Collection
Santorini is really two islands in one, the busy caldera towns of Fira and Oia, and the quieter, more authentic villages of the south. This is a short, honest guide to two very different stays: Rockside Villa, a traditional Cycladic villa in the castle village of Emporio with a private rooftop jacuzzi, and Katikies Santorini, an iconic caldera hotel in Oia.
★ 4.96 · 181 reviews on Airbnb
A renovated Cycladic villa that sleeps four, with a private rooftop jacuzzi over the village and the sea. Real village life, cobbled lanes, and a fraction of caldera-front prices. It comes with its own narrated audio guide.
See the villaA curated pick, one we admire
The classic Santorini postcard: whitewashed suites carved into the cliff, infinity pools and sunsets over the caldera in Oia. A splurge, and an icon. Book direct on the hotel's own site.
Visit the hotel
Oia and Fira, on the caldera, have the famous sunsets and the blue domes, but also the crowds and the highest prices on the island. The south, around Emporio, Perissa and Perivolos, is calmer and more local: the medieval castle village of Emporio, black-sand beaches a few minutes away, and archaeological sites like Ancient Thera and Akrotiri close by.
If you want the postcard and do not mind the price, a caldera hotel like Katikies is hard to beat. If you would rather have quiet, space, real village life and a private rooftop tub for a fraction of the cost, a village villa like Rockside is the smarter stay. Either way, you book straight with the property.