A truly magical place with great Greek hospitality. We had a wonderful stay in the Perivolas Suite and will not hesitate to return.

A friend and I went to Greece in September of 2007. We spent most of our time on other islands but wanted to spend a night in santorini. As soon as I saw photos of perivolas I had my heart set on staying there. It was well out of my price range, but I decided to spend the extra money in hopes of having an unforgettable experience. 4 years later I still reminisce about how amazing my brief say at perivolas was. We arrived via ferry around 5am, well before sunrise. A car was waiting at the ferry terminal to take us to the hotel. When we arrived it was much too early to check in, the sun still hadn't risen. but we were welcomed to lounge in the cozy reception area in front of the fire place. We were also welcomed to use any of the facilities, but it was dark and we were very tired so we dozed until the sun began to rise, then made our way to the hot tub on the edge of the caldera overlooking the sea and watched the sun come up. It was a great way to start the day. Soon after the restaurant opened and began breakfast service which I was quite impressed with. In addition to the common bread, pastry, cold cut, yogurt, fruit and cereal options, you could also get eggs and bacon made to order. Oh, and excellent fresh juice, coffee and tea as well. While we were eating breakfast aside the infinity pool overlooking the sea we were told our room was ready, it was only 9am and we could get
settled in our room! The room itself was spectacular! White washed rounded cave walls, a sitting area with a decanter filled with local dessert wine waiting for us. A mini fridge stocked with bottled water, a coffee/tea maker, coffee and an assortment of teas. Comfy robes, some slippers. And the views - such amazing views! Even the bathroom had an amazing view of the sea. Since the rooms are all along the rim of the caldera there was nothing in front of the room blocking our view or infringing on our privacy. We also had our own private patio with table and chairs where we could read the newspapers delivered to our room.
We spent some time soaking in the comfort and beauty of our room and view, then went back to the infinity pool. We befriended the only other non-couple there and enjoyed champagne at the infinity pool the rest of the afternoon. We loved the hotel so much we didn't have much desire to venture out but we figured we really should go check out the oia steps. So we went down to the base of the steps, had dinner and watched sun set then hurried back to the hotel for one last drink before calling it a night. We saw many other guests enjoying beautiful looking meals prepared by the restaurant and served around the pool. You could choose to have food delivered to your room, but many of the guests seemed to enjoy the pool area as much as we did. When we got back to our room we drank the dessert wine which was perfect to send us soundly off to sleep in the very comfortable bed. The next morning we woke up early to get as much out of our second and last day at the hotel. I checked out the fitness room which again had an amazing view overlooking the sea. My friend enjoyed a massage at the spa. We both loved the products (korres) provided as toiletries by the hotel. My friend now buys that line of skin care products. The staff was gracious enough to let us stay in our room until 2pm, and after we checked out they still welcomed us to use the hotel facilities which we did until the evening when we had to leave to catch our ferry back to Athens. A car provided by the hotel took us back to the ferry terminal. It was an incredibly unique and amazing experience. Worth every penny! I read over the bad reviews, and I feel bad for the folks who had children. But the other couple are out of their minds. If you go to santorini and feel you need to watch tv something is wrong. Maybe their attitude got them a negative response from the staff. Most people seem extremely happy with their stay as we did and find the staff to be extremely kind and gracious. I can't recommend this place more. It was an unforgettable experience.

We recently spent a wonderful five nights at Perivolas. There’s no question about rating them excellent, but the place is definitely not for everyone. Luxurious in an understated casual way, absolutely yes; but swanky, no. If you would prefer a Saab or an Audi to a Cadillac Escalade, or San Francisco to the Las Vegas strip, you would love Perivolas. We’ve traveled widely, we’ve stayed in many nice places, but we tend to avoid the showy, the pretentious, and look for places with more personality and friendliness.

Some would find the cave rooms; dark, oppressive, and sterile. We loved the cool minimalism, the simple and well chosen colors, the comfortable bed. Some would not like walking up the equivalent of four stories to get to the pool and restaurant from their room, we marveled at the ever-changing view and the beauty of the stairs themselves winding their way in curves over the roofs of other rooms. Some commentators have mentioned the pool was too small; too small for what? Olympic swim meets, no way, but for sheer prettiness, there’s no where better to sit and chat or read or swim or have a snack. I’m a person that normally doesn’t like spending a lot of time in a hotel when there’s places to see and things to do, but here I looked forward every day to coming back and spending a few hours vegging around the pool or on our room terrace.

We ate dinner there the first night, and it was great. We would have eaten there again out last night except we were asked out by new friends we had made. The food was simple, well prepared, and delicious. We looked forward to the breakfast buffet every morning; the Greek yogurt, the honey, the fresh fruits, the musli, the pastries, the fresh eggs and omelets.

The staff was always there, but never in your face. Towels were changed twice daily. They arranged a rental car for us one day, and a semi-private catamaran cruise of the caldera another. They gave us tips on restaurants and places to see. Just nice, nice people.

P.S. We walked from the hotel in Oia along the edge of the Caldera to Imervogli. This is an absolutely spectacular walk of about 5-6 miles, some of it pretty tiring climbing, but one of those experiences of a lifetime and not to be missed. We took the bus back. Our new friends did it in reverse and found it a little less strenuous because Imervogli is somewhat higher than Oia, but there are still some big hills in between.

We recently spent 4 nights at Perivolas. We loved the simple, elegant cavelike rooms, they blended in beautifully with the surrounds. It was very quiet and peaceful, with the most stunning views of the caldera, this is obviously why it is so expensive. The service was unobtrusive but staff were friendly and there for any needs or advice about things to see locally. We received a champagne cocktail on arrival, also a carafe of local vin santo in our room and home made chocolates left after the twice daily room clean. Breakfast was excellent, with delicious greek yoghurt, local honey, fresh fruit, a selection of freshly made on premises sweet and savoury pastries and eggs cooked however you like, all while looking out over the spectacular view of the pool and caldera (or you could eat on your private balcony). We also reserved a private table for two in a little alcove by the pool for dinner one night. The food and service were exceptional, I would definitely recommend having a meal here. It is only a short walk into the main town of Oia, which is very charming with lots of great places to eat and shop. This was the perfect end to our European holiday and we hated to leave. Would love to come back here one day.