It’s been a dream of mine to stay in a cave house overlooking the caldera in Oia, Santorini since first visiting the island 20 years ago.
Due to Oia’s popularity with honeymooners and luxury travellers finding something that fit the bill for our family of 3 was no easy task but I couldn’t believe my luck when I stumbled across Pano Meria Cave House on Airbnb.
I honestly think this cave house is the most beautiful place to stay in Oia; it’s certainly the best within this price bracket. (We paid £330 per night in July 2025 for 3 people, which is up to a third cheaper than some of the luxury hotels we considered.)
Waking up to enjoy breakfast on our private terrace, soaking in the covered plunge pool while the sky turns pink and enjoying all the beauty of Oia before/after the cruise ships crowds fill the streets was really special.
The accommodation
Situated in the earliest inhabited part of the village of Oia, Pano Meria is a traditional cave house that was built in the 1400s and has been renovated with style and consideration. Hosted by locals Vasilis, Gill and Emily, who own a number of old Oia cave houses and a restaurant, we could not have had a better stay thanks to their hospitality and insider tips.
The delightfully cool cave house sleeps up to 3 with a double bed tucked into the deepest part of the cave and an extra-long sofa that also converts into a bed in the living room.
It was very handy to have our own kitchenette, including a fridge filled with complimentary wine, water, orange juice and jams to enjoy with the fresh loaf of bread that was delivered every morning.
The house was both larger and cosier than I expected, it was plenty big enough for 3 of us and the aesthetics were on point for this lover of organic materials and neutral tones.
The location
Location-wise, the cave house is a short walk from Oia post office parking, which is where we hopped in taxis or parked our hire car. The hosts offer transfers and porter service so when we checked in we were collected from the port and escorted to the house and 2 strong men kindly carried our luggage. (The transfer from the port cost 40 Euros and we tipped the porters 10 Euros each.)
The house is found approx. 2 flights of stairs below the main street of Oia and during our 3 night stay barely anyone came past the terrace, which was something I was worried about. We felt like we were in our own little resident’s bubble with the day tripper crowds passing by out of sight above us and uninterrupted views in front of us.
Rather handily the house is also located only a 2-minute walk from Oia Castle, the most famous spot in Santorini to watch the sun set into the ocean. Rather than battle the crowds who reserve spots near the castle hours in advance, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner and drinks on our balcony and then I popped up to the castle 2 minutes before sunset. I got to watch this magic moment, and hear the crowd’s applause, and then ducked back to our quiet bubble, avoiding the streams of people heading back towards the car park.
Things to do in Santorini
Emily and Gill also sent us an amazing guide book with all their top recommendations in Santorini. We enjoyed meals with fabulous views at Lotza (their own restaurant) and Thalami, and had a delicious a takeaway gyros from Niko’s Place when we wanted to be budget-friendly.
We also, on their recommendation, booked a free pool day pass at beachfront boutique hotel Colombo’s Beachfront. This was the perfect way to enjoy a laidback day with our little one. The hotel is only a 10-minute drive from Oia but felt like a world away.
We enjoyed delicious coffees and a poolside lunch and the hotel kindly only charged us for what we had consumed during the day, which came to a total of 35 Euros. (I recommend contacting the hotel to check availability and prices, a minimum spend may apply in peak season.)
I will write in more detail about what we did in Santorini but we also hired a car for 2 days to explore the island and returned the car to the airport in order to avoid paying for an airport transfer.
Some of our highlights include:
Megalochori – A beautiful whitewashed town with an iconic bell tower & no queues for photos!
Pyrgos – The highest village in Santorini has a cool breeze & is crowd-free. We had a delicious brunch at Brusco and enjoyed sweet treats at Kantoni Sweetery but I’ve heard the Venetian Castle is also a great spot to watch sunset.
Ammoudi Bay – Found 300 steps below Oia, you can skip the hike & hop in a free shuttle bus if you visit one of the waterfront tavernas for lunch or dinner.
Akrotiri – These prehistoric ruins are the Aegean’s answer to Pompeii and yet hardly anyone knows about them.
Three Bells of Fira – This photospot in Firastefani had far less crowds than the blue domes in Oia.
Social media is rife with posts about how Santorini is overcrowded and overrated but if you ask me these people just didn’t do it properly! We truly had a bucket list stay at Pano Meria cave house in Oia. I’d definitely recommend booking it for next year while they still have availability.
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