Help with hotels in Santorini
Apr 20th, 2017, 01:30 PM
#1
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Help with hotels in Santorini
Hi,
We are planning to spend 3 nights in Imerovigli as part of our Greece trip in June. We have narrowed down our hotels to the following three:
Langas Villas
Abyssanto Suites
Kasimatis Suites
Does anybody have any feedback on these that'd help us decide on one?
Appreciate your inputs.
Thanks!
We are planning to spend 3 nights in Imerovigli as part of our Greece trip in June. We have narrowed down our hotels to the following three:
Langas Villas
Abyssanto Suites
Kasimatis Suites
Does anybody have any feedback on these that'd help us decide on one?
Appreciate your inputs.
Thanks!
Apr 20th, 2017, 03:31 PM
#2
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Kasimatis Suites appears to be new this year so there aren't any reviews, but you can find hundreds of reviews for the other two on booking.com and tripadvisor.com. If you're registered (free) on TA you can send a private message to any reviewer you think might have the information you didn't find by reading all those reviews. This is by far the fastest and most efficient way to get current feedback about a hotel.
Apr 29th, 2017, 03:05 PM
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I don't know those hotels, but you will be glad you're staying near Imerovigli. The views from that center section of the caldera are unmatched anywhere. The paved and lit walking path is enchanting, especially at night. Little restaurants and wine bars all along the path.
We liked the Gold Suites, which is right there, too. So many charming little hotels on that hillside.
We liked the Gold Suites, which is right there, too. So many charming little hotels on that hillside.
May 2nd, 2017, 08:14 AM
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Fira is the island's social/commercial center and as such is very busy almost all the time with lots of traffic in the streets and lots of foot traffic in the narrow pedestrian lanes. Fira has the best selection of bars, cafes, restaurants, shops and galleries as well as the best nightlife on the island. All the cruise ship passengers end up in Fira either when they first come ashore on their own or after their organized bus tours drop them off for the return to their ship. If more than one ship is in port that day it can be chaotic.
Oia is the most popular and beautiful destination village, and as such gets almost as many visitors as Fira, but not all at once and not in such huge numbers. It's where the famous sunset has been touted as a 'must-see', which brings huge crowds in the summertime just before the "show" begins. Photographers love Oia for it's architecture and quaint timelessness. When it's quiet there it's magical. I always stay in Oia and have no desire to stay anywhere else on the island.
Oia is the most popular and beautiful destination village, and as such gets almost as many visitors as Fira, but not all at once and not in such huge numbers. It's where the famous sunset has been touted as a 'must-see', which brings huge crowds in the summertime just before the "show" begins. Photographers love Oia for it's architecture and quaint timelessness. When it's quiet there it's magical. I always stay in Oia and have no desire to stay anywhere else on the island.
May 2nd, 2017, 08:33 AM
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JUES, those are not the only 2 choices. There is another option, which I call the "Goldilocks" option -- a location that's just right: Close enough to Fira to WALK to its cafes, clubs, shops (and back, late at night) without needing car, bus or taxi -- yet it's never visited by huge crowds from Megacruise ships, or busloads of package-tour zombies. AND it has lots of wonderful hotels (with/without pools) lined up along the caldera rim path, for lovely sunsets without the crush. And, on the inland side of thse hotels, it's just steps downhill to the main road & the bus stop for Oia. PS: hotels are about 30% less than similar in Oia.
Where and what is this Shangri-La? FIROSTEPHANI -- http://mapsof.net/santorini/thira-island-santorini-map .. to check availabilities, use booking.com and put in dates and "firostephani"
FIRA does have some hotels away from the daily mob scene, but they're usually down on the cliff face, maaaany steps down/up to access.
OIA ALTERNATIVE - My friend "stanbr" & bride have found a quiet enclave just outside OIA, village of Finikia, easy walk to the Famous View, but no tourist throngs, great prices. Just another thought.
OIA ITSELF -- Pleasant to walk the lanes, admire view, take photos --before 10 AM. Then crowds flock in & the streets are crammed until about 4 pm, when they depart for their ship or tour bus. Then at 6, crowds return jam the rimside path because of the widely-promoted belief that the sunset in OIA is superior to all others. They leave about 9 pm. If you want to avoid the throngs during the times mentioned it helps to have a sea-view balcony, or be in one of the very upscale hotel enclaves ... nice but more the international luxe ambience rather than Greece.
