Zannos Melathron

A sophisticated, discreet mansion with restored Cycladic vault-rooms in a hilltop village on Greece’s most spectacular island

Santorini is a unique place. Massive volcanic eruptions 3000 years ago blew a vast crater out of the middle of the island, leaving its ancient cities fortuitously well-preserved under a layer of ash. This cliff-ringed crater is now filled with a sea so deep and still and blue, and lined with villages so precarious and tumbling and white, that it has become an improbably perfect image of Greece. Improbable but true. The dancing glint of sun on water, the crouched dots of farmers bent over terraced vines, the deepening reds of sunset lift the scene into spellbinding reality.

At the peak of this unique landscape sits a truly unique hotel. The Zannos Melathron is an 18th-century mansion with adjoining Cycladic-style buildings; a sophisticated blend of high-ceilinged salons, arched verandas, labyrinthine bedrooms and a panoramic terrace with rock-cut plunge pool. If you want to feel like King of Santorini, on your own hilltop away from the crowds, here’s your palace.

Highs

• The panoramic position
• Careful décor: painted elegance in the main house; Cycladic simplicity combined with excellent facilities in the bedrooms
• The almost embarrassingly courteous staff.

Lows

• A slightly unfinished feel (perhaps this will fade with time)
• Some frustrating shortcomings in the bathroom (the shower hooks are badly positioned, the hairdryers unreliable)
• The price – among the most expensive hotels in Greece