As far as destination spots go, I believe the Cyclades have not only the most astonishing views, but also the most beautiful architecture. My personal experience was with Santorini, Greece.
My family stayed in the village of Oia, which is located on a mountain. The car service was only able to take us so far into the town; from there, we lugged our suitcases through the paved streets to the Dionyssos Cave House. In order to reach this house, our family weaved through the narrow streets of Oia with the homeowner, passing houses on both sides. Because these houses were carved out of the mountain’s volcanic rock, the houses are not spaced with any rhyme or reason. It felt like a fairytale neighborhood.
View. 
Rooftop Terrace. 
My Bathroom.
To provide you with a mental picture of the layout of our cave house, you walked through double doors into a small courtyard with a table and stairs. The stairs were steep and narrow, with the steps measuring about two feet wide and two feet tall. These stairs led to the upstairs room and the lounging deck on the roof. We would spend our evenings here looking out at the town lights and the ocean. My grandma, who was born in Greece, would teach us the language and tell us stories of her childhood. Inside the house, there were stone floors and curved ceilings in nearly all rooms. My bathroom in particular was a deep shade of blue and felt particularly cave-like. The builder of this home seamlessly incorporated natural elements such as raw stone and the mountain’s curvature while creating a clean, modern space.
Cycladic architecture is characterized by the blue and white colors that give a nod to the Greek flag and create a harmony with the sea. The white color of the buildings reflected the sunlight during the day, making Oia feel even more like heaven on earth. The elegant domes atop chapels are covered in the deepest blue. To pull everything together, the doors were predominantly painted shades of blue, and adorned with small pink flowers. The beauty of the Cyclades will live on in both my memory and my camera roll!
