Living the Grace Santorini Hotel experience

Grace Santorini, two words for everyone’s bucket list

Take one of the most beautiful destinations in the world (the ones that people put in their bucket list). Add a flawless hotel in a jaw dropping location. Now add also a high standard bespoke service and sprinkle with a touch of fun. You end up with the perfect vacation recipe, no doubt. An ideal scenario that reaches a cinematic perfection and that I had the luck to experience at the absolutely fabulous Grace Santorini.

Well, Grace Hotels Group and their teams have set the bar very high as regards luxurious hospitality and this is something I came to realise three years ago when I stayed at Grace Mykonos

Guest pampering is their specialty and this is something they want to make you feel well before you get there. So there is this “bespoke service – questionnaire” that comes to your mail a few days before your arrival. It is an initiative which allows guests to personalise their in-room experience and request unique local experiences to enrich their visit. (So picture this: I work in my office, I check the mail, I stop everything I do, I concentrate on choosing my favourite smell, pillows and amenities for my room, I go on daydreaming a little bit about my coming trip. Ok, not just a little bit…).

As a dream destination with a unique character, Santorini has its own rules if you want to really enjoy it. First of all you have to stay in a hotel that overlooks the famous Caldera. Due to the peculiarity of isle of Santorini, it is very likely that average accommodation will be not very spacious, rooms may be cave-like and your hotel will spread at several levels, like a maze of tiny paths and stairways. As a result, you may have to sacrifice convenience and privacy. But this is not the case at Grace Santorini. Let me start with its location, which is probably the most enviable on the island. Situated at Imerovigli, Grace Santorini is perched above the Caldera facing the impressive Skaros rock and offering a breathtaking and unobstructed 180o view from Fira to Oia. All its rooms are spacious and the whole property is one of the largest on the island and promises total privacy.

Grace Santorini bespoke experience starts at the airport or the port when the driver of the hotel picks up the guest and offers wet towels and water. A smooth friendly check in with a glass of champagne and next moment you are in your room or suite, gazing at the stunning view to the Aegean Sea, ready to live the dream.

There were a lot of moments that I smiled, feeling real happiness during my stay at Grace Santorini (I stayed at a Deluxe Room with a plunge pool and a bed view I think I will never forget). Some of them are these below:

With all the “good night gifts”, best of which was the chocolate bar that was elegantly placed on my bed in a glass ball with a hummer and a sign that wrote “in case of emergency”.
Every time I discovered the next day’s breakfast theme. You see, at Grace Santorini, breakfast has 5 courses and a different theme every day. During my three day stay I tried “Rustic and homey”, “Famous Recipes” and “It’s all Greek to me”. I was told that you have to stay 14 days to try all breakfasts.
Accompanying the mythical sunset of the island with a Volcano Margarita, made by the mixologist Yiannis Karavias at the new champagne lounge. (After a complete renovation, Grace Santorini re-opened in May 2016, introducing the Champagne and cocktail lounge, ‘363’, that provides breath-taking views of the Caldera from its location 363 metres above sea level. Showcasing the finest Champagnes, cocktails and premium spirits paired with the chef’s signature dishes, it offers the ideal vantage point to witness the dramatic changing hues of the legendary Santorini sunset).
When I discovered that the in-room robes were designed by Zeus+Δione and the towels by Sun of A Beach (two of my favourite greek brands).
When I found an iPad Air and a B&O Bluetooth speaker on the desk of my room.

Every time I woke up to this bed view.

For sure, all those who are seeking the kind of bespoke service, authenticity and emotional connection that only the top boutique hotels in the world can provide, will find sanctuary at Grace Santorini.

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