Tholos Resort in Santorini is a beautiful oasis!

Not sure what it is exactly about Santorini that appeals to me.   It could be the amazing sunlight that never seems to fade the brightness, the warmth of the sunlight, or – well, no way to describe it.  It seems to soak into you when you’re there. Santorini really holds a place in my heart and Tholos Resort is a beautiful oasis.

Arrival

When you step off the plane at the airport, or off the boat in the port, immediately you’re greeted by a warmth and a sense of calm.  The sun hangs on its hook in the sky.  There is a light warm, balmy breeze and everyone around you is casually walking and smiling.  Why shouldn’t they smile? They’re in Greece and they’re on the beautiful island of Santorini.

Previous Visits

On our visit to Santorini in September 2023 we stayed at Tholos Resort.  In previous visits we’ve tried other boutique hotels. In 2008, Astra Suites was referred to us in Imerovigli.  It was and is beautiful, and at that time, still relatively a new boutique hotel. Now, it is well established and enjoying a thriving business.  In 2016, we read a write-up on Anastasia Apartments in Wine Spectator, and boy, did it deliver as well.  Efficiently run and with superlative extras (afternoon coffee, sunset drinks, spa, etc) Anastasia definitely sets the bar hight.  We are always wanting to try new experiences so we thought this time we would try somewhere new. It’s not that the prior accommodations weren’t enjoyable or didn’t meet all our needs.  We just don’t believe that you can re-create a past experience so we don’t even try!  We look for new experiences.

Transportation

Our taxi ride from the airport into Imerovigli was brief and we arrived where we thought was the closest possible entry point to the caldera – but, not so much!  We didn’t remember exactly where Tholos Resort was in relation to other hotels we’ve stayed at so we followed our directions on our phone and eventually found our way there (did I mention we had our luggage with us as we galivanted along the steps and slopes and uneven ground so not the best but we did it!).  Upon arrival at the office they checked us in quickly. I should mention that I thought I would save us a few $$’s by securing our own taxi but in hindsight, arranging this through Tholos Resort would have been a much better idea given they take care of the luggage!

Accommodation

Our studio room at Tholos Resort in Santorini was inset on an upper area of the caldera.  A beautiful view and an expansive studio room included a small kitchenette, table, bathroom and so on. It was nicely cool as the air was turned on to make sure we were welcomed with it along with lots of bottled water to refresh ourselves.  It was approximately three in the afternoon.  Troy decided to go for a swim in the pool. I wanted to unpack and Troy secured me a glass of wine from the pool bar to fortify me. It didn’t really take that long, but it was nice to be to relax and decompress after a morning of traveling. 

Location

Tholos Resort in Santorini is in Imerovigli, a short 20 minute walk (2.5 km) from Fira with an inviting and active path which meanders along the caldera.   Following our relaxing afternoon, we went for a quick walk and arranged for our ATV rental for the next few days through the resort office, and then got ready for our dinner reservation. 

Food

For our first evening, we thought we would try the resorts’ restaurant Infinity Restaurant.  Their website talks about fresh local seafood, and of course, local cuisine as well as the amazing view.  You can see from the inserted photos in this post that the view was amazing and captivating.   We had scheduled our seating to coincide with sunset so we could have the uninterrupted view of the beautiful sun as it made its way down behind Therasia. We enjoyed a lovely dinner of local delicacies.

Following our leisurely dinner at the restaurant, we ambled up the stairs to our suite, and sat out on the deck to watch the evening activity. People were walking up and down the walkways finding their way to restaurants for late dinner or on their way back from their meals to their own hotels. 

Breakfast

One of the first things you need to do in your room is to complete a form letting them know when you want your breakfast, what you would like to eat, and whether you want it inside your suite or if you want it out on the deck.  There was an umbrella for the table if concerned about the sun but first thing in the morning it was not too bad or piercing so we had it out on deck. Breakfast options are extensive from a la carte selections to completed dishes, and you can order as much or as little as you like.  In addition, there is yogurt, thick rich creamy Greek yogurt served with little jars of honey, and walnuts.  We spent a good hour eating this feast, as we push our midday meals out later in the day while there.

Getting Around

We stopped in at the office and our ATV was ready for us up at the roundabout.  After signing the paperwork and heading up, we took off for our first little excursion of our visit to Santorini. An important note to make about vehicle rentals on the island and all our visits. Through our visits we have found that it is much simpler to have your accommodations arrange the vehicles.  They call a supplier and they take care of all the paperwork for you right there on site rather than you having to find the office location which is typically not in the main part of town.  In the accommodations offices there are pictures of the huge selection of various vehicles available so you can select just on the website so don’t be concerned that you have to do your prep work in advance.  

Each day for the following three days we used our ATV to explore the island.  We did a combination of exploring, hiking and wine-tasting each day. We returned to fresh, cold, bottled water in our made up, clean room.   Any notes or questions we had left in the office were answered and left in our room. 

Why Imerovigli?

Tholos Resort in Santorini is located in Imerovigli which is central and easily navigable. We find it is lovely to walk to and spend time in Fira, but to stay outside of the hub of the town for a better sleep.  The distance between the two is negligible when on vacation and time is on your side.   To be fair, we are somewhat biased, as we have always stayed in Imerovigli, but we know what we like. The resort is spread both up and down the path vertically.  The swimming pool and restaurant are on the lower end of the path and then the rooms climb up the path from there.

On our second to last day, we arranged with the office for our transfer to the airport for our flight out of Santorini and onward home. The office has its own van that takes care of these and while it may seem somewhat pricey, believe me the door-to-door service and someone else other than us lugging our luggage up those pathways was a win for us. We had a nice relaxing trip to the airport for our sendoff. 

We highly recommend Tholos Resort along with the other two resorts we noted in this review. Take a look at our Santorini travel review for more information on what to do and eat while in Santorini.