My wife and I had a wonderful few days in Oia (pronounced “Ee-a”), using Maria’s Argithea Studio as a base.
The cave house was comfortable, more spacious than it looked on the photos, with the most wonderful views from the veranda. There is a little church below, which enhances the view. One morning the “passing traffic” woke us up: donkeys were carting freight up the steps. How charming!
The concept of a cave house is also intriguing: a house carved in the soft volcanic rock, cool in summer and warm in winter. Although you have neighbouring houses quite close, you don’t hear the neighbours through the thick rock walls. Although, I must say, there were many unoccupied cave houses around us when we visited (end April), which made the place feel special and secluded.
Maria and her assistant (similarly named Maria), were extremely helpful. Maria 1’s approach is to offer Maria 2’s assistance as a “concierge” – but, although not physically there, she was only one WhatsApp message away. An example of their helpful approach: We left my wife's sneakers at a winery on the far south of the island , by accident. We asked if they could assist. "No problem", they said, and the sneakers were delivered the next day. Luck Maria 1 was going towards the south anyway!
The only aspect that detracted from the wonder of the place – that there we practically no locals, with most of Oia now only used for holiday accommodation.
However, we’d love to visit again!