Canaves Epitome is the Canaves family’s house away from the caldera cliff. Built in 2018, expanded 2023, it now holds 53 suites and villas on open ground at the northwestern edge of Oia, each with a pool of its own. Above Ammoudi, outside Oia, it has what the cliff cannot give: gardens, two full-size infinity pools and villas of a size no cave room will reach.
The house calls itself the only property on Santorini with both sea and sunset views from every room. The terraces and the two main pools look west over the open Aegean, with the caldera in view as well. In Oia the sunset is watched from the alleyways, the rooftops and the ground around the castle; here every suite and villa faces it already. Floor-to-ceiling glass and large outdoor rooms run through every category.
The ground
The centre of Oia is 2 kilometres off, and the house runs a complimentary shuttle to Oia and to Ammoudi on request, a ride of about two minutes. Its own private helipad is five minutes’ drive away, and the concierge arranges airport and port transfers. Parking is complimentary, self or valet. Because the buildings do not run into the cliff, the house says the ground is easier for guests who find stairs difficult, which is unusual in Oia.
What K-Studio drew
K-Studio drew the architecture, and it sets itself against the island’s whitewash. Volcanic stone, grey-toned finishes, timber and earthy textures carry the buildings instead. Large arches read as the kanava, the cave cellar that once stored and aged Santorini’s wine. Stone walls shelter the private terraces from the island’s winds and frame the sea.
The name comes from those same cellars. Yiannis and Anna Haidemenos turned two 17th-century wine caves into a small hotel in the mid-1980s, and their sons Markos and Alexandros Haidemenos took the company over in 2010. Rather than build another hotel on the cliffs, the family put a full-scale resort on the other side of Oia, a decision Markos Haidemenos has described as a long-term investment in privacy, outdoor space and quiet.
The gardens
The garden carries over 150 plant species, indigenous flora among them, with century-old olive trees brought in from the Peloponnese. Planting on this scale is rare on a dry island, and here it does the work walls would otherwise do, screening one terrace from the next. The two main infinity pools sit in the middle of it, one busier and set up for families, the other quieter. The house puts its rooftop pool at 8,600 square feet and calls it the largest on the island. There is a children’s pool as well, and a kids’ programme run by Worldwide Kids for ages 4 to 12, with clay sculpture, illustration, treasure hunts and yoga classes.
The suites and villas
Every suite and villa has a private plunge pool or a swimming pool, and the in-room pools are heated all year: about 32 °C in the plunge pools, 28 °C in the private pools. The two main pools are not heated, which the house puts down to their size. The smallest category is the Deluxe Suite with Plunge Pool at 42 sq m, sleeping three. The largest is the Five Bedroom Villa: 550 sq m, five bedrooms, sleeps 14, with a 70 sq m pool, an outdoor heated jacuzzi, 450 sq m of outdoor living and a butler on request.
Elements and Omnia
The kitchen is Elements, executive chef Tassos Stefatos cooking modern European with Greek inflections across degustation menus, with a sommelier pairing by the glass. It serves 7.30pm to 11pm and closes on Mondays, the dress code is smart elegant, and the Experience Tables sit out on a floating deck above an infinity pool. Omnia is the second restaurant, arranged around a pool used as a stage, and leans on fresh local fish and other catch from the archipelago. Suites take in-room dining, and a villa can have a barbecue laid on in its own grounds. Wellness is a fitness centre and a small spa, with treatments available in the room.
Who is this for
Couples and families who want Oia within reach and quiet at the end of the day, and groups large enough to take a whole villa. Walkways, courtyards and terraces run level here, screened by olive and lavender rather than cut into the rock. Children are welcome at any age, and the flat ground lets them move about on their own. The house keeps a high ratio of staff to guests. Most of the day can pass inside the gates.
