Grace Hotel Santorini Review: A Dreamy Luxury Retreat Above the Aegean Sea

An honest look at Imerovigli’s most celebrated cliffside address — the infinity pool over Skaros Rock, the stairs nobody mentions in the brochure, and whether the premium is worth paying.

Santorini has a way of arriving in your mind before you ever set foot on it. Whitewashed cubes stacked against blue domes, a caldera that drops straight into the Aegean, a sunset that gets photographed more than almost anywhere else in the Mediterranean. Grace Hotel Santorini sits inside all of that, on a ledge in Imerovigli that happens to be one of the highest and quietest points on the caldera rim — and it’s worth working out early whether that quiet is what you’re actually looking for, because it changes everything about the stay.

This review isn’t another argument for why the island is beautiful. It’s a practical look at what a night here costs, what the stairs actually involve, whether the infinity pool over Skaros Rock earns its reputation, and who should be booking this property over one of Santorini’s dozen other cliffside contenders.

In short: Grace Hotel Santorini is a boutique luxury property built into the caldera cliff face in Imerovigli, a village positioned between the crowds of Oia and the density of Fira. Its signature feature is an infinity pool overlooking Skaros Rock and the Aegean, and its accommodation ranges from caldera-view suites to a private villa. For full trip planning — when to go, how to get there, and what else the island offers — see our Santorini Travel Guide. For a similar cliffside experience in a different setting, see our 10 Most Stunning Cliffside Hotels in the World. For where Santorini sits against other honeymoon-worthy destinations, see Best Honeymoon Destinations in the World.

Location — Why Imerovigli Over Oia or Fira

Imerovigli sits at the highest point on the caldera rim, between Fira’s density and Oia’s crowds, and that positioning is really the whole case for staying here. The village trades the postcard fame of Oia for something quieter — narrow footpaths instead of tour groups, and a caldera view that’s arguably just as dramatic without the two-hour wait for a spot at the railing come sunset.

The hotel itself sits directly on the cliff edge, angled so that nearly every terrace, corridor, and dining table faces the same uninterrupted stretch of the Aegean and the volcanic islands beyond it. Skaros Rock — the abandoned medieval fortress promontory just below the property — anchors almost every photograph taken from here, and it’s a more distinctive visual signature than the generic caldera shot most Santorini hotels are working with.

What this location doesn’t offer: proximity to nightlife or restaurants outside the hotel. Imerovigli is residential and quiet after dark, which is either the appeal or the drawback depending on what the trip is for. For a fuller picture of how Imerovigli compares to Oia and Fira, see our Santorini Travel Guide.

Arrival Experience — What the Brochure Doesn’t Mention

Getting to Grace Hotel is straightforward on paper — a 20 to 25-minute transfer from Santorini Airport, or a similar drive from the ferry port at Athinios — but the last stretch is where the property’s cliffside identity actually announces itself. Vehicles can only get so close to Imerovigli’s caldera-edge properties; the final approach to most rooms involves a walk down a series of stone steps that the hotel’s porters handle for luggage, but which guests should expect to navigate themselves multiple times a day.

This isn’t a complaint so much as a planning note. Anyone with mobility limitations, traveling with small children who need to be carried, or simply not expecting a resort that requires stairs as part of daily life should factor this in before booking rather than discovering it on arrival. The upside of that same terrain is privacy — the stepped, cliff-hugging layout means guests rarely cross paths with other rooms’ terraces, which is part of why the property reads as more intimate than its published room count would suggest.

Accommodation — Suites Built Around the View

Grace Hotel’s rooms are arranged less around square footage than around sightlines. Many of the suites include a private plunge pool or a dedicated terrace positioned so the caldera is the first thing visible on waking and the last thing visible before bed. The interiors keep to a restrained materials palette — white plaster, natural wood, minimal ornamentation — which puts the emphasis back on the view rather than competing with it.

The upper suite categories add more livable space and, in several cases, a larger private pool set closer to the cliff edge. At the top of the range, the hotel’s private villa functions closer to an independent residence than a hotel room — its own expansive living area, a higher degree of separation from the rest of the property, and the kind of exclusivity that comes at a genuinely premium rate.

One practical note for anyone comparing room categories: the entry-level rooms don’t all share the same degree of privacy as the suites above them, since a few sit closer to the property’s internal walking paths. It’s worth asking directly about a room’s specific position rather than assuming every category delivers an unobstructed, unshared view.

Dining — Breakfast Is the Real Headline

The restaurant’s cliffside setting does a lot of the work here, but it’s breakfast, more than dinner, that guests consistently single out. Served on a terrace suspended over the caldera, it’s less a hotel amenity than a daily event — fresh, well-presented, and timed so that the morning light on the Aegean is doing as much for the meal as the food itself.

Evenings shift the same setting toward cocktails and a sunset that Imerovigli, notably, doesn’t require queuing for. The dinner menu draws on Greek and Mediterranean staples rather than reinventing the wheel, and the better strategy here is treating the setting as the reason to book a table, not expecting culinary theatrics to match the view.

Activities — What There Is to Do Beyond the Pool

The infinity pool is, fairly, the property’s centerpiece — positioned to visually merge with the Aegean and framed by Skaros Rock, it’s one of the more photographed pools in Greece for good reason, and mornings before the terrace fills up are the best window to have it largely to yourself. Beyond the pool, the hotel leans on Imerovigli’s location rather than an extensive activities program: it’s a short walk or transfer to Fira for shopping and nightlife, a manageable trip to Oia for the more famous sunset viewpoint if guests want that specific experience, and the concierge can arrange the same wine tours, volcano boat trips, and Akrotiri excursions available across the island.

