthest to the right, and Imerovigli in the middle, Santorini Sky is basically on the middle left side of the horse shoe, near the best wineries and swoon worthy Greek food. But don’t worry it’s not too fa, nothing on the island is.
If its your first time, a trip to Oia is a must, but it’s a one trick visit. It’s easy to arrange a car to take you on the 20-25 minute journey across the island, and Santorini Sky was magic with arranging this.
A central idea of Santorini Sky though, is that the world can come to you, if you’d like it to, so once you’ve done the must see first time things, you don’t have to worry much about getting around. Plus, Pyrgos is quaint, lovely, close and features fewer selfie sticks.
Santorini Sky: The Villas
Calling these villas “rooms” would be simply inadequate. They’re big, they’re spacious, incredibly modern and sleek. High ceilings, natural tones, local materials and all the sort of stuff you’d expect an eccentric billionaire to put in a room, even down to the books.
I absolutely love that there are no “shared” spaces at Santorini Sky, which makes travel feel very secure right now. Your space is yours, and no one else’s, and there’s no giant lobbies or elevators to fret.
I’d rate the villa interiors next to any five star hotel around the world, in terms of room amenity, design, quality of furnishings, bedding and other key metrics. That’s probably because one of the founders of Santorini Sky is an ex-hotel executive, with a focus on customer experience.
Most importantly, each villa has its own terrace with superb privacy and a seating area to enjoy meals or read a book outside. On the low, you could totally do some naked sunbathing if so inclined – and a lovely jacuzzi is there to unwind with the local wine available in the self serve wine fridges. Indulgent, yes, totally.
The larger villas also feature a nicely sized infinity pool, nearly big enough to swim lengths as a full workout. The work/life balance is pretty fun here.
One incredible feature of each villa: outdoor showers. And yes, there’s an indoor option too. These showers feature rainforest shower heads and allow you to look up to the sky as you shower, which isn’t an everyday experience, at least for most.
The eco friendly (and local) APIVITA toiletries smell absolutely amazing, and may have been smuggled out of our villa. No comment.
Despite being among the nicest villas I’ve ever experienced, which I can only liken to something along the lines of Al Maha in the UAE with much better views here, it’s not really what I found most compelling about the stay. It was the design of it all.
Santorini Sky: Guest Experience
Though you can currently book via the Airbnb platform, this is an experience beyond any traditional Airbnb, and in many ways beyond a hotel too.
With only 8 villas, the intimate team is there to play as much of a role as you like, and unlike hotels which try to capture every opportunity to sell themselves, Santorini Sky benefits the community, sharing the best the island and bringing it directly to you.
If you want a massage, Marina, arguably the best masseuse on the island will come to your villa, assuming she’s not training in India during the off season. The same goes for a personal training session, or photoshoot, which Santorini Sky curates for guests from the best independent people on the island.
Breakfast is delivered each morning in a sealed basket from local restaurant Agaze, with wonderful fresh options, yoghurt, pastry and truly fresh squeezed OJ. There’s just no mistaking or imitating the flavor! Love the Greek honey too.
Having outdoor deck space at each villa makes the massages and training sessions all the more safe and enjoyable. And again, side note, each villa has a wine fridge where you scan a QR code with your phone, and can buy superb local Gavalas wine at cost, rather than extortionate hotel pricing of 3x or more.
Knowing many guests will come, be stunned by the views and never want to leave, particularly while covid-19 is a concern, Santorini Sky also partnered with top local restaurants to offer guests takeout from places which don’t traditionally offer it.
Who wants over priced hotel food, when you have outstanding and fairly priced restaurants around?
Guests can order from some of the best bars, wineries and restaurants on the island, and have things delivered right to their door. Do say hello to Klod, who is a fixture on the property, and a wonderful character. I ordered daily from Kantouni and Agaze and couldn’t have been happier.
I think I dreamed of nothing but calamari, babaganoush, tzatziki and tomato fritters for a few weeks after returning home. Epic!
Santorini Sky: Pricing And More
Santorini is absolutely one of the more expensive islands in Greece due to its unfading popularity and priceless views. Truly, they’re priceless and with fewer tourists due to cruises at a standstill, it’s more enjoyable than ever to experience the island.
Many hotels which stick you in a corner charge over $500 per night in bustling Oia, which is one of the many reasons I love Santorini Sky. It’s not “budget” by any means, nor would you expect it to be given what’s on offer, but it’s absolutely fair with rates often between €200-€450 per night, depending on season, the size of the villa, etc. I paid in this range and loved every minute.
All reviews on the internet should understandably be met with skepticism these days, but there’s just so much to love here at Santorini Sky, and nothing not to. I’m not alone in my thoughts either. A look at reviews on Airbnb echoes everything here and more. Santorini Sky is heaven, with clouds to boot. It cannot be recommended highly enough.
OMGGG, the pool and the view from the villa, I’m speechless:(( I’m hoping to save enough money for a trip. Thank you for your thorough review.