Grace Santorini Hotel & Villa - Divercity, Mplusm

This 20-room hotel (a joint project between Divercity and Mplusm) is carved into the cliff-face 300m above Santorini’s volcanic caldera. The understated design allows this extraordinary landscape to take centre stage. The hotel provides a contemporary interpretation of vernacular architecture: economy of space, radical simplicity, and organic forms. The infinity pool’s jagged outline echoes the zigzag paths that criss-cross Santorini’s sheer terrain.

Santorini’s hotel rooms are invariably front-loaded to face the view, leaving residents exposed to passers-by. To ensure privacy, fragments of volcanic rock are positioned in the windows of four rooms, interspersed with apertures that provide glimpses to the sea. The interiors are inspired by the local natural and geological surroundings, specifically the volcano and properties of porosity. The bespoke black and white resin floor, inspired by the stone-cobbled narrow pathways (calderimia) of Cyclades, lead the guests to the room.

The space between The Villa (designed by Divercity and added to the hotel 2 yeas later) and Volcanic Spa, is articulated through a sequence of thick walls with concave openings, prismatic patterns on the floor and rock-carved furniture. The thick porous walls of the master bedroom and the Volcanic Spa are interspersed with apertures that provide glimpses from one room to another as well as the exterior view.