Katikies Kirini Santorini

Katikies Kirini Santorini

Walk a few minutes from central Oia and the crowds thin, the cliffside path leads to Katikies Kirini Santorini, a 26-room member of the Leading Hotels of the World near the Naval Museum, Oia Castle and Katharos Beach. Every room here is a suite: the Superior Double comes with its own jacuzzi and stretches past 430 square feet, while even the smaller Junior Suite runs to 323 square feet, both with full double beds, private bathrooms, safes and mirrors that suggest someone thought about how a woman travelling for more than a weekend actually lives out of a suitcase. What sets it apart from the caldera-view hotels crowding the same cliffside is a diving club and snorkelling on site, a rarity in a town built for sunset photography rather than actual time in the water. Days can run from a sauna and spa session to the pool, then a coffee in the cafe, then dinner at the restaurant or a drink at the bar. There is a conference hall for anyone who needs to mix work with the view, parking for those who drove up the island, and a concierge who will arrange the airport transfer. Children under 13 are not accepted, and groups of four rooms or more must go through the reservations department directly, so this suits couples, solo travellers who want quiet, or small adult parties more than families. It does not suit anyone chasing a bargain, given the suite-only layout and the exclusivity that comes with only 26 rooms on the property. Twenty-six suites on the Oia cliffside, each with its own layout, near the Naval Museum and Katharos Beach, plus a rare-for-Santorini diving club. Children under 13 are not accepted, so it suits couples and small adult groups more than families.