Viewpoint Villas

Viewpoint Villas is perfectly positioned within an ultra-luxury hotel, suite, and villa complex, complete with an award-winning spa, restaurant, and six swimming pools. The villa is set on a craggy hillside, overlooking the beautiful Ammoudi Bay, north of Oia, on the Cycladic Greek island of Santorini, in the azure waters of the Aegean Sea. The villa is a scenic thirty-minute drive from Santorini’s International Airport and a forty-five minute from the port of Athinios. The nearest beach is a fifteen-minute walk to Ammoudi Bay, Baxedes and Coloumbo are a short drive, and the must-see red and white beaches are a thirty-minute journey across the island.

The old town of Oia is rather magical, a fishing village with a maze of colourful lanes populated with exclusive boutiques, which lead down to the harbour. Seek solace in the iconic Greek Orthodox churches, tilt at windmills, visit the Naval Museum, cliff-dive off Ammoudi Bay, then enjoy freshly caught seafood at a beachfront taverna, and stay for the famous sunsets. Hike the nine-kilometre trail of the Caldera edge, until you get to the capital town of Fira, on the west coast. In Fira town centre choose from the Santorini Wine Museum, the Archeological Museum of Thera, the Museum of Prehistoric Fira, or the Tomato Museum. Take a walk up the top of Thera Mountain, where you can explore the ancient city ruins, and admire the views from the world’s only sunken caldera. Enjoy a boat trip to the uninhabited islet of Nea and Palia Kameni, an active volcano, with a path of black lava rock, smoking craters, and sulphurous hot springs.

Visit the village of Pyrgos, in the foothills of Mount Profitis, surrounded by vineyards that produce the highly prized Assyrtiko white wines. Take a trip back in time as you walk down the medieval alleyways, populated with tavernas and wine bars, art galleries and gift shops, a museum that showcases traditional island life, and one that is home to religious relics in the former Agia Triada chapel. Visit Akrotiri, a prehistoric city dating back to Neolithic times, that was believed to be the first settlement on the island. For more recent history, The Arygyros Mansion has guided tours of this neo-classical, Venetian merchant’s home. Santorini hosts an annual film festival, and the twice-daily film screenings at the alfresco Cine Kamari are not to be missed.

The island is renowned for its fabulous wines, most especially the crisp dry whites, take a tour of one of the many vineyards, and take a bottle home with you. The Cycladic architecture, the blue domes, and the most stunning sunsets are what the island is famous for, and to help you capture those memories, you can take a photography tour. If you can bear to tear yourself away from this most mystical of destinations, spend a day island hopping, swimming, and snorkelling in the Aegean Sea, enjoying a meal of Greek meze on board, or simply sunbathing, and watching the sunset as you sail back into the harbour.

Read more about Oia and the Caldera

Capture that picture-perfect shot of white-washed houses, windmills and terraces backed by the incredible caldera. Fairytale style Oia is on the north-western tip of Santorini Island and is also famed for its romantic sunset as the charming village glows in hues of pink, purple, orange and yellow.

In a perched position with rugged cliffs below, the pedestrianised village of Oia is utterly enchanting. Explore the narrow lanes with boutiques, souvenir shops, cave houses and taverna terraces, follow twisting cobbled staircases and come across glimpses of the famous blue domes of Agios Spyridon Church, the ruins of Agios Nikolaos Castle and the glistening water.

The most energetic of guests can brave the steep steps down to Ammoudi Bay, a charming little fishing village with tavernas serving fresh seafood by the water’s edge. There’s a little rocky bay within a short hike where you can sit and watch courageous tourists jump from the cliffs as yachts sail by.

Visitors from across the island gather on Oia’s iconic terraces at sunset. To avoid the crowds, there are many other beautiful places where you can get the perfect photo as evening nears – book a sunset cruise or a kayaking excursion, venture up to Mávro Vounó Hill or discover another spot along the rugged western coast facing the caldera and its islands.  

Beyond Oia, discover the most stunning vistas of the caldera by following the 10km long hiking path to Fira, walking along the rim of the caldera with the steep volcanic cliffs below, gazing out towards the volcanic islands. The sunken caldera is one of the oldest natural wonders of the world, formed during a devastating volcanic eruption in the Minoan era. Pack good walking shoes (some parts of the trail are more challenging than others), plenty of water and head off early or late to avoid the heat of the midday sun – the scenery is absolutely incredible (especially heading back towards the north-west at sunset).

As you approach the end of the hike, stop off in Imerovigli and climb the village steps for views of domes, belltowers and bougainvillea-clad terraces, again backed by the captivating caldera, then continue on to Fira, the welcoming capital of Santorini Island.