Aressana Hotel and Spa is located in the busy little town of Thira on Santorini’s west coast. This little village is home to lots of restaurants and souvenir stores and has a great sunset view in the evenings. As soon as you set foot through the doors of the Aressana, you feel like you are in a completely different world, far away from the summer crowds.
The Small Luxury Hotel is built around a beautiful pool and features gorgeous landscaping throughout, including peach trees that you are free to pick from. Despite being in a courtyard, the pool is sunny most of the day. Most of the rooms are just a few steps from the pool, but for an extra luxurious stay, book one of the hotel’s junior suites, which has access to a shared pool from each patio.
One of Aressana’s biggest strengths is its culinary program. The breakfast buffet features a variety of traditional Greek dishes from various regions of the country, changed up daily. During our stay, we tried the most delicious sweet pastry made with milk one day, and traditional tomato balls the next.
During the day, a poolside bar serves inventive cocktails with seasonal summer ingredients. Guests don’t even need to leave the pool at lunch (although you can), as the poolside restaurant serves a wide variety of street food-inspired dishes like gyros, shrimp tacos, bao buns, and chicken with crispy potatoes. The bar moves inside after 6 PM, and you can grab a cocktail before heading across the street to watch one of Santorini’s magical sunsets.
Be sure to book one dinner at the hotel’s Ifestoni Restaurant. The thoughtfully designed space features sliding windows to block the Santorini wind and features views of the entire eastern side of the island. Watch the moon rise during dinner while enjoying culinary creations like creamy cauliflower soup, moussaka tacos, perfectly cooked steaks, and shrimp risotto with caviar.
Aressana Hotel and Spa, Mitropoleos, Thira 847 00, Greece
Note: Aressana Hotel and Spa provided support for the reporting of this story.