Joyce

Hello! My fiance and I are traveling to Greece for our Honeymoon next September. Our plans are to stay in Athens for two days (to see the Acropolis, etc.) and then head to Santorini. <BR> <BR>On Santorini, we'd like to be close to the action, but not right in it, so we're leaning away from staying in Fira. Oia sounds fabulous, but a bit too far away from the action. <BR> <BR>What are your thoughts on Imerovigli? This village sounds like its a perfect place to stay...quite, yet close enough to what Fira has to offer (shopping, nightlife, transportation, etc.) <BR> <BR>Also, we've been looking at several traditional homes/hotels in this village. Has anyone stayed in a place they'd recommend, or not? <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Paulo

IMO, Imerovigli would fit the bill. We stayed there in July 98, using a nice appartment (there were also couples honeymooning) in a property located at the crest of the caldera, with views to both sides of the island (into the caldera and to open sea). <BR> <BR>I don't know what to expect in Septermber regarding crowds (it may have cooled down considerably from what it'll be in July and August). If the crowds in September are similar to those in July though, renting a minicar (cheap at GDR 10,000/12,000 per day) or a scooter if you feel confortable with one, would be a must. <BR> <BR>Imerovigli is quite far from Fira. In other words, I doubt you'll want to stroll the distance more than once during your stay. Though there was a bus stop right outside the hotel on the road from Fira to Oia, bus frequency quite erratic (of the type 2 buses in a 15 minute span, no bus for the next 1/2 hour) and lower than desirable. It was also very difficult to get a taxi. There are not enough taxis in the island to attend to one's call - specially from the hotel to elswhere (from Fira to the hotel things are a bit easier). A couple at the hotel told us they had to wait for an hour before they could get a hold on a taxi, one morning). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Joyce

Thank you Paulo! I was hoping you'd respond, as it seems your knowledge of Santorini is vast.Apparantly, September is considered the end of the high season, although we do have concerns about transportations. <BR> <BR>Question for you: If we did indeed stay in Imerovigli and rented a car, is there parking in Fira and throughout the island? <BR> <BR>Also, have you heard of either the Astra Apartments or Rocabella Studios? These places look great on the Internet, but you never know... <BR> <BR>Thank you! <BR> <BR>

Paulo

We got 2 appartments in the Rocabella Studios. They were quite basic but with all ammenities we were looking for. There was a not so big sleeping room with wardrobe and a small ensuite kitchen with stove and complete set of ware for 2 including pots and pans; the bathroom was nice and had it all, though not a bathtub; the porch covered patio in front had a table with chairs and a marvelous view to the caldera; a very nice swimming pool with bar, where we used to refresh ourselves before going out for dinner, completes the setting. There are a few upper scale rooms, including honeymoon suites (there's at least one that's huge!) <BR> <BR>Though we've not used it, I didn't like the breakfast room ... it's in the part of the building closer to the road and has just about no view. I don't know if both of you think it's the case for starting with household activities in your honeymoon (it may be a good starter test ... we loved preparing our own breakfast (going to the grocery store, choose all what we would like to eat, etc. and having it calmly while viewing the caldera). <BR> <BR>The landlord is a very nice person. The first day we didn't have a car and since the hotel clerks were not able to track down a taxi, he drove us to Fira in his van. <BR> <BR>We didn't have any problems regarding parking anywhere in the island and this was in the height of the summer season in July (all you need is a minicar, like the Fiat cinquecento, that fits just about everywhere). Of course, in Fira you may not be able to park exactly where you want ... but chances are you won't need to stroll more than a couple hundred meters to the main square (we always found parking space close to the grocery store down a couple of blocks from the square). In Oia we parked in the first parking lot we found on our way (a short stroll to the city center). In Perissa, Kamari, etc, I don't remember having spent a minute looking for parking space. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Joyce

Oh Paulo, this is really great information...thank you SO much!! Rocabella has a nice Web site, but its hard to know if they are being honest (are they really pictures of Rocabella, etc). We love the idea of going shopping and preparing some light meals on our own, so that's a great tip. <BR> <BR>How was the sunset view from your patio? This is something we want to make sure we get right. Also, was your room clean? <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Joyce

