We had waited years to see Oia. The plunge-pool suite overlooking its caldera made three nights there one of the most unforgettable stays we've ever had.
Santorini was not an accidental addition to our April 2024 itinerary. It was one of the places I had most wanted to see, and once the flights to Istanbul opened up the possibility of travelling to Europe, I knew I wanted to spend real time in Oia.
That was the part of the plan I refused to compromise on. Athens was tempting. It was also where our Aegean flights would connect, both before and after Santorini. But squeezing an Athens stay into the same trip would have cost us time here or in Budapest. For once, the decision not to visit another city turned out to be the one I felt most strongly about afterward.
Arriving somewhere I had imagined for years
Our flight to Santorini on April 6, 2024 took us from Istanbul through Athens on Aegean Airlines Business Class. The connection was a necessary part of the route; Athens was not a destination we explored on this visit.
We were travelling near the beginning of Santorini's tourism season. Getting the regional flight dates to line up had required patience: our hotel was reserved before the connecting flights we needed were open for booking. I could not simply leave a desirable Oia stay until the last minute and hope the room we wanted would still be there.
Then we reached the hotel. I remember seeing the caldera from the property for the first time and being almost speechless. Photos had prepared me for the shape of the cliffs and the whitewashed buildings. They had not prepared me for what it would feel like to stand there and take it in.
Why the hotel was the point of the trip
We spent three nights at Canaves Oia Suites, staying in a Superior Suite with a plunge pool, with views across the caldera. We redeemed 105,000 World of Hyatt points in total for the stay—35,000 points per night on average.
This was exactly the room type we had booked, not an elite-status suite upgrade. I think that distinction matters when reading hotel reviews: the breathtaking setting was not something we received as an unexpected favour. It was the experience we had deliberately chosen.
The first time we walked into the room area and looked out over the pool and water was one of the most memorable moments of the entire holiday. I had imagined staying somewhere like this for years. Actually being there, looking across the caldera from our own terrace, made the expense in points feel justified in a way I could not have anticipated from a hotel listing.
Staying in Oia rather than visiting for a few hours also changed our relationship with the place. We could enjoy the views without trying to squeeze them into a single excursion. If we wanted to linger on the terrace, we did. There was no rush to get back to a coach or ferry.
The sunset we preferred to the famous viewpoint
Oia is famous for its sunset. We understood why, but my favourite way to watch it was not from the spot where everyone gathers for the postcard photograph.
One evening we enjoyed the sunset privately from the hotel. On another outing we made our way towards the well-known public viewpoint, only to find that people had been gathering there for some time. The area was already crowded and it felt futile to try to force our way into a good position.
That was the clearest illustration of what the hotel had given us. The view itself was beautiful in both places, but being able to experience it in peace was worth a great deal. I wouldn't suggest everyone needs to stay in an expensive suite to enjoy Santorini; I would say that staying in Oia at least overnight makes a very different kind of visit possible.
The caldera was just as compelling in daylight. As we moved around Oia and returned to the property, the water and buildings looked different with the light. We didn't need a packed excursion schedule to feel the days had been well spent.
Breakfast, long walks and the reality of those steps
We did not book elaborate tours in Santorini. We walked through Oia, returned to the hotel and enjoyed what was in front of us. That simplicity was intentional, not a lack of things to do.
Even ordinary food felt special because of the setting. Breakfast at the hotel, a welcome drink and food we picked up nearby all seemed improved by sitting down with the caldera in view. As vegetarians, we didn't come away with a transformative local-dining discovery here. The meal I remember most vividly was often the one accompanied by the best scenery.
The practical warning is the terrain. Oia's staircases, slopes and hills are no joke, and getting around on foot takes effort. We enjoyed walking, but I would never recommend the destination without warning someone that the climbs are part of the experience. The white buildings and steep paths may look effortless in photographs; they aren't always effortless to navigate.
A points stay from a partnership that no longer exists
At the time, Canaves Oia Suites was bookable with World of Hyatt points through its Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership. I held Globalist status and knew that Hyatt was losing the SLH partnership, so I made a conscious decision to book Canaves while the opportunity was still available. That is how we secured our three-night points stay in the Superior Suite with a plunge pool.
The Hyatt-SLH partnership ended on May 15, 2024, just weeks after our visit. We did not stumble into that redemption at the last moment: booking before the change was part of the plan. The same Hyatt redemption route is no longer available today.
I would also avoid portraying the room as free in any absolute sense. Redeeming points spared us the cash room rate, but those points had value and getting to the island involved flights and other costs. The opportunity was compelling because it changed the kind of stay we could reasonably choose, not because it eliminated every expense.
Would I go back?
Absolutely. Among the places we've visited, Oia is one of the few that not only met my high expectations but went beyond them. We stayed three nights, and that felt right for the way we wanted to enjoy it: long enough to appreciate the room, the village and the changing light, without forcing ourselves into activities simply to justify being there.
If I returned, I'd be curious to try Canaves Epitome, another property I'd heard good things about. But I would go back to Oia for the view alone. That is how deeply the place stayed with me.
My clearest recommendation is not about a particular points programme or hotel price. If Santorini is somewhere you have long wanted to see, stay in Oia rather than treating it as a half-day sightseeing stop. Even one night can give you an experience a rushed visit cannot.
We reached Santorini in the middle of an eight-night trip that started with a Turkish Airlines redemption and ended in Budapest. The trip's planning decisions deserve their own story, because they explain why we protected three nights in Oia at the expense of adding Athens.