Istoria

On a raw island coastline, wind blows wild through my hair. I hold tighter to the reins as the horse begins to gallop over black sand.

I feel the power of his body, this extraordinary creature, his coat glistening gold in the sunlight. We come to rest and I dismount. I take a drink of water, and then run toward the sea, forward against the tide, diving into dark-meridian waters.

Situated on a wild stretch of volcanic black sand coastline on the Greek island of Santorini, Istoria (Greek for “story”) feels like it’s always been there. This is in part because it incorporates elements of the old residence that once stood in its place, including the entrance to the former stables. Inside, well-chosen wooden furniture and handcrafted textiles bring character and warmth. At the hotel’s restaurant, chef Alexandros Tsiotinis—who made his name in the Michelin-starred kitchens of Noma in Copenhagen and Le Bristol in Paris—offers a unique culinary journey influenced by Santorini’s epicurean traditions and abundance of fresh seafood, and a variety of open-air pools completes an extraordinary, very local story.

“Blame it or praise it, there is no denying the wild horse in us.”
Virginia Woolf

Hailing from a notable Greek shipping family, Antonis Eliopoulos felt as though he had his course set on a maritime future. It was the pull of Santorini, the magical island he had visited since childhood, that changed his destiny. It was there that he and his wife Kalia decided to buy a rustic vineyard, which turned into their first hotel—Vedema, a unique village-like setting loved by locals and guests alike. Since then, they have opened two more, including their third, Istoria, which brings visitors to a spectacular, under-developed corner of the beloved island.