When it comes to booking a holiday it can be hard not to be seduced by the allure of visiting somewhere new; the tempting idea of creating brand new memories somewhere completely unknown that you've never been (but may as well have thanks to your endless scrolling through idyllic Instagram pages).
When it comes to booking a holiday in the midst of planning a wedding, however, your priorities can shift somewhat.
A few months before I was due to walk down the aisle I had little interest in broadening my holiday horizons - no energy spare for trialing new activities and a brain which was miles too busy adjusting and re-adjusting table plans to have the mental capacity to curate a convoluted itinerary somewhere I didn't even know if I'd like. I did, however, have a keen interest in taking some time out, and before I knew it we were heading for our failsafe destination: Santorini.
Having already travelled to the whitewashed isle three times over the last five years, we felt safe in the knowledge that we knew exactly what we were getting as we made our way to Andronis Concept - a hotel reportedly loved by Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry.
But while much of the idyllic island was just as we remembered, this hotel was unlike any we'd visited prior. For a start it wasn't white.
As our airport transfer pulled up to our home for the next few days we were not greeted by the angular white building with blue accents that we were used to, but rather by sweeping stretches of curved clay concrete in a colour palette of soft, buttery yellows and cool greys.
An architectural masterpiece that you'd be more confident guessing was part of a James Bond movie set than a hotel in Santorini, it is this earthy framework that camouflages into the island's rocky, volcanic landscape which, somewhat ironically, makes it truly stand out.
Set on the highest point of Santorini, Andronis Concept has a dual aspect view with the morning sun favouring the hotel's biggest pool - the longest on the island, in fact, stretching 52 metres.
Flooding guests with afternoon light on the other side of the hotel, 24 of the 28 rooms are equipped with their own private infinity pools and boast views over the island's instantly-recognisable escarpment and into the caldera; providing you your own front row seat to those iconic - and endlessly-Instagrammable - sunsets.
And while anyone who's queued through the narrow streets of the island's popular northernmost spot, Oia, to catch a glimpse of those sunsets (even if only via the screen of the person in front's phone) can confirm that such a private view is the ultimate luxury here, it's not only your outdoor space which is uncharacteristically roomy for Santorini.
Unlike its neighbours, who have little choice but to squeeze their guests into whatever nook or cranny their portion of the cliff face offers up, Andronis Concept's rooms feel open and spacious with its impressive architectural aesthetic continuing all the way through to the black stone bathrooms.
If you can tear yourself away from your sun lounger, even momentarily, you'd be wise to visit the Kallos Spa at the heart of the hotel (and even wiser to try the Rest & Calm Ritual treatment which takes you, quite literally, on a physically meditative journey from head to toe).
With a waiting space in the reception twice the size of most of the island's biggest restaurants, you're treated to such impressive sea views via the floor-to-ceiling windows that you're almost hoping your therapist might be held up for a moment while you soak up your surroundings.
And the dedicated focus on wellness doesn't end there, with most dishes on the menu at the hotel's beautiful Throubi restaurant low in fat and free from refined sugar. While that may not scream holiday indulgence, their own claim to be where “high end gastronomy meets well balanced nutrition” is, in fact, spot on.
With more than enough shellfish and white fish options to keep my seafood-obsessed fiancé occupied, I quickly began such an intense love affair with a wagyu striploin, parsnip puree and aged ‘tsipouro’ (brandy) sauce dish that I totally missed a proposal happening on the table next to us.
Because, while Andronis Concept might look very different to other hotels in Santorini, it encapsulates every inch of the island's inexplicable and innate sense that you are somewhere truly special; somewhere you'll never forget. And it seems that whether your walls are whitewashed or concrete, you're never more than five metres away from a life-changing moment of romance.
Prices start at £443/night for last minute summer bookings. Flights are available from major UK airports.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
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