From a secluded hideaway in Kos to a cool new stay in Mykonos
1 Sun Rocks Boutique Hotel
Santorini
The village of Firostefani has the best views of Santorini’s sunken caldera while still being close enough to the capital, Fira, for its bars, restaurants and winding streets lined with gold shops. This romantic hideaway has a rooftop terrace with a pool, and 18 couples-only rooms with private balconies and vaulted ceilings, which look out to the two volcanic islands across the bay. Some rooms have private pools or hot tubs.
Details Five nights’ B&B is £503 to£1,056, including flights (020 3499 5232, easyjet.com/holidays)
2 White Orchid
Sivota
Head to Sivota in Epirus, northwest Greece, with views of Corfu and Paxos, for this lovely adult-only hotel with a contemporary vibe. Plenty of glass provides seemingly endless views of the Ionian Sea, where you might just see a pod of dolphins. Terraces and an infinity pool are surrounded by bougainvillea, jasmine and bay trees, and a small sandy beach popular with locals in the know is a few minutes’ walk away.
Details Seven nights’ B&B is from £977pp, including flights and car hire (020 8003 6557, simpsontravel.com)
3 Canaves Oia
Santorini
This hotel, a favourite with celebrities, is part of a wider resort that manages to retain an intimate feel. The three elements — hotel, suites and villas — are spread over a clifftop, tucked between other houses in the village of Oia, said to be blessed with the best sunsets in Europe. The arty rooms make use of minimalist decor and plush furnishings, and some are in ancient cave dwellings (canaves). Oia village centre is minutes away, and the capital, Fira, is a 20-minute drive.
Details B&B doubles start from £290 a night. Fly into Santorini (00 30 228 607 1453, canaves.com)4 Mitos Suites
Naxos
This family-friendly boutique hotel in Agios Prokopios on the isle of Naxos is ideal for those looking for stylish stays with children. It has eight suites, some with extra bedrooms and private hot tubs. There’s also a children’s pool, playground and free tickets to a nearby water park; older children can take advantage of free mountain-bike hire and organised bike rides. Foodies can visit the apiary, olive-oil press and cheese factory, which provide much of the produce served in the restaurant. There’s medieval history in the 13th-century Venetian castle in nearby Naxos town and trips to Palatia, an islet home to the sixth-century Temple of Apollo.
Details Seven nights’ B&B is from £569pp, including flights and transfers (01444 225641, islands-of-greece.co.uk)
5 Perantzada Hotel
Vathy, Ithaca
With views over the harbour at Vathy, the neoclassical designs of this elegant hotel in a 19th-century mansion are complemented by the works of modern designers including Tom Dixon, Ingo Maurer and Philippe Starck. The rooms are bright and have vivid fabrics; some have four-poster beds. There is a communal terrace which is home to a small infinity pool with mountain views. Close by is the cave in which Homer’s hero Odysseus is said to have hidden his treasure.
Details Seven nights’ B&B is from £586pp, including flights (020 8459 0777, ionianislandholidays.com)
6 Kensho Boutique Hotel & Suites
Mykonos
The latest addition to Mykonos’s hip hotel scene, Kensho, opens on June 10. With sweeping vistas over Ornos Bay, it has 25 rooms and ten suites with typically Cycladic architecture, including whitewashed stone walls and beamed ceilings. Many have private plunge pools or hot tubs, and a luxury spa with a hammam is planned, as well as high-end dining. The town of Mykonos is 2km away and the island’s party beaches — Paradise, Super Paradise and Paraga — are a short boat ride away.
Details B&B doubles start from £222 per night (00 30 2289 029 001, kenshomykonos.com). Fly into Mykonos
7 Rimondi Boutique Hotel
Rethymnon, Crete
There’s bags of history in this hotel split between two properties in the heart of Rethymnon’s old town. Both date from the Venetian occupation of Crete and have Renaissance influences, including stone walls and arched doorways. There are 32 smart rooms, a tropical garden and a cobblestone courtyard. Near by, the Municipal Garden hosts wine and food festivals, and the Venetian harbour is full of narrow streets and fish tavernas.
Details B&B doubles start from €145 (£114) per night (0800 0482314, slh.com/rimondi). Fly into Chan
8 San Nicolas Hotel
Lefkada
Evening meals are as romantic as can be at this stylish offering overlooking Mikros Gialos bay on the island of Lefkada. The restaurant’s terrace juts out over the water, with a decked lido for dips in the sea. The 17 large rooms and suites all have spacious balconies. Hire a car and you can cross the bridge to the mainland to take in Cleopatra’s canal (where she escaped a naval battle) and the excavated Roman city of Nicopolis.
