“Barefoot summers in sun kissed shoulders and denim cut-offs. Dawn fishing trips and late nights counting the stars. Cliff-diving, skinny-dipping, tomato-picking, wine- harvesting and fish grilling on a black sand beach. Time moving in slow motion, like a tuft of cloud drifting across the horizon. These are the kind of memories you could take home with you after visiting Cycladica: this simple, elemental slow living, Greek style. A way of life defined by lightness, simplicity, and freedom.
Cycladica is an expression of its owners’ respect for the culture, architecture and environment of the Greek islands. From cave houses in Santorini to a magical cottage in the heart of Athens and an upcoming project in Sikinos, all the properties share an amazing location, the family’s appreciation of heritage and craftsmanship and an easy-going atmosphere that radiates effortless hospitality and the warmth of Greek summer.
Yannis was born in Oia. His father opened one of the first hotels in the village, so hospitality is his second nature. Laskarina’s mother came to Santorini in the 1960s as an architecture student. It was the start of a lifelong love affair with the island and its architecture, restoring historic buildings and mapping the time-worn footpaths.
Together they spent every summer of their lives in Santorini — and plenty of winters too, hosting friends, and friends of friends, and finally guests from all over the world in traditional houses that they restored by hand.
The extraordinary cave houses of Cycladica in Oia, carved out of the cliffs high above the volcanic caldera, seem to melt into the horizon. Originally designed as the owners’ summer houses, the cliffside property was renovated with the help of local craftsmen well-versed in the secrets of Santorini’s unique architecture. Cool and calm in the shades of sand and earth, the spare interiors let the organic, tactile architecture take centre stage, whereas fluid forms, neutral tones, and eclectic antiques create a soothing backdrop for the mind-blowing views.
Ode to the traditional Cycladic architecture, the spacious cave houses are full of character, atmosphere and authenticity, manifesting the owners’ appreciation for originality, simplicity and unpretentious luxury.
Likewise, the cottage in one of the tiniest, oldest and most charming neighbourhoods of Athens, in Anafiotika, was meticulously brought back to life using natural materials and age-old techniques — just like the artisans from Anafi island, who built the house over a century ago.
In Cycladica you can discover a different Greece from an insider’s point of view and hospitality that feels like home. As locals, Laskarina & Yannis will show you the hidden gems of one of the world’s most famous islands and help you cut through the glamour of modern Athens to find its rough-edged, romantic soul. So you won’t put a foot wrong.”
