Ikies Santorini

Set into the caldera cliff at the edge of Oia, IKIES occupies a row of cave houses stacked one above the other, each one facing the volcanic rock and open water below. The site was once home to Captain's houses, built by shipmasters and hollowed into the cliff in the local yposkafa style to withstand winter storms and earthquakes. Restoration began in 1993 under architect Adam Kostikas, and the property opened in 1999 with six houses. Four more joined in 2004, wider in their layout, and two further cave houses were added by 2020, one later split into two separate suites. Fourteen houses, villas and suites make up the collection today. Each has its own balcony and a mix of indoor and outdoor sitting areas. Terraces run wide enough for private dining, and from most of them you can watch the sun drop behind the volcano without leaving your room. Breakfast is brought to the terrace each morning. Housekeeping comes twice daily. Materials throughout keep to whitewashed stone and timber, the traditional Cycladic palette, with the uniform shapes of the houses left to set off the caldera view rather than compete with it. A small wellness programme runs alongside the rooms, covering yoga, Pilates, aromatherapy and reflexology. It is a compact stay, built into rock that has held houses here for centuries.