Also...Paulo, and anyone else that would like to chime in...Where have you stayed in Oia? <BR> <BR>We still haven't decided which village we want to stay in, so we've found some hotels in Oia as well. Esperas Traditional Houses, La Perla Villas, and Atlantis Villas are our favorites so far. But our biggest concern is whether or not they offer private balconies/verandas, with sunset views. We'd like to cook as well, so the kitchen needs to be clean. <BR>Thanks for all of your help! <BR>Joyce

Joyce

Also...Paulo, and anyone else that would like to chime in...Where have you stayed in Oia? <BR> <BR>We still haven't decided which village we want to stay in, so we've found some hotels in Oia as well. Esperas Traditional Houses, La Perla Villas, and Atlantis Villas are our favorites so far. But our biggest concern is whether or not they offer private balconies/verandas, with sunset views. We'd like to cook as well, so the kitchen needs to be clean. <BR>Thanks for all of your help! <BR>Joyce

Paulo

Both appartments were spotless clean. Our friend's one had a problem, though. There was something wrong with the siphon in their shower sink ... pretty stinky They asked for another appartment but there was none available. They covered it with a small dish. It may have been fixed during the day when we were away (or they just nmaintained it covered) because they didn't mentioned it in the rest of our stay (also because there would have been a vacant unit for them to move during the 2nd day if they cared for but they didn't). <BR> <BR>Don't know which way things move in September (and I'm too lazy to think about). When we were there, the sunset came in a skiew position, from the Thirassia island. The light was wonderfull. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Paulo

We didn't use a hotel in Oia. We just visited it one afternoon, did some shopping, watched the sunset sipping ouzo at a "windmill" bar (don't remember its name) and then returned in the evening to have dinner at the 1800 ... (supposedly the best in town ... pretty stiff prices but well worth it). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

Susan

I agree with Paulo re parking. We were in Santorini 2 weeks ago and rented a car for 3 days. We stayed near Akrotiri, so parking at our hotel was not a problem, but even in Fira, we had no problems. There are a couple of large parking lots on the outskirts of Fira (just off the main road at either end of town) which were virtually empty when we were there. It was much easier to park the car and then walk wherever we wanted to go. In the other villages, we just parked when we found a spot and it wasn't difficult. (By the way, you can rent automatic cars there, but it's cheaper and there are a lot more cars with standard transmission. That's what we drive at home, so it wasn't an issue for us.) <BR> <BR>Re staying in a traditional house, I spoke with one woman who had planned to stay in one for a few weeks (she's a writer). She ended up moving - she said it felt kind of musty and she wanted more ventilation. I hadn't heard that before, but it's something to consider. <BR> <BR>How much time are you planning to spend in Santorini? We enjoyed it and I'm glad we saw it (the scenery is very dramatic), but I was ready to leave after 4 days. We had plans to go on to Naxos and I loved Naxos. I had been there 24 years ago and it was fun to see it again. <BR> <BR>Good luck with your plans.

KS

Joyce- <BR> <BR>My husband and I just returned from Greece last week. We spent 4 nights in Santorini and loved it. I did extensive research prior to booking our room and finally decided to stay in Oia at The Perivolas. Perivolas was pricey but worth it. The view was breathtaking and hotel is beautiful. They also have the best pool on the island. It's the ideal place for a romantic honeymoon. <BR> <BR>Oia is much more charming than Imerovigli and their is a bus that runs every half hour from Oia to Fira in Sept. or you can catch a taxi. The shopping in Oia is better b/c it is more unique and not the typical tourist traps that were everywhere in Fira

Joyce

Thanks everyone! This information is really great. <BR> <BR>KS: I too, have been doing a ton of research and have been overwhelmed by the beauty of SO many places to stay (the villages ,themselves and their traditional homes/hotels!). I'm wondering...the one downside I've found with Perovolas, in literature at least, is that they don't have private terraces. We just don't want to have to share ours with anyone - hey, call us selfish, but its our Honeymoon!! <BR>Did you find this during your stay? Otherwise, Perivolas does get spectalular ratings.

J

Joyce, <BR> <BR>We just returned from a week in Santorini and Crete and also stayed at Perivolas. It was incredible and well worth the splurge. About your concern over the lack of privacy, we found that there are a few of the rooms that have fairly private terraces and you can request them if you book well in advance. We spent most of our days at the pool and only sat on our terrace a few times for breakfast or else at the end of the day right before we went out to dinner.

