Inside Katikies Santorini, the Hotel You’re Probably Picturing When You Think of the Greek Isles

What travelers now know as Katikies Santorini—and one of the island’s most glamorous hideaways—has actually been around since 1987, when it first opened with just three rooms and a pool. Halfway down the hillside, wedged between the village of Oia and the sea, Nikos Pagonis built the fledgling hotel in the black and vermilion volcanic rock, where it stood out like a bright white Easter lily. Over the next 38 years, the property grew slowly up the mountain to meet the road. Today, you step right off that pedestrian-only street, past the gossiping taxi drivers and sunset-chasing vacationers, and start down the staircase, slowly finding your way to three pools, a spa cave and 34 honeycomb-chamber suites, all with water views. (Photo courtesy of Katikies Santorini.)

Stay Here For

That quintessential Cyclades experience: caldera views, dizzying heights and a jumble of smooth-sided white buildings tumbling down the hillside.

“Excuse me, this is a private area” is a phrase you get used to hearing at Katikies Santorini. The line isn’t directed toward guests, but rather delivered (gingerly) to selfie-seeking visitors. At night the staff puts up signs and closely monitors comings and goings, but during the day, a few nonguests might sneak up the stairs, cameras ready—anything for the shot, right?

And we can’t fault them. The view is mesmerizing, everything Santorini promises: the bottomless blue of the sea, the almost surreal bone-white curves of the hotel, all pitched at an angle that bends gravity like an optical illusion. Katikies built an entire portfolio on the back of this panorama; the privately owned brand has five properties across the island, plus one on Mykonos, but this is the flagship, and its icon status endures for a reason.

With its sapphire-hued sitting chairs, a library wall of books and gracious front-desk agents, the snug reception area is your first stop down the steps. Once you cross that threshold, the resort really belongs just to you and your fellow travelers. A maximum of 68 guests (nearly all of them couples) share this exclusive hillside, and while the location’s vertiginous geography keeps the public spaces petite, the low guest count means you don’t need to stress about making a reservation at Botrini’s Santorini weeks in advance or play save-the-pool-chair at the crack of dawn. Soon, you’ll start to recognize the other occupants of this luxurious bubble: their accents (Dutch, Australian, Scottish, Texan), but also their preferred fashion labels and even their timepiece brands. (You’ll know ’em when you see ’em.)

The Room

The curving walls and all-white interiors make the suites ultra-bright and airy. (Photo courtesy of Katikies Santorini.)

Sinuous lanes and switchback steps branch off the central staircase, each leading to one of the 34 accommodations at Katikies Santorini. The introductory suites, which start at 323 square feet, cluster together in twos and threes, while the premier suites (up to 538 square feet) occupy more private landings along the property. While there are nine unique suite categories, every single one of these fashionable bolt-holes opens to a private veranda with caldera views. The majority have integrated hot tubs or sunken plunge pools, which glow turquoise, like the evil-eye pendants in every Oia souvenir shop.

While the sunlight seems to supercharge the whitewashed exteriors, rendering them nearly glowing and orb-like, the crisp interiors of the softly lit rooms—with velvet sofas, headboards, curtains, sconces and minibar cabinets all in white—have a cooling, celestial quality, nearly disappearing against a backdrop of smooth walls that meet arched ceilings in a kiss. The designers permitted some disruptions, namely the earthy hardwood floors and slatted wardrobe doors, and during a 2022 update, they went so far as to welcome pops of Santorini blue with the addition of throw pillows, striped blankets, night tables and accent chairs.

The bathrooms, also predominantly white, have a more modern edge, with sleek mirrors, chrome hardware and marble vanities crowned in vessel sinks. Higher-level suites have soaking tubs, others only showers, but all stock Bvlgari’s line of green-tea bath products.

The Features

Typical of Santorini, the hotel looks as if it’s cascading down the mountain.

Don’t miss: The Greek Terroirs wine pairing at Botrini’s Santorini. It adds €110 to the bill, but the genial staff pours freely and offers smart commentary with each selection, including a vivacious xinomavro (a native grape that drinks like nebbiolo) from the coldest wine-producing region in northern Greece, of the same name.

Favorite features: Each night at turndown, housekeeping leaves a little menu on the bed describing the selection of baked goods, jams and marmalades, cheese and charcuterie that will open breakfast in the morning. They change every day, themed to the various gastronomic traditions of the Cyclades, and may have you dreaming about flaky croissants laden with hazelnut praline.

Can’t stop thinking about: The views. Social media has spoiled a lot of wow moments in travel, but the caldera panoramas from every vantage point at Katikies Santorini leave an IRL impression that cannot be bested by any screen.

The Vibe

Katikies Santorini sits at the entrance to Oia, the most popular town on Santorini.

What you’re packing: There seems to be an unwritten rule in Oia that you should match the famously alabaster architecture. Bikinis, cabana shirts, caftans, slacks: Pack ’em all in shades of white, and remember to bring the bleach pen.

Bring your: Brand-new spouse. Katikies Santorini’s intimate size, en suite plunge pools and hot tubs, and two-tops perched at what feels like the edge of the world make it an enviable honeymoon destination.

The local hot spot: Where there are tourists—and there are many thronging Oia’s narrow, flower-lined alleyways—there are so-so restaurants to ensnare them. Brisk and casual Pitogyros, though, a five-minute walk from Katikies Santorini, is the rare spot where you’ll find locals and travelers alike on the shady patio. Get the heaping mixed grill, featuring two types of crackling sausage and spicy whipped feta.

The new word you’ll learn: Caldera, which is what you call the mostly flooded volcanic crater whose rim makes up Santorini and its sister islands. Formed by a massive eruption during the time of the Minoan civilization, circa 1600 B.C., the stunning 1,300-foot-deep lagoon and its crescent-shaped ridges form the only inhabited caldera in the world.

The village of Oia.

Fast Facts

• Number of rooms: 34
• Number of pools: 3
• Fitness center? No, though guests have access to the gym at sister property Katikies Kirini Santorini, about a seven-minute walk away
• Spa? Yes
• Salon? No
• Number of bars/restaurants: 4
• 24-hour room service? Yes
• Childcare and kids club? No