Hotels in Santorini

Santorini is a volcanic caldera rim with villages balanced on top, and the view — white cubes, blue domes, a sheer drop to the sea — earns its fame the moment you arrive. Be clear about what you're buying: this is a sunsets-and-terraces island, not a beach one. The beaches are black or red volcanic pebble and merely fine, Oia's sunset draws genuine crowds, and caldera-view rooms in high season cost serious money.

The Fira-to-Oia cliff walk and the wineries around Pyrgos are the best things that don't cost much. Stay in Oia or Imerovigli if the view is the point and the budget allows — Imerovigli gets the same caldera with fewer crowds — or in Firostefani or Pyrgos for the same island at half the price.