A stunning view in Santorini, Greece
Photograph: Shutterstock
Photograph: Shutterstock

The 16 best hotels in Greece, with reviews from expert travel writers

Whether you fancy a cozy, family-run boutique hotel or luxurious getaway, here are the best hotels in Greece

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With over 6,000 islands, a seemingly endless coastline, ancient sites and lively party towns, it's easy to see why Greece is such a top tourist destination. Plus, it’s a country that caters to all tastes and all budgets. Whether you’re looking to tuck into Cretan dakos and assyrtiko wine in a taverna run by a feisty grandma, explore Athens’ overabundant art scene, or just install yourself by an infinity pool overlooking the Adriatic, you’re well covered. Accommodation options range from wallet-friendly, family-run digs to some of the most exclusive (and expensive) hideaways in the world, offering all manner of appealing extras; from yachts and private beaches to billiard rooms and free bikes. Here is our pick of the best hotels in Greece.

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Best hotels in Greece, on the mainland and across the islands

  • Hotels
  • Spa hotels
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Jutting out into the relentlessly turquoise Aegean Sea, Elounda Peninsula is as chic as a night spent sipping honey raki with Maria Callas. An ‘all-suite’ resort hotel, each lavish room has its own private infinity pool, as well as access to not one, but two private beaches, both within stumbling distance from a selection of cottages and presidential bungalows. 

Time Out tip

Fancy a day trip with a difference? Take a boat to nearby Spinalonga, a former leper colony where Victoria Hislop’s bestselling 2005 novel The Island is set.

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Leonie Cooper
Food & Drink Editor, London
  • Hotels
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Planning a trip to Santorini these days is as much about how to escape the crowds as it is about how to take in its justifiably famous sights. With the island’s daily influx of cruise ship passengers flooding its tiny stone streets, you can sometimes feel less like a relaxed globetrotter and more like a hunk of lamb squeezed inside a pita. As a result, deciding where to stay is all about location. The newly expanded Santo Collection may have one of the best locations on the island for those looking to be close to the action while not having hundreds of people stare at you in your hot tub. It’s the perfect balance of excitement and escape.

Time Out tip

Book a day trip on a catamaran during your stay to take in the island from the water. We recommend Sunset Oia.

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Will Gleason
Content Director, The Americas
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  • Hotels
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

It’s already dark when we arrive on Santorini, Greece’s fifth-smallest and arguably most romantic island, but even spying the half-drawn outline of the caldera dotted with pockets of orange and gold from sports bars and living room TV screens was enough to see why almost 2 million tourists – significantly made up of Americans, couples and American couples – flock here each year. By daylight, with the layers of a sapphire sea, red cliffs and iconic blue domes coming into view, it’s clearer still why so many people believe the island is the Lost City of Atlantis.

Time Out tip

Visit the island outside of peak tourist season in May or September to avoid the crowds, sweltering heat and inflated prices. Kivotos offers a 20 percent early bird package on rooms including the Honeymoon and Deluxe suites. 

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Jessica Phillips
Social Media Editor
  • Hotels
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Santorini is, for many, a dream destination. With its active volcano (Santorini Caldera), its beautiful cliffside villages, and what I rate as quite possibly the best sunset in the world, a trip to this Greek island is certainly worth the outlay. Because Santorini is relatively expensive; probably the most expensive Greek island in the Aegean, in fact. But do you get value for spending all that money? Not always. Grace Hotel, however, is certainly one of the exceptions.

Time Out Tip
Every now and then the hotel hosts various events in its Varoulko restaurant and 363 bar. They're well worth sampling, especially the local wine-tasting nights, and the live music concerts at the sunset.

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Demetrios Ioannou
Contributor, Greece
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5. Gatsby Athens

Sure, most visitors come to Athens for the history and museums, but away from the likes of the Acropolis, the city’s contemporary cultural scene is booming. If you’re after a slice of contemporary cool Athens, try the Gatsby. As cool as its name suggests, this five-star stay near Athens University and the bustle of Syntagma Square, provides modern, Deco-inspired decor throughout, a bar that's open midday to midnight daily, and a 'dare me' button in every room.

6. Lindos Blue Sky, Rhodes

Away from the rowdy resort of Faliraki and the civilised but touristy Rhodes Town, the island of Rhodes is beautiful, low key and wonderfully relaxing. And if it’s relaxation you’re after, you’ll happily find it at the family-run Lindos Blue Sky, a complex consisting of fully equipped, self-catering studios and two-bed apartments that are clean but basic. Onsite you'll find the Lindos Ice Bar and Restaurant, which serves up traditional Greek cuisine with a modern twist, a pool and lush gardens. There are also three swimming coves in the area, plus a hilltop Acropolis.

