Blue domes above the caldera, and the volcanic vineyards behind them. Come in shoulder season, take the northern path from Fira to Oia at first light, and dine late in Pyrgos.
Greece is best taken out of sequence. Skip the high-summer scramble and arrive in late May or September, when the caldera light softens, the ferries empty and the tavernas return to the people who run them. We keep houses on islands that still keep their own rhythm: a cave house cut into Santorini's rock, a stone retreat above a Milos cove reached only by boat, a shuttered villa on an Ionian bay where the water turns glass at dawn. Each comes with a resident team who know which caïque to charter, which cellar in Pyrgos pours Assyrtiko worth the detour, and which beach is empty on a Tuesday. For 2026 we are also looking to the quieter Dodecanese and the Peloponnese mainland — the same sea, fewer footprints.
Where to go in Greece
Lunar rock, turquoise coves and a coastline best read from the water. Charter a boat for Kleftiko, swim off the sailing lines, and return to a hillside house with nothing but the sea in view.
The Ionian at its most unhurried — pastel harbours, bougainvillaea over tiled roofs and pine-backed bays. Assos and Fiskardo for long lunches, Myrtos for the water.
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