Bellonias Villas: The Barefoot Beach Hotel in Santorini
This boutique hotel is Santorini’s answer to a perfectly refined and relaxed escape, with endless ocean views to match.
The Hotel
Set within the coastal village of Kamari on the south-eastern coast of Santorini, Bellonias Villas first opened in 1983 but was freshly renovated in spring 2026. Just a quick ten-minute drive from the main airport, the hotel sits metres from Kamari’s 5 km-long beach, famous for its striking black volcanic sand, crystal-clear Aegean waters and dramatic views of Mesa Vouno mountain. This makes it the perfect Greek escape for those wanting a mini oasis amidst the busyness of one of Greece’s most popular holiday islands.
Where To Stay
Bellonias Villas offers 26 rooms, made up of a mixture of suites and apartments. The Sea View Apartment quickly starts to feel like home upon check-in. Created in a modern Cycladic design, your lounge area opens up to a small, perfectly equipped kitchen with Sinai Pearl marble worktops and a bathroom stocked with divine Greek fig and thyme body products. This leads into a spacious bedroom where earthy interiors blend together contrasting smooth white curved walls and contemporary dark wood furnishings. By pulling back the soft linen curtains, you will find two beautiful balconies cradled by bright bougainvillea that pops pink against the bold blue ocean, which you can gaze out at day and night. All while sipping a morning tea or a crisp afternoon wine as the palm trees and breezy waves soundtrack your holiday in the most serene fashion.
The hotel holds a prestigious Michelin Key award, which recognises its character, excellent service and the memorable experience a stay here creates. This is a sign of the stylish, unpretentious luxury that Bellonias Villas offers, alongside the mantra of a ‘Barefoot Beach Experience’, whereby guests can walk (barefoot, if they so wish) to the beach in seconds. Here, you will find a private section of padded grey sun loungers with rattan umbrellas that you can laze under, while attentive beach waiters can whisk an iced drink or lunch platter to your side in moments. With an undisturbed view, apart from the hazy silhouette of the distant neighbouring island of Anafi, any worries soon wash away during an ocean swim. With water so clear that it appears black against the reflective volcanic pebbles that line the sea floor.
Where To Eat
Set between the waterfront of Kamari Beach and the hotel’s pristine pool area, Elia Eatery and Bar is Bellonias Villas’ culinary offering. With individually potted olive trees on each table and mood lighting come dusk, the all-day menu is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine and Greek classics, all using local organic ingredients to serve up the freshest of plates. A must-order is the herbed lamb shank with tomato orzo and the shrimp tagliatelle bathed in a seafood bisque. A post-dinner cocktail is not to be missed, as the long basalt bar offers a place to rest while the warm staff pour elegant cocktails and hand-picked local wines for you to enjoy as you mix and mingle.
Come breakfast, and Elia offers a different view as the bright morning sun streaks through the clouds to slowly warm up the tables, creating a suntrap for you to wake up in over cups of frothy coffee. Plates of fluffy pancakes layered with yoghurt from the motherland, honey and walnuts are what you will want to devour every day. Wash them down with freshly squeezed juices and yet another blissful blue ocean view.
How To Unwind
Staying at Bellonias Villas is nothing but restorative, so when it comes to how to spend your days, you don’t need to venture far. The main event? The hotel’s outdoor pool is deep and surrounded by cosy pool sofas, which offer the perfect sunbathing spot post-dip. Alongside is a whirlpool tub, placed under the shady pergola. This is the place to unwind, gaze out to sea and people-watch across the sprawling beach. For those looking to sweat out any stress, the compact gym, steam room and sauna within the hotel are ready and waiting for you to let go of any tension and awaken the endorphins.
If swimming in the ocean is simply not enough, the friendly 24-hour concierge is on hand to help you with bike hire, paddleboards, private yachting experiences and tailor-made excursions. However, if, after all the adventure, you are in need of some heavenly R&R, the hotel has a curated menu of delicious spa treatments. Ranging from deep-tissue or aromatherapy massages to hydrating and anti-ageing facials, each treatment is performed by a friendly island therapist in the comfort of your apartment for ultimate relaxation and privacy.
What To Explore
The beauty of Bellonias Villas is how well positioned it is to explore the island of Santorini, if you so wish. The promenade between the hotel’s walls and the ocean is a lively, stone-paved street lined with breezy bars and beachfront tavernas, which light up Kamari in the evening. Where the sounds of soft live music can be heard above the waves. If you wander further back into the village, there are ample cafés and Greek bakeries selling sticky baklava, alongside shops and pottery galleries showcasing local artists and designers.
A cove over is the town of Perissa, accessible by the taxi boats that dock on Kamari Beach for pick-ups throughout the day. A short bob around the headland brings you to Perissa’s beach resort village, where watersports of all kinds, a bustling town square, the iconic Timiou Stavrou Church and walking trails up the rugged Mesa Vouno mountain are waiting for you to explore.
A quick twenty-minute bus ride (with pick-up from the corner bakery) takes you into Fira, Santorini’s buzzing capital. Best for pottering away on a sunny afternoon, Fira is packed with local stores, a blend of rustic bars and picturesque restaurants serving up juicy cocktails and platters of addictive tzatziki and flatbreads. Compared with the flat landscape of Kamari, Fira is a cliffside town where blue-topped churches and lemon-yellow buildings jut out of the rock face against the backdrop of the dark Aegean Sea. You can’t leave Fira until the sun has dipped below the ocean’s edge, as you will be treated to the most magical, fiery sunset, with hues of gold, amber and dusty pink painting the sky.
The Takeaway
Perhaps it is the genuine family feeling that the staff at Bellonias Villas exude that keeps people returning each year. This, alongside the relaxed barefoot feel, Greek hospitality and prime position, makes it the ideal choice for those seeking the perfect spot to soak up the charm of Santorini.
How To Book
belloniasvillas.com
Nightly rates start from 250 Euros / approx £215, including breakfast, based on two people sharing a Studio Suite.
Kamari Boulevard, Kamari, Santorini - Greece 847 00, Greece
Tel: +30 2286 031138
Travel Writer / Sarah Barnes
