szekiu

i'm going to spend 4 days in santorini, and wanna stay at the same accomdation within the whole trip, which part should i stay? Actually, i wanna swim everyday, so that i will prefer staying at kamari, but ppl said the transport isn't so good there, and suggest me to stay at fira. and there's another opinion that oia is the most wonderful place in greece. so, should i stay in different places within 4 days? or just stay at one and travel to other place? thank you for your suggestion.

Caryn

I definitely vote for Oia. Kamari is nice with a decent beach, Fira is a "city," but Oia is really something special. Unfortunately, I did not have have as much time as I would have liked in two days to see everything. Fira is, of course, the most central. The island is fairly large and distances are far, but there are buses and taxis, which are much more convenient. If you must swim, it must be Kamari. But Oia is just so beautiful. Staying in two places depends on how you would feel about moving around after you are settled. If you don't mind, do it. But my vote is still for Oia. Don't forget to wear your bathing suit when you go on the tour to the volcano and the hot springs. You have to swim to the hot springs!

szekiu

Dear Caryn, <BR>thank you for your suggestion, i'll thinking about oia, but i heard that oia is really really expensive, maybe i will stay at oia for 2 days, and other 2 days at kamari. <BR>thank you^o^

Lady_Anne

Hi there, <BR> <BR>I suggest you stay in Fira for several reasons: <BR>1. Kamari beaches are full of pebbles, as Santorini is a volcanit island. This means that the beaches are quite lousy. <BR>2.Oia is extremely expensive. <BR>3.Nightlife in Fira are much more bustling than Oia. <BR>4.It is very easy to get from Fira to every point around the Island, while Oia is located in the far north. <BR> <BR>Last year I have stayed at the Daedalus hotel in Fira (10 minutes walk from city center). The price was reasonable and the hotel was very nice. If you want the details send me an e-mail and I'll get back to you. <BR>Have a nice trip.

Caryn

Since I barely had any time in Santorini I never got to really find out about how expensive it was. Also, "Lady Anne" is right about the beach at Kamari. It's not very nice. The sand is black and very rocky. Personally I think the Jersey shore is much nicer. There are probably better places for you to swim in Greece.

Erika

I would stay in Fira (make sure your hotel is right on the cliff) without a doubt. I stayed on the cliff in a place called "Homeric Poems" and we had the most beautiful view of the volcano and the sea right from our bedroom window. You can always take the bus to Oia (it runs about every 20 minutes) and to the beach. Fira is not "just a city", it is gorgeous and absolutely charming. I really think that staying directly on the cliff will have a great impact on your impression of Santorini.

jdelder

HI: <BR>We just returned from Santorini. We stayed in Firostefina,at Hotel Galini on the caldera, just a 10 minute walk from Fira. We found this location to be perfect - central to every place on the island. One can easily take the bus to the more expensive OIA to see the beatiful sunsets. The sunsets on the caldera in Fira area are just as stunning. If you want beautiful sandy beaches Santorini is not your island. The sand is usually hard & pebbly. For example, Red Beach, with its striking red cliffs is very small & not easily accessible. Personally, I recommend a hotel on the caldera with a pool if you really want to sunbathe. Santorini is trully a beautiful place. Bring a sweater or jacket for the cool windy evenings. J

April

This may fall under the category of "if you don't have anything nice to say..." but I wonder if my husband and I are the only people who didn't love windswept Santorini. Having stayed at an overpriced, mediocre cliffside hotel in Fira with it's donkey smell, tacky shops, mobs of tourists, etc., I would - if forced to stay in Santorini again - opt for Oia or anywhere outside of Fira. It all depends on what kind of holiday you like, I guess. One person's Shangri-la is apparently another's "get me out of here!". Akrotiri is interesting to visit. <BR>

Jef

Hi, <BR> <BR>Just returned from a trip through the Cyclades including Santorini. <BR>We stayed in Kamari, as much a pure <BR>tourist hangout as Oia and Thira. <BR>Perissa would be a good choice for you, I would suggest. It has a large beach (with the same composition as Kamari, but a bit calmer)and regular bus connections (30 minutes to Thira) ie every hour with Thira. <BR>From Thira bus station you have busses to all parts of the island (every 30 minutes one to OIA). Just after sunset <BR>at Oia, the're at least two busses back <BR>to Thira (ie one extra bus, this was in may 1999. the price was 350 dr. if I recall well, one way).A taxi would cost you 2000 à 3000 dr. <BR>Oia-Thira is just 10 km (25 minutes). <BR> <BR>Jef <BR>Belgium <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Jef

Hi, <BR> <BR>Just returned from a trip through the Cyclades including Santorini. <BR>We stayed in Kamari, as much a pure <BR>tourist hangout as Oia and Thira. <BR>Perissa would be a good choice for you, I would suggest. It has a large beach (with the same composition as Kamari, but a bit calmer)and regular bus connections (30 minutes to Thira) ie every hour with Thira. <BR>From Thira bus station you have busses to all parts of the island (every 30 minutes one to OIA). Just after sunset <BR>at Oia, the're at least two busses back <BR>to Thira (ie one extra bus, this was in may 1999. the price was 350 dr. if I recall well, one way).A taxi would cost you 2000 à 3000 dr. <BR>Oia-Thira is just 10 km (25 minutes). <BR> <BR>Jef <BR>Belgium <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Cyndy

April, What was the name of the hotel you stayed at? I am in the process of planning a trip to Santorini and would like to know so I can avoid it. Thanks

April

Cyndy, <BR>It was the Kavalari. Granted, not a first rate hotel, but... <BR>When we arrived, a disgruntled guest was at the counter complaining about something not being fixed, probably a normal state of affairs judging by what we saw. We didn't care for the "cave style" room which we had booked. We found it dungeon-like but we especially didn't appreciate the cats under the bed. To the hotel's credit, they moved us to a regular room when asked. That room, while not a dungeon, was no great shakes either with a burnt out light bulb, drab and worn linens, dust & hair balls on the floor in plain view and, my favourite, the dirty Q-tip on the counter. A note declared that clothes washing in the bathroom sink was not allowed. <BR>Even our exit wasn't without incident. Their website claims they have 24 reception but this was not the case at that time. As we had a early ferry to catch, we were given a key to the lobby and told to let ourselves out. When we tried to do this, neither one of us could get the door to open. After much struggling, I finally had to crawl out a side window and onto a ledge with plant pots and a dangerous drop off one side. <BR>I hope you find better accommodations. <BR>

Sonia

Yes, Oia is more expensive but I thought it was worth every penny. We stayed at Filitera Villas, a delightful cliff dwelling near the Oia windmill. (Email me if you want a link to their web page where you can make reservations and get more info.) We had a front-row seat to spectacular sunsets, the two sisters who run the place are fantastic hostesses, and we rented a moped so getting around wasn't an issue. If you want to swim but can do without Kamari's fiercely hot black sand, there's a small beach at Ammoudi which is just "down the hill" from Oia.