We never doubted where to stay in Santorini, we imagined this carefully! Spending the night in the cave house, our private one in Santorini was a huge dream. We knew it had to be in Oia, the most picturesque place on the island. When the dreams of Santorini have started becoming reality we began hunt of a perfect place no matter the cost, and we came across Aqua & Terra Santorini in Oia. If you wonder where to stay in Santorini that might be a perfect place, but let us tell you more about it…
Finding an accommodation in Oia that will not empty your wallet is a real challenge. We had it a little easier because we were going to Santorini during the pandemic at the very end of reason. On the other hand it meant less places to choose from. After searching long hours, we came across the Aqua & Terra facility, which was exactly what we needed.
Aqua & Terra Santorini – Where to stay in Santorini
When looking for accommodation we had few main points to be ticked. Beautiful view of Oia, must be a cave house and private hot tube is essential. Oia is overrun by tourists, so privacy is also important to us, as it turned out that Aqua & Terra Santorini provided the full package!
Aqua & Terra Santorini are private “apartments”, the owners have 3 such properties. Two of the apartments are right on the promenade, the one we stayed in is a bit further away -from the house we saw their other apartments, but this is not a typical hotel with a reception and restaurant.
We decided on the most expensive option, i.e. a house with two bedrooms (the place can be rented for 5 people), although we did not need that much. Why was it a good decision? The other two apartments, due to the proximity of the promenade, have much less privacy, and the entrances to them and the jacuzzi are quite close, so you spend time near your neighbours.
Our Aqua & Terra suite was really well equipped. We had a large living room where we had all the stuff out and an open bedroom connected to it. The bathroom was really beautiful, “cave” decorated. In addition, we also had a kitchen with a refrigerator and a microwave in which we made breakfast, there was also a coffee machine and capsules. In front of the entrance there is a small terrace overlooking Oia, as well as a jacuzzi. The jacuzzi steps led up to a second, larger terrace with sun loungers.
Two things that we particularly appreciated in this place are the view – a really beautiful one of Oia and caldera! The view from the hot tube is not obstructed by anything, while sitting in it you look directly at the town and sea. However, it is worth adding that the apartment is facing the east, you will not see the sunset from there, and in the afternoon the hot tube will not be too sunny (the water is, fortunately, gently heated).
The second thing we valued very much was privacy. To get to the apartment, you had to go through a closed gate (unfortunately they do not stop all nosy tourists) and walk a bit, so that unwanted guests did not bother us.
For two nights at Aqua & Terra Santorini, we paid 360 euros without breakfast. It is not small amount, but as it turns out, we managed to find a great price anyway. Checking different months, it turns out that we would have to pay 2 or 3 times more for two nights in the same place… We know that it is a lot of money, but in our opinion it is worth deciding on such an expense at least once in your life and experiencing it at least once by yourself!
Where to stay in Santorini?
If you are wondering where to stay in Santorini, but the prices in Oia are above your budget, we recommend you look around in Imerovigli, which is close to Oia and has a nice selection of hotels and the prices are more affordable. The cheapest white town is the capital of the island of Fira, a great starting point if you do not plan to rent a car – buses depart from Fira to every corner of the island!
If you are looking for different, unusual accommodation in other parts of Europe, we invite you to our post about Casa Bioclimaticas in Tenerife.
