Review: Icon Villa offers front-row seats to Santorini's spectacular sunsets

S antorini has a well-established sunset industry. Not in the sense of an industry in decline. Quite the opposite. The business of watching the sun melt into the sea is booming on the Greek island. Upwards of three million people visit Santorini every year and the majority head to the northern tip of this crescent-shaped island, to the pretty little village of Oia.

That Oia is pretty and little is both its blessing and its curse – the narrow streets get very congested in summer. Each day, as the sun starts its slow descent towards the waves, something very strange happens – women in wedding dresses appear in the church square and in front of clifftop vistas, ready to be photographed. Brides are everywhere.

It's all a con, of course. Most of these women aren't getting married any more than the sun is really dipping below the horizon. It just looks that way. They all crave the “perfect shot”, because whereas Oia would once have been described as “picturesque”, today it is “Instagrammable” for the TikTok generation.

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Bridal veils fluttering in the breeze before the blue domes of those famous white churches – it's a well-worn cliché in the age of social media, an illusion that everybody wants to own and to say they've “done” the sunset in Santorini. If beauty can be commoditised, this is what it looks like.

Sea views everywhere at Icon Villa

The thing is, Oia – and the rest of Santorini for that matter – is beautiful. You just don't have to wilt in the baking heat, pretending to the camera you are having a good time, to see it. Instead, grab yourself the front-row VIP seats to nature's greatest spectacle by staying in Icon Villa, one of two new villas by the Santo Collection.

The main feature of the villa viewed from above (aside from the Icon Villa follows the pattern of clean lines and natural materials volcanic-stone “tower” housing the reception area and one of the four bedrooms at the top) is the expansive terrace off to the side. It offers panoramic sea views and an infinity pool (yes, sunset-facing), along with a hot tub, sun loungers, sofas, a covered dining table and an outdoor kitchen with a fridge.

From this terrace, make your way down via a curving flight of stairs to another, smaller terrace with seating, a fire pit and a second, larger hot tub. (For brevity, I shall stop stating whether a particular area has sea views on the understanding that it probably does.)

Through the first of two patio doors, you come to the sitting area of a large bedroom, where the white ceiling curves inwards. The grotto-feel is accentuated by a rough-stone wall, mimicking cave rock, while alcoves provide the nooks and crannies. Dotted about are glassware and pottery objects. It feels at once cosy and primitive – a cool sanctuary from the heat.

The other bedrooms are decorated in a similar way and all have en-suite bathrooms with showers, including this one. The top-floor “tower” bedroom has the benefit of a bath tub and a balcony.

Walking along the cavelike corridor, you come to Icon's impressively equipped gym, which has cutting-edge running and rowing machines, various weights and, outside in a private space, a multigym. Here, you will also find a massage table and a sauna.

One floor up from the gym/spa is the sitting room, with its huge TV, and behind this room is the main kitchen with an induction hob, oven and everything you might need. Coffee and teas (including

English breakfast – always a good sign) are provided, along with a few other essentials. For breakfast, you can enjoy the restaurant up at sister property Santo Pure’s ample buffet spread by following the rimidi (cobbled paths) up to the resort, where you can, if you wish, also have a wonderful dinner of traditional Greek dishes.

Savour the moment

But who would blame you for wanting to make use of the cooking facilities in your villa and eat al fresco on the terrace while admiring the you-know-what? The sunsets viewed from here, especially through the filter of your chilled glass of wine, really are spectacular – and with none of the crowds of tourists clinging to the cliffs of Oia like so many mountain goats in bridal attire. As you look out west, there is even a pretty little Greek chapel in the foreground to break-up the horizon. You might almost say it is “Instagrammable”.

Chris was a guest of Santo Collection. The Villas by Santo Collection start from £5,978 for three nights (three-night stay minimum) for a four-bedroom pool villa with sunset and sea views, including breakfast and transfers. Visit santocollection.gr for details.

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