The Place
For quirky, individual style, the Tsitouras Collection is hard to beat. Greek businessman Dimitris Tsitouras can take credit for a large share of Santorini’s tourism renaissance. His delightful collection of five traditional cave suites around an 18thC mansion at Firostefani, only 700 m from the centre of Thira town, paved the way for a host of style-conscious hotels on the island, and is still among the best. Tsitouras’s aesthetic tastes make each of the five suites a unique and eclectic little gallery of art and design, decorated with objects ranging from wind-worn village doors to the iron crowns of Greek Orthodox bishops, ancient pottery, column capitals, icons, 19thC engravings, antique candelabra, printed silks, porcelain and crystal. The bed coverings are pure linen, a lovely luxurious touch, and furnishings are a mix of antique and modern.
The House of Nureyev is decorated with sketches of the dancer and fine amphorae and candelabra; the House of Porcelain with fine china plates and Venetian mirrors; the House of the Sea with charts, sea chests and Picasso ceramics; the House of the Winds with icons, marbles, and 18thC engravings, and the House of Portraits with…portraits. There are superb views from all the suites. We couldn’t decide on a favourite.