Anyone who’s ever been to Santorini will tell you that the island, at least on the side facing into the caldera, has no bad angles. And despite the number of hotels and hostels that bristle along every inch of the steep sides of the volcanic slope, the views of the deep blue Aegean are invariably as unending as they are uninterrupted.
Less common though is a boutique hotel like the Solstice that features only three rooms, their category description sufficiently terse to leave you in no doubt about what you’re getting for your euro – Grande Suite, Honeymoon Suite and Studio.
The architects Dimitra Rafa and Matina Galati have cleaved close to the island’s traditional Cycladic architecture – essentially, spacious caves carved into the rock for protection from the weather, especially the summer’s glowering heat. The interiors are covered with white cement screed and ceramic patterned tiles, and paired with customised furniture that seem to flow out of the very rock, while the exteriors feature black cement screed to reference the colour of the island’s volcanic rock.
There is an almost casual delineation between inside and outside spaces, with each room opening onto a courtyard that’s sheltered by a pergola and anchored by a Jacuzzi and, of course, that dizzying view of sky, caldera and water.
A perfect excuse, in other words, to toast the good life with a shot or two of ouzo.
ADDRESS
Oia town
Santorini
-
Here’s what to order (and admire) at Carbone LondonNew York’s favourite, and buzziest, Italian restaurant arrives in the British capital, marking the brand’s first expansion into Europe
-
Griffin Frazen on conceiving the cinematic runway sets for New York label Khaite: ‘If people feel moved we’ve succeeded’The architectural designer – who helped conceive the sets for ‘The Brutalist’ – collaborates with his wife Catherine Holstein on the scenography for her Khaite runway shows, the latest of which took place in NYFW this past weekend
-
How to travel meaningfully in an increasingly generic worldLauren Ho explores the need for resonance, not reach, in the way we choose to make journeys of discovery
-
These dreamy cliffside suites in Santorini invite you to sink into serenityCanaves Oia Suites has debuted five new cliffside hideaways designed by Kapsimalis Architects. We checked in
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in springDreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
-
Glamping on the Greek riviera: an alternative resort rooted in luxuryWe check in at the 91 Athens Riviera; an alternative seaside glamping resort in the Greek capital that is all about relaxed luxury
-
Step inside Koumkan, Athens’ new bar of moody glamour and whimsyDesigned by Manhattan Projects, Koumkan’s interiors blend austere yet glamorous flair, evoking the mood of an inter-war bar
-
2025 getaways: where Wallpaper* editors will be travelling to this yearFrom the Japanese art islands of Naoshima and Teshima to the Malaysian tropical paradise of Langkawi, here’s where Wallpaper* editors plan to travel to in 2025
-
Tour an Athens hotel that doubles up as a retro swim clubAce Hotel & Swim Club Athens is a glamorous urban oasis for overnight stays or just a day
