Santorini Tops T+L’s ‘Best Islands in Europe’ List for 2017

Santorini island.

The readers of Travel + Leisure recently gave four out of the top 10 spots to Greece when they voted for the “Best Islands in Europe”, part of the magazine’s 2017 World’s Best Awards.

Santorini, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece, topped the list. As the magazine points out, Santorini has claimed the number one spot in the Best Islands in Europe category an “astounding” 14 times.

The island also landed at the fifth spot in Travel + Leisure’s “World’s Best Island” list for 2017 (after Palawan, Philippines; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Boracay Island, Philippines; and Galapagos Islands, Ecuador)

Travel + Leisure’s Best Islands in Europe list continues with Ischia in Italy in second place (score: 88.53) and is followed by Hvar and the Dalmatian islands in Croatia (score: 87.75). Crete, Paros and Rhodes & Dodecanese follow in fourth, fifth and sixth places respectively. Azores in Portugal came in seventh, followed by Sicily in Italy, Skye and the Hebrides in Scotland and Menorca in Spain.

Heraklion, Crete. Photo: © Andrei Nekrassov / Shutterstock

Paros. Photo © Lemonakis Antonis / Shutterstock

Rhodes. Photo © lornet / Shutterstock

Moreover, the readers of Travel + Leisure also formed the list of the “Best Resort Hotels in Greece”. Once again Santorini dominates the list as four of the top five properties are located on the island: Katikies Hotel (1st place), Canaves Oia (2nd place), Vedema, a Luxury Collection Resort (4th place) and Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel (5th place). The Blue Palace, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa on Crete is in the 3rd place on the list.

Mystique Hotel, Santorini.

Moreover, only one Greek property made it on T+L’s list of “100 Top Hotels in the World”: Katikies Hotel on Santorini is in the 92nd place. The Nihi Sumba Island (formerly Nihiwatu) in Indonesia was voted as the best hotel in the world. Regarding the magazine’s list of the “15 Best Holiday Hotels in Europe”, Katikies Hotel comes up in the seventh place and Canaves Oia is in the eighth place. The property that topped the list is Castello di Casole – A Timbers Resort, Casole d’Elsa in Italy.

Every year for its World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated islands according to their activities and sights, natural attractions and beaches, food, friendliness, and overall value.