Oia, Santorini, Greece
Katikies Kirini Santorini
Star of Santorini
What it is
A 26-suite clifftop retreat overlooking the Aegean that combines expected Cycladic architecture with modernist touches (wine tasting galore).
What it isn't
Open all year. Kirini snoozes in the winter months (who wants to see Santorini in the rainy season anyway?).
What we think
Grecian Gods would check-in here for some much-deserved R&R, if they could—it’s every bit worthy of mythic lore. The bite-sized property of just 26 rooms means guests are doted on just as Aphrodite would expect, with butlers, 24-hour room service and maid service twice a day (plus that all-too-necessary amenity no one talks about: icebox-cold air conditioning). Each white-on-white, highly Instagrammable suite comes with a private veranda overlooking the 3-millennial-year-old caldera partially submerged in the shimmering Aegean below; it’s worth upgrading to a suite with an outdoor jacuzzi. The iPod docking station, satellite tv and free Wi-Fi will likely languish unused during your entire stay. You’re in GREECE, and infinity pools and a holistic spa with a rainshower cabin await. What could be more divine?
You're here because
Both breakfast and regular wine tastings are gratis. This is vacay—why pull out your wallet every five minutes?
The Moment
Food tastes better al fresco, but BEST in an outdoor restaurant flanking an infinity pool that seems to stretch into the Aegean itself. The menu here has you literally salivating...will you opt for duck with hazelnut and strawberry lime sauce? Or scallops with pumpkin, kumquat and smoked olive oil? One more shot of ouzo and you’re liable to order it all, and you won’t regret it.
Location
On Santorini, on the village of Oia’s Main Street. Here, you’re just a 20 minute drive from Santorini International Airport and a seven minute drive from Oia Castle, reportedly the island’s best spot for a sundowner (though we’d wager your private terrace trumps it).