Katikies Santorini

Katikies helped define the modern image of Santorini: a cascade of whitewashed, cave-style suites tumbling down the caldera cliff at Oia, connected by winding staircases and bridges, everything painted the blinding white and sea blue that made the island a global icon. The hotel grew from the island's traditional cave dwellings rather than being imposed on them, which gives it an organic intimacy the newer cliff resorts rarely achieve.

Suites are sculpted and curved in the Cycladic manner—built-in beds, smooth plaster, private terraces—and nearly all face the caldera, the volcano and the open Aegean. Several tiers of infinity pools hang from the cliff at different levels, so a quiet ledge with a view is never far. The atmosphere is adult, hushed and unapologetically romantic; this is honeymoon territory, and the hotel leans into it.

Dining runs from breakfast delivered to caldera-view terraces to refined Mediterranean tasting menus at the hotel's intimate restaurants, with cocktails timed to Oia's world-famous sunset. The village's galleries and blue-domed churches begin just outside, though the crowds that gather each evening are the price of the location. For the postcard Santorini, executed with polish, Katikies remains the benchmark in Oia.