Santorini in summer is famously packed, but Magma Resort Santorini has quietly set itself up as the antidote. The 59-room hotel sits in Vourvoulos, a sleepy village a 10-minute drive from the blue domes of Oia, with wide views over the Aegean and its own vineyard next door. Despite the "resort" name, it feels boutique — 24 of the rooms are suites, and the design leans into the island's volcanic character with black stone, limewash walls, earthy tones and pops of terracotta and mustard.
The headline facility is the outdoor infinity pool, said to be the longest on Santorini, backed up by an indoor heated pool, sauna, steam room and gym — useful if you visit outside peak season. Free morning yoga runs three times a week, and spa treatments (facials, massages, scrubs, from 25 minutes to an hour) cost extra. Four-legged guests get a look-in too: dogs up to 7kg are allowed on request.
Food is a strong point. By day, the Colombo Restaurant by the pool serves a huge breakfast buffet — spanakopita, waffles, thick Greek yoghurt, local honey — plus lunch from tacos to chicken gyros. From 7.30pm the space becomes Magma Soul, where Cretan chef Lefteris Soultatos blends Greek cooking with ideas picked up in France, Italy, Egypt and the USA. Expect octopus with Santorinian fava, moussaka with aubergines, and red mullet with smoked summer greens. Both kitchens handle dietary requirements well.
The concierge can arrange the classics: sunset catamaran cruises from €120 per person, taking in Oia's windmills and the quiet port of Thirassia, or a private wine tasting at Magma Vineyards next door, where the hotel sommelier walks you through native Assyrtiko wines with local food pairings.
Practicalities: there's no direct public transport to the hotel, so hire a car or book a private airport transfer from €40 each way — the airport is just 10 minutes away and Thira ferry port about 20. A complimentary shuttle runs to Fira and Yalos Beach, five minutes down the road, if you arrange it with the front desk. Check-in is 3pm, check-out 11am, and while cots, high chairs and a kids' menu are available, the pools aren't really geared for young children and there's little else to occupy them.
Who's it for? Essentially couples — honeymooners in particular — who want a luxury Santorini stay without sleeping in the middle of the Oia scrum. Rooms come in nine types, from king rooms with sea views to lava and magma suites with plunge pools or veranda hot tubs that fit a small family. The standouts: aperitivos at the firepit as the sun goes down, and that long, quiet stretch of infinity pool. Three king-room categories are accessible, though the suites are not.
If Santorini is on your list but the crowds aren't, this is a reasoned case for basing yourself on the peaceful eastern side and day-tripping to the postcard spots.
Review via The Independent Travel.