Diane

I've been to Santorini twice. The first time, in 1989, I stayed in Imerovigli at the Altana (or Aldana). It was nice, but far from town. The town between Fira and Imerovigli is Firostephani, and I stayed there April 1999 at Sun Rocks Villas. Absolute heaven. We had one of their pricier rooms, and it was worth every penny. Large suite with large veranda. Could walk into Fira in under 15 minutes, or take the bus, which stops close to the hotel. Oia is charming, and a good alternative if you are okay about being far away from the action. Another hotel to consider in Firostephani is Homeric Poems. I only saw it from the outside and thought it looked beautiful. It is a little closer to town than Sun Rocks. If you'd like to see some photos from Sun Rocks you can check out my webpage (still under construction) at www.travelswithdiane.homestead.com <BR>Click on Greece. The first page is Santorini.

Joyce

Thanks Diane! I have seen Firostephani in my research travels, (and actually have Homeric Poems bookmarked - go figure!). I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay there. I'm anxious to see your site once its completed! <BR> <BR>Curious...would you recommend using a travel agent for a trip to Greece? We're thinking of spending a couple of days in Athens and then heading to Santorini. I'm concerned about the travel between the two, and am wondering if you think a travel agent would help, or just end up costing us more in the end? Anyone?

Diane

You don't need to wait til my website is done to see it (sometime around Christmas, I imagine). Santorini is finished, as is Mykonos. <BR> <BR>I booked Sun Rocks directly with the hotel via email. I did use a travel agent in Athens for lodging in Athens and inter-island flights. I used Dolphin Hellas. I'm at work right now and don't have their email. You can probably do a search above -- there have been many posts about them in the past. I also made it a point to stop by their office and meet them. If you do use them, have patience. They are very busy and it sometimes takes four or five days for them to respond to an email. They got us a price at the Phillipos Hotel that was lower than what the hotel was quoting on-line, and I was having difficulty getting Olympic Airline tickets here in the States. There was an extra charge for mailing us the tickets, but they did not charge us anything additional for the ticketing. The ferry ride from Athens to Santorini is very long, and flying makes the most sense.

KS

Joyce- <BR>As mentioned by another poster The Perivolas do have some private terraces you need to request them. I noticed that some of the neighboring hotels that do have "private terrraces" seperated them by an ugly cement wall. <BR> <BR>The Perivolas terraces are not enclosed however they are sectioned off individually. We sat on ours every night and watched the sunset and were never disturbed by our neighbors. <BR>

Joyce

Hello! Thank you all again for all of your advice! <BR> <BR>Diane: I did try to acces your Web site because I was so excited to be able to see someone's photos of a hotel over there! However, the site was crashing my browser for some reason...which is why I thought I needed to wait. I'll try again later today. <BR> <BR>In the meantime, I tried to find Dolphin Hellas on the Internet, with no success (I ended up with some random cruise agency when I thought I had found it)...so if you could give me their email address when you get a chance, that'd be fabulous. I'd prefer to use an agency that someone (and others, it sounds) has had success with. <BR> <BR>Regarding Perovilas: Can someone tell me how expensive this place really is? I've been hearing how its worth the extra cash, so I sent them an email inquiring about their rates, but haven't heard from them. Just wondering if it will break the bank... <BR> <BR>Thanks again!

Paulo

I contacted Kiki at Dolphin Hellas in order to fix hotels in Athens, Delphi and the Peloponnese, ferry transfer to Santorini and flight tickets from Santorini to Rhodes. We ended up not dealing with her because when we split the job of getting reservations, my part turned out to be from Rhodes on to Istanbul and my friend got the Greece part. He ended up using another agent (a Brazilian in Athens) but he doesn't appear to have a net connection (my frien used the phone and fax). <BR> <BR>Anyway, Kiki's email (if she's till there and if the address is still ok) is <BR>[email protected] <BR> <BR>Kiki's name was recommended by Matt Barret (the guy that's writing a guide on Greece). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

lisa

Diane, just wanted to mention that when I tried to access your site it crashed my browser as well, just as someone else mentioned above.