Alleys All-Suite Hotel & Spa

Alleys sits at the entrance to Pyrgos, Santorini’s highest traditional village, surrounded by vineyards and comfortably removed from the cruise crowds and lane-jams that make Oia hard work in high season. Nearly every one of its 14 suites has a private hot tub or plunge pool, there is a pool with a bar, and the Ethereal Spa has a proper hammam. Guest scores across the booking sites are exceptional. Pyrgos itself, with its castle, stone lanes and tavernas, is the bonus that caldera hotels simply cannot offer.

The experience

The experience at Alleys is shaped by Pyrgos as much as by the hotel. The medieval lanes, the Venetian castle at the summit and the tavernas that draw locals as well as visitors make the village a destination rather than a compromise. Back at the hotel, days move between your terrace tub, the pool and its bar, and the Ethereal Spa, where treatments run from massages and facials to body wraps alongside the hammam, sauna and steam room. Families are genuinely welcome. What you give up is the caldera on your doorstep: sunsets mean a short drive, and the trade is worth it for many.

The rooms

There are 14 suites in a palette of stone, white plaster and warm Cycladic materials, from 30 square metre Junior and Comfort suites with hot tubs up to the residences, the largest of which reaches 91 square metres. The Honeymoon and Maisonette suites have sea views and cold plunge pools, the Love Suite and Superior Suite have hot tubs, and Residenza Sokaki has its own plunge pool. Several suites have sofa beds for families. Many face the garden or pool rather than the sea, so check the view before you book.

Food and drink

Breakfast is a la carte, served from 8.30am to 11am, and can come to your suite. Check whether your rate includes it, as at least one listing quotes a surcharge. Atop Restaurant and a poolside bar cover the rest of the day, with snacks served around the hotel. Pyrgos has some of the island’s most traditional tavernas within a short stroll, and the vineyards on the slopes below the village are made for an afternoon tasting.

The neighbourhood

Pyrgos sits inland, a short drive from Fira and the caldera villages and from the black-sand beaches of Perissa and Perivolos on the south coast. A hire car makes life much easier here, as bus links to Pyrgos are limited compared with the caldera. The village itself, with its winding stone lanes, castle and tavernas, is entirely walkable, and the vineyards on its slopes are close by.