Gold Suites

Gold Suites

Gold Suites sits at the top of Imerovigli, on the rim of the caldera facing the ruins of the Skaros fortress and the sunset that draws people to this side of Santorini in the first place. It is small by design: fourteen suites across four floors, built in 2009 and run as an adults-only property that belongs to Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Rooms range from a 35 square metre Junior Suite with a queen bed up to an 80 square metre Grand Suite with an indoor whirlpool, king bed and its own gold-and-white sitting room; several of the suites in between add a private jacuzzi or pool on the veranda. The outdoor pool is cut into the cliff edge with sunbeds and a bar beside it, and the Gold Spa runs massages, hot tub sessions and hamam treatments from ten in the morning until eight at night. Breakfast is served à la carte, room service runs around the clock, and the restaurant will set a table on your own terrace if that's what you'd rather have. What separates it from the other caldera-view hotels stacked along this ridge is the concierge desk: arranging a private yacht excursion, a sailing trip, or a helicopter transfer is treated as routine here, not a special request. Couples and honeymooners get the most from the place, there's a bridal suite and wedding planning coordinated directly by the hotel's manager, and the adults-only rule means it isn't built for anyone travelling with children. Shops and restaurants are close, about 150 metres away, though the livelier bars of Fira are nearly two kilometres down the hill. Book the terrace, not the town. Gold Suites is fourteen suites at the top of Imerovigli, built for couples with caldera views, a cliffside pool and a spa open most of the day. Children aren't part of the plan, but a private yacht or helicopter transfer is arranged as easily as breakfast.