Hotel Review: Katikies in Santorini - Fabulous!

The Katikies Hotel in Oia, Santorini has the appearance of marshmallow fluff dripping down the side of the volcano's cliff, painted all in white and reflecting the sun's rays almost blindingly. When we arrived, I got out of the car and looked around for the hotel. Instead, I found a tall, tan, attractive guy dressed in white linen who deftly swung my huge suitcase over his shoulder, grabbed my husband's bag in his free hand, and disappeared down a white staircase seemingly into the caldera's depths.

The Katikies, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, is carved into the cliffside below street level. We came to figure out that the reason all the staff was young and tan was not that they had some age or looks discrimination policy, but that you simply must be extremely fit to hike the stairs all day in the bright sun.

We were served champagne upon arrival, greeted by the general manager, and given a guided tour of the property before being dropped off at our junior suite, with an amazing view of the caldera from our terrace. The spacious room decorated in cool blues and antiques was split into an eating and sitting area and bedroom, with an arched wall separating a small table and antique bench from the bed and bathroom. Although the bathroom was significantly smaller than the one we experienced at the Elounda Mare, it was equipped with a jacuzzi tub (this time with a shower curtain and shower hose at normal height) and luxurious Bvlgari bath products. The closet was a good size, but only had a small set of drawers in it that wouldn't be enough for a longer stay. The tv was super-tiny, but there was a CD player equipped with a disc of relaxing music. Breakfast was room-service, served daily on our private terrace.

Some of the Katikies' celebrity-style perks that aren't mentioned on the web site:

- Greek new-age music not your bag? There are more CD's for the in-room player, at your request.

- Forgot your iPOD? Not a problem, they'll loan you one.

- Finished your book already? Leave it in their library and swap it for another one to read during your stay.

- Can't stay away from your e-mail but don't have your laptop? There's one in the library with free wireless internet (and there's free wireless throughout the hotel if you're silly enough to bring your computer on vacation).

The property boasts three pools, and we spent our time at the main infinity pool which clings to the cliffside. Below it is a jacuzzi with a large canopy bed for lounging (ahem). Another smaller infinity pool and a freezing cold one cut into a cave were only seen on our tour. We were also told about a semi-private indoor jacuzzi with a DND sign you could hang on the door. Something about that just wasn't very appealing to us...

While I appreciate a door being held open for me, I can pull my chair up to the table and open up my own napkin, thanks. So I was a bit thrown off by the extremely attentive service at the Katikies. I felt they had our eyes on us and the second our lunch was finished, it was wisked away. At the pool, we simply headed towards a chair and a towel was fluffed and umbrella put up. No sooner did my husband have a quizzical look on his face as he tried to lower the lounge chair than a pool staff member was on hand to do it for him. If you're not used to this amount of attention, it takes getting used to.

As we expected, dinner at the hotel was extremely expensive, but we splurged one night and ate at the formal, outdoor Katikies Restaurant. The food was delicious but we had to eat fast because it was so cold outside. Walk up and out of the hotel and you'll find many less expensive meal options.

Overall, our four nights at the Katikies were fabulous! It was definitely a celeb-style experience very appropriate for a honeymoon or super-special vacation.