About us · since 1983
Who we are
We’re Kyrianna and Trudi Kavalari. Trudi comes from Switzerland; together we run Pension Atlas as a small family guesthouse — the kind of place we’d choose ourselves.
The pension has been in the family since 1983. We speak German, English, and Greek, and we still like meeting guests at the door when we can. If you need a transfer, a rental tip, or a taverna that isn’t only for tourists, ask — that’s part of the stay.
The pension Atlas is on the edge of Karterados, a short walk to the village bakery, shops, and tavernas. For the house, parking, and getting around, see The hotel.
- HostsTrudi & Kyrianna
- Family since1983
- LanguagesDE · EN · EL
- HomeKarterados
How it began
The most beautiful sunsets
Trudi first heard of Santorini in a Swiss classroom in the 1970s. Her teacher said the island had the most beautiful sunsets in the world — a place of pure magic. The idea stayed with her.
In her twenties, travelling with a friend to Greece, she finally had the chance to visit Santorini — and she did not think twice.
What began as a summer job became a life.
She stayed
Making a life on Santorini
When Trudi finally saw Santorini for herself, the island felt like home more quickly than she had planned. She stayed, found work in hotels, and learned the island’s seasons from the inside. She eventually started studying Greek and connect to the local society.
However, it wasn’t until she met Petros Kavalaris that the next chapter of Atlas began.
Petros & Atlas
A sailor who wanted to come home
Petros Kavalaris — Trudi’s late husband — was a sailor from Santorini who had spent decades at sea. He wanted to return to the island and build a life on shore again. Together they looked for a project that felt like theirs.
At first they actually wanted to build a nightclub (no joke). Then the idea softened into something quieter and more lasting: a guesthouse where visitors could sleep well and feel looked after — the kind of place they would have wanted after a long journey.
That became Pension Atlas, in the family since 1983. Not a caldera showpiece, but a village base near Fira — close enough for evenings out, calm enough to rest.
Family photos from those early years — Petros, Trudi, and the house as it began.
Today
Trudi and Kyrianna
Kyrianna grew up in the house — guests at breakfast tables, village life, the pool in high summer, the quieter rhythm when season slows. Atlas was never only a business; it was home with an open door.
In the 2020s Kyrianna took over the hotel. She and Trudi run it together now: the same languages, the same wish to meet people at the door, and the same practical help with transfers, rentals, and local tips.
If you stay with us, you’re staying with a family that chose this island long before it was on every postcard — and still likes the simple version of hosting best.
Hospitality is our family tradition, passed from one generation to the next.
A quiet alternative near Fira
Clean rooms, a welcoming pool — a calm base if you want Santorini without living on the caldera. Stay for the whole trip, or after a few nights on the cliff.