Details Seven nights’ B&B is from £838pp, including flights and transfers (020 8758 4758, sunvil.co.uk)
9 Kyrimai Hotel
Gerolimenas, Mani Peninsula
An increasing number of flights into Kalamata have opened up the south of the Peloponnese with its rugged beauty, medieval towers and traditional villages. This hotel, overlooking the water, is a perfect base from which to explore. It has a country chic feel, a restaurant run by the Michelin-starred Yiannis Baxevanis, a vaulted wine store-cum-reception, and terraces with sea views.
Details B&B double is from £78 a room (i-escape.com). Fly into Kalamata
10 Aqua Blu Boutique Hotel and Spa
Kos
On the northern lighthouse peninsula of the harbour, this adult-only hotel overlooks historic Kos town. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels group, it has suites with balconies or terraces, many with fireplaces or hot tubs, and there are weekly gastro events at the restaurant.
Details Seven nights’ B&B is from£633pp, including flights (sunshine.co.uk)
11 The Windmill
Kimolos
There’s no doubt that getting to the volcanic Cycladic island of Kimolos is a challenge, involving a five-hour ferry ride from the port of Piraeus or a 30-minute journey from the sister island Milos, but it’s worth it for a stay in this lovely little hotel in a converted 19th-century windmill. Its five rooms embrace the building’s quirks, adding whitewashed walls, modern bathrooms and understated decor, and all have balconies that take advantage of the elevation. An associated beach bar is about 4km away.
Details B&B doubles are from £96.77 a night (020 3239 0354, dorisanddicky.com)
12 Skiathos Princess Hotel
Skiathos
Skiathos may have been one of the settings for Mamma Mia!, but it’s also home to more than 1,000 types of wild herb that can be foraged on herb-hiking tours, part of a series of experiences that include horse riding, gallery visits, and the chance to sail in Greece’s first national marine park. Rooms and suites have bright, elegant decor and private balconies, and there are four restaurants. DetailsSeven nights’ B&B is from £615pp, including flights (01293 731566, sovereign.com)
13 Afitis Boutique Hotel
Afitos, Halkidiki
Any hotel that has the word “boutique” as part of its name deserves to be viewed with some suspicion, but we’ll make an exception for this high-end offering on a private sandy beach on the Kassandra peninsula in Halkidiki, northeast Greece. The location is fabulous and there’s a fine deck with two pools and great sea views. The excellent spa, meanwhile, is stocked with Apivita products. The hotel also has two restaurants and an extensive wine cellar.
Details Seven nights’ half-board is from £593pp, including flights (0871 4743000, onthebeach.co.uk)
14 F Zeen Retreat
Kefalonia
After a “soft” opening in 2015, this 26-room beachfront hotel on the south coast extends its offering for its official first season with a new outdoor gym, yoga classes and a cinema. Trips for foodies include visits to the hotel’s vineyard, and olive-picking in October. Rooms range from airy affairs with private balconies to open-plan penthouse suites.
Details B&B doubles start from €160 a night (020 7183 5383, uniquekefalonia.com). Fly into Kefalonia
15 Orloff Resort
Spetses
You don’t have to head to far-flung isles to have a Greek beach holiday. Take advantage of the many flights into Athens and hop on a catamaran for the 90-minute cruise to nearby islands such as Spetses. Virtually car-free, it feels a million miles from the capital. The Orloff is a 20-room hotel in a 19th-century mansion and surrounding buildings in the old port area; all are clustered around a large pool shaded by ancient olive trees, and rooms come with handmade furnishings and private balconies.
Details B&B doubles are from £90 a night (00 30 22980 75444, orloffresort.com)
16 Saint Andrea Seaside Resort
Paros
With its status as the main ferry hub in the Cyclades, Paros is often seen as a stopping-off point to fairer climes. Naoussa, the pretty, cosmopolitan village on the island’s north coast, is, however, one of the best in the Aegean — and is home to this plush resort near Kolympithres beach. Rooms are spacious, chic and comfortable with orthopaedic beds, and all have balconies, most with sea views.
Details B&B doubles start from £53.30 (020 3239 0354, dorisanddicky.com). Fly into Paros