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7. Ikos Aria, Kos

Most all-inclusive resorts encourage you to stay on-site, but micro-chain Ikos – which has four hotels dotted around Greece and one in Spain – does things differently. They offer a host of complimentary activities (tennis, yoga, canoeing, kids karaoke…) to keep you and your family busy, boat excursions, waterskiing and windsurfing and more at an extra cost, plus, if you stay five nights or more, free airport transfers. And with eight spectacular restaurants, five pools, easy access to Kefalos beach and even an ancient basilica on-site, you could easily spend your entire holiday without leaving the resort.

8. Cotommatae Hydra 1810

Hydra is one chilled out island. Cars, bikes and new construction are (largely) banned and, in place of cabs, you’ll find mules pottering about, laden with suitcases en route to one of the hotels above the port. Wealthy Greeks and international celebs (including, most famously, the late Leonard Cohen) bought property here, but there’s still much to entice first-timers. For a taste of the good life, try the Cotommatae, a homely, not-too-pricey boutique hotel just up from the port. You’ll find a stunning Greek breakfast, resplendent views, and all the charm of an old antique-packed house that’s traditional without being fusty.

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9. Windmill Bay, Zakynthos

Zakynthos or ‘Zante’ is a mixed bag. The north offers a quieter, more laidback quality of island life, but the south is where the big resorts reside – and therefore the regular flights to and from the UK. If you don't mind a bit of bustle, then stick around the south and, in particular, Windmill Bay. Located just outside the town of Argassi (a ten-minute walk), this affordable, self-catering hotel has loads to offer, especially for families. For starters, it's beachside, but it also has a pool, plus a kids' pool, a snack bar and games room.

10. Casa Cook, Rhodes

Such a popular destination is Rhodes, we thought we'd stick a second option in here. Especially as that option features the ultimate luxury of Casa Cook in Kolymbia. First of all, it's adults only, so if you're travelling with the full fam, keep scrolling. But if the idea of a child-free hotel floats your boat, then consider a room at this five-star stay. Explore Tsambika Beach, nearby natural springs or the old town. Or stay and be pampered at the hotel, where you can book deluxe rooms that open onto the pool, or a suite with its own private pool. There's also an a la carte restaurant, a well-stocked fitness centre and the views are breathtaking.

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11. Atrium, Skiathos

If you want the option of exploring the bars and restaurants of Skiathos Town but need somewhere that offers some r'n'r, this modern, stone-built hotel with room views out over the Aegean might be just the ticket. It’s got two pools (one for babies), a sauna, a gym, and even a billiards room – all a pleasant 25-minute bus ride from town.

12. Hotel Penelope, Corfu

Corfu has become a bit of a punchline in chats about package holidays, but stunning pockets of solitude still exist when you know where to look. Much of the north remains traditional and laidback. Take the family-friendly Hotel Penelope at Boukari Beach, for example: a simple, 16-room bolthole with one of Corfu’s best tavernas attached. All rooms have balconies looking out over the Aegean, and there are free bikes for guests booking directly, which is perfect for exploring the deserted bays up and down the coast.

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13. F Zeen, Kefalonia

If, as the location for Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, you imagine Kefalonia like some sort of mythical Hellenic idyll – all pot-bellied donkeys, cobalt seas and olive groves – you’d be right. But things, of course, have also moved with the times. The F Zeen Retreat – to give it it’s full name – wouldn’t be out of place in Ibiza. Think al fresco yoga decks and a gym overlooking the sea, plus a spa and infinity pools surrounded by daybeds with billowing white linens. The food offerings are sparse but local tavernas plentiful. And, romantics rejoice: it’s adults-only.

14. Grecotel White Palace, Crete

If you’re travelling with family, Crete is a good call and, if you’ve the moolah, the White Palace is a particularly good call for your (well-behaved) brood. Tennis courts, an outdoor cinema and gym, and a watersports centre on the beach, as well as 17 pools (some private), provide the entertainment. There are even excursions to the resort’s farm and petting zoo, as well as the nearby Kingdom of Poseidon water park. For some grown-up fun, drop the little ’uns in the kids club and head to the nearby town of Rethymnon, where you’ll find bars aplenty.

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