This is, in other words, a property built around stillness rather than itinerary density — a fair trade for travelers who came to Santorini to slow down, less so for anyone wanting a resort that programs the day for them.

Service — Boutique Scale, Personal Attention

Grace Hotel’s relatively small room count works in its favor here. The staff-to-guest ratio allows for a more personal style of service than a larger resort could sustain — reservations, transfers, and special requests get handled with an attentiveness that guests repeatedly cite as one of the property’s strongest assets. Welcome touches, birthday and anniversary arrangements, and general responsiveness all point to a team that’s clearly used to hosting couples marking a specific occasion rather than processing volume.

Where this can vary, as at most boutique cliffside properties, is around the physical layout: a smaller team also means service can feel less immediate during peak-season turnover, when every guest is checking in or requesting the same restaurant reservations within the same narrow evening window.

Value for Money — Where the Premium Actually Goes

Grace Hotel sits at the upper end of Santorini’s already expensive accommodation market, and it’s fair to ask what that premium is buying. The honest answer: the Imerovigli location, the specific Skaros Rock sightline, and the boutique service model are the real differentiators — not a larger footprint or more amenities than competing cave hotels in Oia or Fira.

For travelers weighing this against Oia’s more famous (and more crowded) luxury properties, Grace Hotel’s case is really about trading a few degrees of brand recognition for meaningfully more privacy and a shorter wait for the same caldera drama. Whether that trade is worth the rate depends heavily on how much weight a traveler puts on quiet versus proximity to Oia’s restaurants and shops.

Booking in shoulder season — April to June or September to October — is the single most effective way to access the property without peak-season pricing, and also avoids the worst of the crowd density that affects the whole island in July and August.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Imerovigli’s quieter setting delivers caldera drama without Oia’s crowds
• The Skaros Rock infinity pool is genuinely one of the island’s best photographed views
• Boutique scale allows for a more personal, attentive service style
• Breakfast on the caldera terrace is a legitimate highlight, not filler
• Suites are designed around the view rather than competing with it

Cons:

• Steep stone stairs are a daily reality, not an occasional inconvenience
• Limited nightlife or dining options within walking distance after dark
• Entry-level rooms offer less privacy than the suite categories above them
• Among the more expensive properties on an already expensive island

Who Should Stay at Grace Hotel Santorini

• Honeymooners and couples — the setting and service model are built specifically around this kind of stay
• Travelers prioritizing quiet over proximity — Imerovigli trades Oia’s energy for genuine calm
• Photographers — the Skaros Rock sightline is one of the more distinctive frames on the island

Less suited to: travelers with mobility limitations, families with small children who’d struggle with the stairs, and anyone who wants nightlife or restaurant variety within walking distance of the hotel.

Grace Hotel Santorini — Quick Rating

Frequently Asked Questions

Where exactly is Grace Hotel Santorini located?
It’s in Imerovigli, on Santorini’s caldera rim, between the busier villages of Fira and Oia. The hotel sits directly on the cliff edge overlooking Skaros Rock and the Aegean.

Is Grace Hotel Santorini good for a honeymoon?
Yes — it’s consistently one of the island’s more recommended honeymoon properties, thanks to the caldera views, private plunge pools, and boutique-scale service that caters well to couples marking a specific occasion.

Are there a lot of stairs at Grace Hotel Santorini?
Yes. Like most cliffside Santorini properties, the layout involves stone steps between the entrance, common areas, and several room categories. This is worth factoring in for anyone with mobility concerns or traveling with young children.

What is the best time to visit Grace Hotel Santorini?
April through June and September through October offer the best combination of good weather, fewer island-wide crowds, and lower rates than the July–August peak season.

Does Grace Hotel Santorini have private pools?
Many of the suites include a private plunge pool or terrace, in addition to the hotel’s signature shared infinity pool overlooking Skaros Rock.

Is Grace Hotel Santorini expensive?
Yes — it sits at the upper end of Santorini’s luxury accommodation market, which is itself one of the pricier destinations in Greece. The premium reflects the Imerovigli location and boutique service rather than a larger property footprint.

How far is Grace Hotel Santorini from Oia?
Oia is a short drive or taxi ride away, making it feasible to visit for the more famous sunset viewpoint while still staying in Imerovigli’s quieter setting.

Is Grace Hotel Santorini suitable for families?
It’s better suited to couples than families. The cliffside stairs and drop-offs require real supervision with young children, and the property’s atmosphere and service model are built more around romantic occasions than family stays.

Final Verdict

Grace Hotel Santorini earns its reputation less through spectacle than through restraint — a boutique property that lets Imerovigli’s quieter stretch of the caldera do most of the talking. The Skaros Rock infinity pool is the postcard shot, but it’s the daily rhythm — breakfast on the cliff-edge terrace, a service team that remembers small details, a sunset that doesn’t require elbowing for a viewpoint — that makes the premium rate feel considered rather than arbitrary. For couples who value calm as much as caldera views, it remains one of the strongest arguments for staying in Imerovigli over Oia.

Related reading: 10 Most Stunning Cliffside Hotels in the World, Best Honeymoon Destinations in the World, Monastero Santa Rosa, Amalfi Coast, and Bulgari Resort Bali Review for a comparable cliffside experience in Southeast Asia.