Another hotel request in Santorini... please help
 

Hello and thank you in advance for your help.

Sister and I will be in Santorini from 6/11 - 6/15. We are in a very tight budget... would really like to stay at 50E per night if possible.

A view would be great, but I am pretty sure we're not going to get one for that price... that's ok we only need a clean, safe place to sleep.

We would like to stay in a place that's close and has easy access to the beach and nightlife, but doesn't have to be in the middle of it...

As of right now the only option I've founf is Summertime Pension for 50E/night... Any other recommendations?

Thank you!

Check Villa Fotini, Villa Manos, Casa Francesca and Anemomilos Hotel.

Thank you brotherleelove,

Any one of them you think is the best choice?

Thank you!

I'm partial to Oia, so either Casa Francesca or the Anemomilos Hotel. If you go for the top floor studios at Casa Francesca/Musses Studios that's the best part of the complex. The basic rooms are just that...basic with no view at all.

I always love to have a view, also, but here's what a terrific travel agent who has a business on Santorini told me after finding rooms for eight people on short notice--"A View? You go outside, you look at the view. You go inside you sleep. The next day you go outside and look at the view."

Spoken like someone who takes Santorini's special beauty for granted. I hope that never happens to me.....

Does Casa Francesca have Caldera views, seems the price is too good for Caldera views, but just though I'd ask.

No. The rooms at CF face an inner patio courtyard. The Musses Studios top floor studios have a view of the sea in the distance, a very nice view, but not a caldera view. CF and Musses are next door to each other.

Hello Brotherleelove,

We were thinking, based on what we've read, that we should go for Fira as it is where there's more life at night.... is that right?
Is Fira too crazy and touristy and that's why you prefer Oia?

Is getting from Fira to Oia at night very difficult?

Thank you!

Oia has a different sort of nightlife than Fira. Fira is where you go if you want singles bars, discos and a youth-oriented party scene. Oia is for a more laid-back crowd with a few mellow bars, a fantastic selection of excellent restaurants and dining until midnight as the norm. For me Fira has lost its authentic charm, replacing it with a "give it all to me NOW" sort of energy. Oia has an underlying timeless feel that hasn't changed too much in the 23 years I've been going there, and that's why I keep going back.

Getting back to Oia from Fira late at night gets a little tricky after midnight. The buses have stopped running and taxis get scarcer still after 2 AM, so if you want the Fira sort of nightlife you'd better stay there or in Firostefani so you can walk back to your room. I think you may need to rethink your 50 euro/night budget unless you can still get a room at Villa Fotini. For many hotels mid-June is "Middle Season" with prices a bit higher than for May.

Thank you so much for your help. SO I contacted the recommended places; I think I am going to read up a bit more to try and decide if Fira is the right choice for us.
I do have a confirmation of availability from the Summertime Pension, but they're asking me to pay the 1st night in advance; I saw you had mentioned it in another post, is it ok in your opinion if I can't get a room at Villa Fotini?

Is it easily reached?

I don't mean to push my luck with your advice generosity, but could you recommend a hotel in Athens as well?

Thank you so very much!

Advance payment at the hotels is common. It's how they protect themselves from 'no-shows.'

As far as I know the Pension Summertime is fine. I can't recall its exact location but the website says within 100 meters of the center of Fira, which means its not far from the bus square and shouldn't be difficult to find. If you book a room there ask them for directions from the bus square or the main square, which is next to the bus square. For directions from the main square use Pelican Travel as your starting point.

The good budget hotels in Athens that are close to Syntagma Square, the Airport Express Bus stop and the Syntagma Metro station include the Pan, Arethusa, Metropolis and Amazon.

If you decide on Fira, the Nissos Thira is one of the few places with a pool that might be in your price range.

I stayed there last in 2004, so not sure what it's like today, but back then it was great value for money and perfectly pleasant. A number of guests at our wedding including ourselves stayed there and all our rooms had pleasant balconies. It is very centrally located in Fira. I would go for a room facing the pool rather than the road as it would be quieter.

Try googling Nissos Thira and you will find their website.

Thank you, thank you, for all the recommendations. I have e-mailed and I am just waiting for responses.

On a side note, is it at all recommended to stay at one of the beaches? Maybe Perissa or Kamari? I have no idea how prices are, but is it at all convenient if one wants to do sightseeing and a little entertainment as well?

Thank you!

We stayed in Kamari as part of a package trip to Santorini last summer. The resort is pleasant - if small - with good restaurants along the seafront. I would not recommend our accommodation - Atalos Villas - leaking A/C, rude owner, filthy apartment. As with other beaches in Santorini, there is no sand, only stones and shingle on the beach so flip-flops or jelly shoes are a must. Transport to and from Kamari and around the island is easy on buses - taxis are a bit expensive. One downside of Kamari is that it is on the flightpath into the island so there is a lot of noise from planes - that might disturb your night's sleep.

We stayed a couple of nights in Oia in the Delfini Hotel. Really terrific value - rooms with a sea-view start at €60 per night and the owner, Rena, is just lovely - www.delfinihotel.net .

Santorini is a magical place - I can't wait to go back.

Hello,
Brotherleelove2004, both Villa Fotini and Anemomilos suites have a double room for 35E...

I am confused though, per ur message I thought that Anemomilos was in Oia or did I misunderstand or did I get the wrong one?:) The address says Fira...

Since they're both available, would you recommend one over the other?

Thank you very much!

Anemomilos Hotel is in Oia. Anemomilos Villas and Anemomilos Suites are in Fira.

You decide based on what sort of nightlife you want.

Hello Brotherleelove, thank you! We are staying in Fira...

Could you recommend one over the other - Villa Fotini or Anemomilos suites?

Thank you so very much!

Never having stayed at either one I can't say from experience which would be better. I can say the the Anemomilos Suites is very centrally located, a short walk from Fira's main square. Villa Fotini is in Firostefani, which is a bit further out from the square, about 15 minutes' walk up a hill. It will probably be quieter at Villa Fotini. Again, You decide.

Ok, thank you for all your help!!