Right place, right house, right host…

As my 16-year old daughter put it, we really lucked out here.

Imerovigli was, for us, the perfect location, sitting right on top of the caldera cliff edge that provides the iconic setting for most of the poster photos of Santorini - white houses tumbling down the edge of red and black volcanic cliffs, interspersed with blue-topped churches amidst dramatic sunrises and sunsets. A photographer’s dream! More important for those with limited time on the island, Imerovigli is centrally located, halfway between Fira and Oya and with easy access to both. And while home to some of the best restaurants on Santorini (Kapari Wine Restaurant, La Maison, Mezzo) it is much quieter than the other centres, making it possible to escape the hubbub of central Fira or the frenzied sunset seekers of Oya.

The Mardanza cave house also proved perfect for our needs: small but very adequate for four persons, clean, well furnished and kitted out for everything we required for breakfast, lunch and late evenings sitting outside looking at the amazing view. And this will undoubtedly be our recurring memory - what a view!

All the above made even more memorable by our favourite caveman and host, Marinos - who went way beyond the call of duty to make our stay as easy as possible: meeting us when we arrived and helping to carry our bags down the winding steps to the villa, giving us a map and recommendations for things to do, places to eat and how to get around. Armed with Marinos’ contact details (by WhatsApp) we were never far away from his advice and guidance, wherever we happened to be. At one point we asked his advice on a restaurant and, not only was he able to provide that, but he also recommended a good swimming spot close to the restaurant – the perfect travel companion! We really couldn’t have asked for more.

We certainly lucked out!