In the heart of old Oia, this magnificent village carved into the volcanic ashes more than 1,500 years ago, at one minute walking distance from the center and away from all the hustle and bustle of the main street, the Sunset Terrace Cave House offers you the essence of Santorini’s experience: tradition, comfort, relaxation, and the opportunity to witness the world-famous Oia landscape and sunset in the privacy of your own roof garden/terrace.
But what makes the Sunset Terrace Cave House so special, apart from its location and its unique architecture, is the history woven into its atmosphere, carved into its walls.
In the old times, the people of Oia dug their houses either underground or into the cliffs, to be protected from the harsh winters, the scorching summer sun, the earthquakes and the pirates who dominated the seas. This kind of architecture –truly bioclimatic before the word “bioclimatic” was even invented– makes the village a unique place on the planet! And Sunset Terrace is one of its original, traditional cave houses, with its rooms arranged around the courtyard, in the traditional way the houses and even the palaces were built since antiquity.
Sunset Terrace was built in 1827, six years after the beginning of the Greek revolution against the Turks. Throughout the duration of the revolution, people fought hard against the Turks and the pirates, and at the same time strived to build a roof over their heads to protect themselves and their families.
With the severe earthquake in 1956, all the houses built above the ground, even those of the richer people, called kapetanospita, collapsed. Sunset Terrace and other cave houses did not suffer any damage at all! In fact, it was in this very house that its owner, Mr. Varvarigos, who was then the Mayor of Oia, received Konstantinos Karamanlis, Minister of Public Works at the time and later Prime Minister of Greece, who had come to the island to inspect the very difficult situation after the earthquake. Actually, the meal offered to the Minister that day in this house consisted only of fried eggs. This meager meal shows thee dire condition of the island after the earthquake, and it was served on the very table that still stands in the house’s dining room!
This is the legacy that makes Sunset Terrace Cave House so special. And for all these reasons, all renovations were made keeping in mind that it has to be preserved exactly as it originally was! So come and be a part of this cave house’s history, enjoying all the comforts and splendors that it has to offer.
See more information about the Sunset Terrace Cave House on our website.
