Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Santorini

"Building a hotel into the face of Santorini’s dramatic sea cliffs lends an immediate advantage: The location alone is enough to make it a showstopper. Happily, the 18-room Mystique, under the same ownership as the island’s highly regarded but viewless Vedema Resort, lives up to its stunning site. The free-form rooms, decorated in what might be called cave-art style (driftwood for headboards, a dining table and chairs that appear to be made of egg-shaped boulders), are carved directly into the cliff, and the views—toward the town of Fira—are magnificent. Mystique is accessed by a heart-poundingly steep staircase in one of the most private locations in Oia. Guests can take advantage of the splendid isolation by whiling away their afternoons poolside, then sitting down to a grilled-lobster dinner under the stars at the open-air restaurant."