Santorini restaurants
Selene Meze
(Image credit: Selene Meze)

Nico Manessis picks out the must-visit restaurants, hotels and shops in Santorini...

Santorini restaurants

Afros, Perivolos

On Santorini’s largest volcanic black-sand beach at Ai Giorgis. Authentic Greek fare: simple and great value. Ex-coastguard-skipper Christos Kenderis knows his fish. Beach Road, Tel: +30 2286 085223

Red Bicycle, Oia

The terrace offers breathtaking views of the islet of Thirassia. Lesser-known recipes in a modern Greek context. Good wine selection with off-thebeaten- path regions and boutique estates. www.redbicycle-oia.gr

Seaside by Notos, Perivolos

Mediterranean food and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Comprehensive wine list of the island’s top producers, wide selection from the rest of Greece. www.seaside-restaurant.gr

Selene Meze, Pyrgos

Overlooking the vineyards of Akrotiri and Megalochori. Original small plates from Santorini’s elder statesman Giorgos Hatziyiannakis, who for 30 years has tirelessly championed Cycladic produce and its rustic-origin cuisine. www.selene.gr

To Psaraki, Vlychada

Top seafood. If you are lucky, the catch may include Korifaina (mahimahi). www.topsaraki.gr

Santorini hotels

Athina Luxury Suites, Fira

Sumptuous and quiet. Bask in the ever-changing light and colours, gazing at the unique volcanic landscape. From 229 a night www.athinasuites.com

Santorini restaurants

Athina Luxury Suites
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Finikia Memories, Finikia

Great value, in the less-developed settlement of Finikia, not far from the must-see village of Oia. From 100 a night. www.finikiamemories.com

Galini, Firostefani

Supremely located in the caldera. Breathtaking bird’s-eye views of Skaros rock and the islet of Thirassia. From €140 a night. www.hotelgalini.gr

Hotel Anassa, Kamari

New and good value. Modelled after a traditional Cycladic domed-house. Near the black-sand volcanic beach of Kamari. From €130 a night. www.hotelanassa.gr

Post-modern Cycladic architecture, private pools. A luxurious base from which to explore this former capital of the island. From €200 a night. www.voreinasuites.gr

Santorini Shops

Antiques, Pyrgos

Prints and unusual items collected by art historian Lefteris Zorzos. www.crossroad-santorini.com

La Ponta Venetian Tower, Akrotiri

A restored 13th-century Venetian watchtower in Akrotiri castle, now housing a workshop that produces traditional musical instruments. Exhibitions, daily workshops and ad-hoc concerts. www.laponta.gr

Influential visual artist Yorgos Kypris is inspired by local and universal themes. www.matiartgallery.com

Santorini Arts Factory, Vlychada

Gifts, gadgets and accessories with a twist, by modern Greek designers. www.santoriniartsfactory.gr

SMAG Spira Marble Art Gallery, Pyrgos

Fourth-generation marble sculptor Grigoris Kouskouris’ workshop/ boutique. Beautiful, unusual pieces. www.kouskouris.gr


Nico Manessis
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer & Greek Expert

Nico Manessis is an expert on the wines of his native Greece and is the author of three wine books. He spends several months each year in the Greek vineyards, which he writes about and films for his site Greekwineworld.gr. He also co-produced the award-winning documentary Pelican’s Watch about Santorini. Manessis teaches at the College of Crete, Greece, and at the Université du Vin, Suze la Rousse, France. He is also a member of the Académie Internationale du Vin.