When we chose Santorini as a beautiful place to relax on vacation we had no idea that Maria and her Helios Cave House would be so special. From the moment, we stepped out of our taxi we knew we were in for a treat. Maria, is not only a welcoming and kind person, but was also very detailed in all her communication with us. She had given us very specific directions to the Atlantis bookshop only steps away from where the taxi let us out but nevertheless, as first timers to the island, these directions were a blessing. Here, her fantastic caretaker, Sounnil, met us with his big warm smile. He then took our suitcases and led us down the many cobble stone steps to our Cave home for the next several days. There are no roads to the Cave Houses on the Caldera but no worries because Sounnil will carry everything for you and he’ll be smiling the entire way. And for the rest of our stay he was always there whenever we needed him - always smiling. We had arrived in the morning, hours before check-in but Maria and Sounnil took our bags, gave us refreshments and sent us on our way to discover the many fascinating shops and restaurants in Oia. Sounnil also took us to our own private Hot Tub terrace just a few minutes walk from Helios. Here there is a frig stocked with drinks and of course some of Santorini’s well known wine – all complementary. It was too hot for us to use the hot tub but we so enjoyed just hanging out relaxing on this terrace while we waited for check-in. We stayed at Helios for 5 nights and we can truly say that Maria and her staff exceeded any expectation we had. The service by Maria and her staff is truly extraordinary. Malini (maid extraordinaire) brought us an excellent breakfast each day of fresh fruit and traditional island fare and of course there is always fresh fruit, jams, honey, coffee, tea, water, and more provided all day each day. Each day Malini arrived to clean and even did our laundry one day! Helios Cave House is everything the site describes but so much more. Inside is just beautiful with all the modern conveniences including the luxurious deep red tulip tub which was the most wonderful way to relax after our day of hiking the Caldera from Oia to Fera, a 7-mile hike. And the bed – well we rarely sleep well but on this amazingly comfortable bed we had one of our best sleeps ever. There is even a white spiral staircase leading to a loft bedroom with yet another cozy bed. In the living room are two day beds which also serve as comfy couches to lounge on. We were on a relaxing mission and found it in this Cave House! The well-equipped cozy kitchen was most welcome and although we didn’t bother to cook (too many superb restaurants everywhere!)...