#15 in Top 20 Santorini for a Honeymoon · ★★★★★
Astarte Suites
Akrotiri side, the volcano centered in the caldera view, and a fraction of the Oia crowd.
Akrotiri side, the volcano centered in the caldera view, and a fraction of the Oia crowd.
"Akrotiri side, the volcano centered in the caldera view, and a fraction of the Oia crowd."
Astarte Suites is a 15-suite, five-star boutique hotel on the caldera cliffs of Akrotiri, on Santorini's quiet southern rim about 20 minutes from the airport. It ranks #15 on our Santorini honeymoon list for its private plunge and infinity pools, its centered volcano view and its calm, off the Oia crowd.
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Because it delivers the private-pool, caldera-view Santorini honeymoon without the Oia scrum. Astarte Suites is a small five-star hotel of about 15 suites built into the volcanic cliff at Akrotiri, on the southern end of the caldera rather than the famous northern tip. That single geographic choice defines the stay: from Akrotiri the volcano islands sit in the middle of the caldera panorama, the sunsets are quieter, and you are not sharing your evening with the thousands of day-trippers who pack Oia's lanes for the same view. For a couple who wants the iconic Santorini image but has seen the photographs of the Oia crowds, the south end is the answer.
The hotel is also genuinely intimate. With roughly 15 suites and a staff that recognises guests by name, it feels closer to a private villa complex than a resort, and it is included in the Michelin Guide's hotel selection, a useful outside signal alongside its consistently high guest ratings. It earns its #15 place on our honeymoon list on the strength of the private outdoor water in the top suites, the centered volcano view and the calm, rather than on facilities, because it deliberately keeps those small.
Akrotiri trades walkable dining and nightlife for quiet, space and a different view. The village sits beside the Akrotiri archaeological site, the Bronze Age settlement buried under volcanic ash around 1600 BCE and one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Aegean, so there is real substance a short walk from the hotel. Red Beach, with its dramatic rust-coloured cliffs, is close by, and the Akrotiri lighthouse at the island's southern tip is widely considered the best crowd-free sunset spot on Santorini. What you give up is convenience: this is not Oia, where dinner is a five-minute stroll, so you will want a rental car or pre-booked transfers to move around the island. For couples who see that as a feature rather than a flaw, the south end is the more restful base.
Book for private water and the view. Astarte's suites run from around 40 to 90 square metres, and every one has a private terrace with at least an indoor or outdoor jacuzzi. The two to target for a honeymoon are the Astarte Suite, which adds an open-air infinity pool on its terrace, and the Cave Pool Suite, whose pool is dug directly into the caldera rock for a genuinely unusual soak with the volcano in front of you. Both give you private outdoor water and the full panorama, and both are the first categories to sell out. If those are gone, choose the largest jacuzzi suite you can with a direct, unobstructed caldera outlook rather than a bigger room set back from the edge. On this side of the island the view is the entire point, so prioritise the position over the square metres.
The hotel's own restaurant, Alali, does private caldera-terrace dinners timed to sunset, worth booking for your first night. For a second, drive about 15 minutes to Selene near Pyrgos, one of Santorini's most awarded kitchens, and reserve the Astarte breakfast on your terrace at sunrise on the morning you check out; the early light on the volcano is the quietest hour here.
On site and by short drive. Astarte's restaurant, Alali, whose name is the Greek word for speechless, serves Mediterranean cooking on the caldera terrace and handles the romantic in-house sunset dinners couples come for. Because Akrotiri has fewer tavernas than Oia or Fira, most guests pair those in-house meals with a night or two out, and the standout is Selene near Pyrgos, a longstanding fixture at the top of the island's dining scene. Book any high-season dinner well ahead, on or off property, because Santorini's best tables fill weeks in advance in summer.
The trade-offs follow directly from what makes Astarte special. First, the location is remote by Santorini standards: Akrotiri is quiet and beautiful, but it is not walkable to a strip of restaurants and bars, so without a car or transfers you will feel stranded after dinner. Second, this is a cliffside cave hotel, which means steps, uneven levels and the same limited step-free access that affects almost every caldera property, a real consideration for anyone with mobility needs. Third, it is small: there is no full spa, no big resort pool scene and no kids' club, which is exactly right for a honeymoon but wrong for travellers who want resort facilities. Finally, it is a genuine five-star at five-star pricing, with high-season rates that climb steeply and the best suites selling out months ahead. None of this undermines the hotel; it simply defines who it is for, the couple who wants privacy, a plunge pool and the volcano view over convenience and scale.
Where is Astarte Suites in Santorini?
In Akrotiri, on the southern rim of the caldera, about 20 minutes by car from the airport and away from the Oia and Fira crowds, with the volcano centered in the view.
How many suites does it have?
Around 15 suites of roughly 40 to 90 square metres, each with a private terrace and an indoor or outdoor jacuzzi or pool.
Which suite is best for a honeymoon?
The Astarte Suite with its open-air infinity pool or the Cave Pool Suite with a pool cut into the rock. Both give you private outdoor water and the full caldera view, and both sell out first.
Does the hotel have a restaurant?
Yes, Alali, serving Mediterranean cuisine on the caldera terrace with private sunset dinners. Many guests also drive to Selene near Pyrgos for a night.
Do I need a car in Akrotiri?
Effectively yes. Akrotiri is not a walk-everywhere village, so a rental car or pre-booked transfers make the stay far easier.
Astarte Suites earns an aggregate 9.4 out of 10 across our three editorial criteria and ranks #15 within the Top 20 Hotels in Santorini for a Honeymoon. It is the pick for couples who prioritise quiet, a private pool and the south-side volcano view over the walkable buzz of Oia. If you have already chosen your dates, book about twelve weeks ahead; in peak summer the lead time on the pool suites is months, not weeks, and those are the categories that carry the honeymoon.
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A ranked shortlist, a special offer worth booking, and the overpriced stay to skip. Straight from the editors.