Santorini · Stayed at Epitome
The Best Family Villa in Santorini
The Five-Bedroom and Three-Bedroom Pool Villas at Canaves Epitome: private pools and gardens, no age restrictions, and a real sunset into the Aegean.
Santorini · Stayed at Epitome
The Five-Bedroom and Three-Bedroom Pool Villas at Canaves Epitome: private pools and gardens, no age restrictions, and a real sunset into the Aegean.
Epitome is my favorite hotel across nine islands in the Cyclades, and its villas are the best place I know in Santorini for a family.
Here’s the problem with Santorini and kids: most of the top hotels are adults-only, or built into the caldera cliff with a lot of steps. Epitome has no age restrictions, and it sits a short walk from Oia near Ammoudi Bay, behind volcanic-rock walls and landscaped gardens. It feels like a world away from the crowds in Oia.
The two villas give a family what a suite can’t: room to spread out, your own pool, a private garden for the kids to run around in, and a terrace for dinner while they swim. You still have the whole hotel around you, from breakfast to the spa to Omnia, which was the best hotel restaurant I ate at across the entire trip.
And then there’s the sunset. Because you’re not tucked into the caldera bowl, you watch an actual sunset into the Aegean rather than the sun disappearing behind the cliff. It’s the best sunset in Greece, in my opinion, and you get it from your own terrace.
Epitome’s most exclusive stay, and the one I’d book for a multigenerational trip or two families traveling together. Bright, light-filled interiors spread over two levels, opening onto a private garden, a pool terrace, a heated jacuzzi and an outdoor area for sundowners and long dinners. It sleeps up to 14, with access to everything the hotel offers.
Epitome’s Two-Bedroom Pool Villa combined with a Hideaway Pool Suite, so you get a private haven over two stories with a garden and an open-air pool. The two-bedroom suites were already the star of my stay, so this is the version I’d book for parents with two or three kids.
I’ve stayed at Epitome and I know the Canaves team, so I’ll match you to the right villa for your group, time it to the right season and set everything up before you arrive. As a Fora advisor with a preferred partnership at Canaves, my clients receive Fora perks on eligible stays, like daily breakfast and a hotel credit, and rates are identical to booking direct.
In my opinion, the villas at Canaves Epitome. Epitome has no age restrictions, which is rare for a true luxury hotel on Santorini, and its Five-Bedroom Villa (up to 14 guests) and Three-Bedroom Pool Villa (up to 7) give a family a private pool, a private garden and real space, with a full hotel staff behind them.
Of everything I’ve seen across nine islands in the Cyclades, the Epitome villas are where I’d send a family with young kids first. You get villa privacy without giving up the hotel: Omnia for dinner, the spa, the gardens and the gardens.
Yes. Epitome has no age restrictions, so children are welcome in the villas and everywhere on the property. Many of Santorini’s luxury hotels are adults-only or built down steep caldera steps, so this matters more here than almost anywhere in Greece.
The Five-Bedroom Villa sleeps up to 14 guests. The Three-Bedroom Pool Villa sleeps up to 7. For a bigger group, the two can be combined with suites, or the whole hotel can be bought out.
About 550 square meters (5,920 sq ft) inside across two levels, plus 450 square meters (4,844 sq ft) outside, with a private garden, a terrace with an open-air pool, a heated jacuzzi and an outdoor dining area facing the sea.
Epitome’s Two-Bedroom Pool Villa combined with a Hideaway Pool Suite: about 170 square meters (1,830 sq ft) inside across two stories and 200 square meters (2,153 sq ft) outside, with a private garden, a pool terrace and sea views. It’s the right size for one family, or two couples.
No. Epitome sits a short walk from Oia near Ammoudi Bay rather than on the caldera cliff. That’s what gives it the space, the gardens and the sunset straight into the Aegean, and it’s a big part of why it works so well for families.
Rates vary a lot by season and length of stay, so ask me for your dates. I’ll check both villas, and the rest of the Canaves collection if it makes more sense for your group.
Canaves Sunday is my pick when a large group wants a whole property to itself in the middle of Oia: a ten-bedroom villa plus eight suites. For a family who wants a villa with a full resort around it, I’d choose Epitome.
Tell me your dates, who’s coming and the kids’ ages. I’ll check both villas and plan the rest of Greece around them.