There is a moment, just before sunset, when the light dips low and the Aegean basks in an otherworldly golden glow, that Santo Mine in Santorini reveals its greatest sleight of hand. While throngs jostle up and along the hillsides in Oia, elbows tangled in selfie sticks and SLRs, we are perched blissfully alone on our terrace, savouring an Assyrtiko and taking in a phenomenal view. It is at this luxury escape – a moniker often used on the island but rarely fulfilled – on Oia’s ‘quieter side’, that the magic of Santorini, the same magic that first drew people here, revealed itself to us in all its splendour.
Santo Mine is the retreat for those in the know. Tucked discreetly down the hill below its larger, more mainstream sister property, Santo Pure, it feels almost like a members’ club – a resort for those like us who favour subtlety over spectacle. After check-in, you enter through a ‘secret tunnel’ accessible only by an electric golf cart, descending to a cluster of 37 suites, all with plunge pools, scattered like chic pebbles on a hillside that leans towards the sea.
This isn’t the postcard-perfect, blue-domed Santorini you’ve seen a million times. Instead, the view stretched wide and wild, facing the untamed western horizon – unbroken, unbothered and utterly captivating. At sunset, the sky bled through every shade from soft peach to fiery persimmon, while the sun sizzled its last bow over the water with theatrical poise. It’s a nightly show and we had front-row seats, without ever needing to scramble for a table or peek between the horde of tourists. There is a striking difference to being on this side of the ‘volcano’. Here, the spectacle was utterly private.
The architecture channels a very particular kind of charm – think Cycladic minimalism given a martini and a Palm Springs twist, with a generous splash of jet-age nostalgia. We dubbed it ‘Cycladic Modern’: clean, purposeful geometry, sharp edges, crisp whitewashed walls offset by rough volcanic stone, dark glass, sculptural cacti and that unmistakable mid-century vibe. If Oia ever starred in a Slim Aarons shoot, this would be it. It’s Greek island soul meeting retro-modern cool, set against the island’s iconic azure sea and sky. And when the sunset hits, light and shadow align like an ancient temple basking in gold.
Santo Mine is set in a rugged, barren ex-quarry. Hence the name Santo Mine (pronounced like the English ‘mine’, not ‘Min-e’, the Homeric word for ‘to stay’ – we laughed at just how pretentious we were in thinking so). The resort embraces a desert-like austerity. The quarry was no ordinary mine either – its volcanic stone once journeyed to Egypt to help build the Suez Canal, a fascinating piece of trivia beneath our feet.
| Perfect for | Fly into | Right on time |
| The Escapist | JTR | GMT +3 |
| While you’re Out There |
| We enjoyed a memorable wine-tasting experience with the head sommelier at Santo Mine, who guided us through exceptional local vintages from the island’s dozen or so wineries. From the fascinating history of Santorini wine – whose significance stems from being spared by the devastating phylloxera plague in the late 19th century thanks to the island’s volcanic soil and isolation, preserving ancient indigenous grape varieties – to the unique Nykteri wine from nearby Thirasia, harvested exclusively at night, the session was both educational and indulgent. The tasting also inspired us to explore some of Santorini’s renowned wineries, including the popular Santo Wines, the dramatic cliffside Venetsanos Winery, and the esteemed Domaine Sigalas. |
Our ‘Cave Junior Suite with sunset and sea view’ (a mouthful of a suite category!) was a contemporary refuge sculpted into the rugged terrain. Taking inspiration from its volcanic, petrologic surroundings, it offered an earthy, clean and unobtrusive open-plan space that allowed a romantic connection with the Aegean Sea and the powerful daily sunset show. The simplicity in suite design is in keeping with the generally understated aesthetic often found in the Greek Islands, so note that the restraint is intentional. If you’re looking for overt opulence, this isn’t it – but if understated luxury and a sense of place matter to you, Santo Mine gets it just right.
Santo Mine boasts a stunning oceanfront pool, sprawling and inviting, though we barely ventured there. Not because it lacked charm, but because our own private plunge pool, steps from our bed, made the communal one almost superfluous. We lounged, swam, read and napped, lost in a perfect loop of disconnecting from the world and reconnecting with each other, all without ever needing to change out of our smug satisfaction.
When we did emerge, there was plenty to lure us out. The Somma outdoor gym deserves a special shoutout — not only for its surprisingly comprehensive kit, but for the location itself. Working up a sweat in an ocean breeze while gazing out at the sea, with Oia glinting behind us in the distance like a mirage, was possibly the only scenario in which we’d ever describe cardio as sublime. Nearby, a stairwell led to a viewpoint offering sweeping views back to the famous caldera, the tavernas and Ammoudi Bay’s dock – a quiet moment to marvel at just how close yet wonderfully far we were from the madding crowds.
Dining at Santo Mine was solid, with a restaurant that tried hard to be taken seriously. The tasting menu was ambitious and the plates arrived with such careful construction we felt vaguely guilty dismantling them. While some dishes were more successful than others, the overall experience was polished, the wine list was impressive and the service was as warm as the evening breeze.
And then there’s Pnoē Spa – carved deep into volcanic rock, with candlelit treatment rooms scented by essential oils and tailored treatments designed to dissolve stress. The wood-lined sauna, heated to a detoxifying 90°C / 194°F, offered a rare sense of calm and clarity, enhancing our well-being and mental state.
In a Santorini often overwhelmed by its own popularity, Santo Mine offered us something refreshingly radical: space. Space to breathe, to simply be and to experience this iconic island on our own terms. At Santo Mine, Santorini sheds its checklist clichés and reveals itself as something far more intimate, almost secret.
It is this balance – proximity to the buzz without being swallowed by it – that makes Santo Mine so compelling. Oia is just a short stroll away, should you crave cobbled chaos, boutique grazing or a Greek salad with a side of being forced unwillingly into a stranger’s social media post. But returning to Santo Mine always felt like slipping into a different frequency, one calibrated to quieter joys.
For OutThere travellers, this sense of removal will be the real drawcard. The property is engineered for privacy, its layout clever and considerate, ensuring that every suite feels like its own sanctuary. Staff appear magically when needed, then vanish when they’re not.
There is some room for refinement. The check-in and check-out process is currently shared with Santo Pure when it could so easily be done in-suite or in the VIP confines of Santo Mine (it has its own lobby lounge). This would elevate the arrival and departure process and exclusivity. In addition, some gentle activations to encourage conviviality among guests would have also been nice. The challenge that comes with this being an all-suite/villa property is that its beautiful common areas lack a vibe.
Would we return? In a heartbeat. Not just for the sunsets, although they alone are worth the airfare, but for the way Santo Mine made us feel: cocooned, inspired and pleased with ourselves that we found a Santorini that wasn’t just about the views but about perspective. Because while others were craning necks for that one perfect shot up in Oia, we were already there – uncrowded and unfiltered.
Photography by Uwern Jong and courtesy of Santo Collection
