Santa Irini Retreat
Therasia Island, Greece
Why it made our list: Everyone photographs Therasia from across the water, a thin line of cliffs behind the sunset. Santa Irini is the one place that hands you the view in reverse: Oia and Fira clinging to their rock, and almost no one beside you to see it.
At a Glance
Four suites wrapped around the 1867 church of Agia Irini, the oldest on Therasia and the reason the retreat carries its name. The building takes the shape of the Greek letter Π, a Cycladic form that turns its back to the Aegean wind and opens its courtyard to the caldera. Stone and whitewash, a vineyard running through the grounds, terraced walls of black lava holding back wild cactus and vine. The land here is bare and volcanic, and the architecture does not fight it.
Days are unhurried by design. The pool catches the late sun, and there is no menu: meals are cooked to order in a wood-fired oven and eaten at a long table under the pergola, the way a Greek family eats. Therasia has a population of 180, slow living is the only way it knows, and Santa Irini sits at the still centre of it. At night you watch Santorini light up across the water while you stay in the dark and the quiet.
Our take: This is the rare Greek stay that gives you less, on purpose. No menu, no crowds, no schedule.
Rooms We Love
Take the whole place. All four suites plus two further basement rooms, the pool, the courtyard, the church and the vineyard, yours alone. The way to come with family or friends, and the only booking that opens the retreat to children of any age. Sleeps up to 18.
Dining
Breakfast is included, made from the garden and cooked in the wood-fired oven. There is no à la carte menu through the day. Meals are prepared to order and served at the long communal table under the pergola, or out on the terrace, with the caldera in front of you. Cooking and wine seminars draw on the estate’s own kitchen garden and vines, and can be arranged on request.
Essentials
Check-in:
Arranged directly on arrival
Check-out:
11:00 PM
Suites:
4 (the entire retreat, including two further basement rooms, can be booked as a private villa)
Open:
May 25 to October 31
Children:
From 14 years for individual suite bookings; all ages welcome on a full villa booking
Accessibility:
Some suites are wheelchair accessible
- Outdoor pool (9 x 4.5m) with counter-current system
- Wheelchair-accessible jacuzzi
- Vineyard and working kitchen garden
- Wood-fired oven, farm-to-table meals cooked to order
- Cooking and wine seminars
- Private tours and concierge
- Doctor on call on request
- Transfers by car, boat or helicopter on request
Upon request
Riva, Therasia, on the western rim of the Santorini caldera, directly opposite Oia and Fira with the rare upward view to Santorini’s cliffside. The retreat is a ten-minute walk from the beach.
Getting here:
- Fly into Santorini Airport (JTR), the nearest airport, then transfer to the port
- From Ammoudi (below Oia) to Riva: 7 to 10 minutes by liner or private boat
- From Athinios (Santorini’s main ferry port) to Riva: 25 minutes by private boat
- Scheduled crossing from Athinios departs 15:30, arriving Riva 16:20 (not Sundays). Best option if you arrive by ferry or have a car
- By helicopter from Santorini: 15 to 20 minutes
- Santorini Airport to Ammoudi: approximately 25 minutes by car. Airport to Athinios: approximately 20 minutes
- All crossings and transfers are arranged directly with the property
The ultimate off-grid escape, and we’re here to help you get there.
