Mr & Mrs Smith

The views from Santorini Villa are worthy of a Homeric poem: craggy caldera cliffs, the azure of the Aegean, the sea-blue sky and Imerovigli’s pretty pastel-coloured houses. Any hero worth his salt would fight to prevent the likes of Skylla or Circe from darkening this villa’s pretty white threshold. Thankfully, the owners are far less intimidating: a Swedish businessman and his Greek architect wife. Their ties in London mean you might not bump into them, but if you do, they’re full of tips and information; equally happy to help shape your stay or to step back and leave the independent minded to it.

There’s more to Santorini Villa than meets the eye – the clean, crisp white exterior conceals Scandinavian-style interiors. Bright and airy rooms are uncluttered and frill-free, with just the bare essentials (chairs, tables, a rug here, a few lights there) to distract the eye from the white and duck-egg blue walls, windows and doors. The less-is-more approach doesn’t extend to the amount of living space – there’s four terraces to choose from, with six sun loungers, a pool and a little courtyard on which to top up your tan. You could come here with five others and barely bump into another for your entire stay, should that be your wont. But then again, if you’re more sociably inclined, the cosy living room and dining room are perfect for long, lazy meals (cooked by a private chef if you so desire). Sit back with the windows wide ajar, breathing in the sea-scented breeze, and watch the sun set in the distance over the white-tipped waves. It’s definitely a setting worth making an odyssey for (if you’ll pardon our poetic bent)…