Where and what is this Shangri-La? FIROSTEPHANI -- http://mapsof.net/santorini/thira-island-santorini-map .. to check availabilities, use booking.com and put in dates and "firostephani"
FIRA does have some hotels away from the daily mob scene, but they're usually down on the cliff face, maaaany steps down/up to access.
OIA ALTERNATIVE - My friend "stanbr" & bride have found a quiet enclave just outside OIA, village of Finikia, easy walk to the Famous View, but no tourist throngs, great prices. Just another thought.
OIA ITSELF -- Pleasant to walk the lanes, admire view, take photos --before 10 AM. Then crowds flock in & the streets are crammed until about 4 pm, when they depart for their ship or tour bus. Then at 6, crowds return jam the rimside path because of the widely-promoted belief that the sunset in OIA is superior to all others. They leave about 9 pm. If you want to avoid the throngs during the times mentioned it helps to have a sea-view balcony, or be in one of the very upscale hotel enclaves ... nice but more the international luxe ambience rather than Greece.
May 2nd, 2017, 08:59 AM
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Um, agree Imervogli is great and (like Firostephani) prices are better than OIA for similar amenities ... only drawback is for budgeteers because Imer. isn't as walkable to either Oia or Fira and if people want to do some Fira nightlife, they would need to taxi or rent a car.
May 2nd, 2017, 09:28 AM
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Nope. Fira is a 15 or 20 minute walk from Imerovigli, along a well-lit and paved path with a gorgeous view of the caldera. Taking a cab is cheap, if needed one-way. Public buses also stop at Imerovigli.
Personally, I'd steer clear of Fira. It's touristy and tacky.
Personally, I'd steer clear of Fira. It's touristy and tacky.
May 2nd, 2017, 05:30 PM
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Tabernash2, my husband and I are thinking of staying at the Gold Suites in July. I would be interested in hearing more about it from you- what did you like about it? When did you stay there? We are celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary- would you consider it a special hotel?
Thanks!
Thanks!
May 2nd, 2017, 05:54 PM
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I'd be happy to, JUESync. I'll collect my thoughts and post something tomorrow.
If the OP doesn't mind the slight detour on her thread.
Bottom line: we liked it a lot. Highly recommend. Will give you the reasons why tomorrow when I have time.
One tip: go to CostcoTracel.com, look at Vacation Packages - Europe- Santorini
That's how we found Gold Suites.
If the OP doesn't mind the slight detour on her thread.
Bottom line: we liked it a lot. Highly recommend. Will give you the reasons why tomorrow when I have time.
One tip: go to CostcoTracel.com, look at Vacation Packages - Europe- Santorini
That's how we found Gold Suites.
May 2nd, 2017, 05:57 PM
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PS. Both the other hotels you linked looked great, too. If you are at Imerovigli, on the rim of the caldera with full on views, it's a nice place. None of them that we strolled by looked bad, to be honest.
I'm jealous. The beauty and light there felt otherworldly to me.
We were there 5 nights, and I wished we'd just skipped Athens and stayed at Santorini longer.
More tomorrow.
I'm jealous. The beauty and light there felt otherworldly to me.
We were there 5 nights, and I wished we'd just skipped Athens and stayed at Santorini longer.
More tomorrow.
May 4th, 2017, 04:46 AM
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Our reasons for liking Gold Suites:
It's very small (about 12 suites?). It is situated on a hill, starting at the beautiful lit pathway. We had the simplest suite, called a junior suite. It was large.
We were at the bottom of the hillside complex, which we liked, because our patio had a private stairway down, with a small gate that opened directly onto the path. Perfect.
The largest suites are at the top. We didn't look at them, inside, but I'm sure they are great. Especially if you want to splurge on a private pool, and more space on your patio.
No kids are allowed. They seem to be geared for celebrating romance: at nearby hotels, we saw several photo shoots going on which were either for a wedding, engagement or anniversary.
In fact, we met a young couple when we shared a cab with them, from Fira back to Imerovigli. The young woman was teasing her partner about when was he going to propose. They were about 30. I showed her pictures on my phone of our DDs recent wedding, and our DSs recent engagement. She was excited about weddings. The next day, we heard voices below our patio, saying, "Hey, Colorado friends". We came out to see them, and she flashed her engagement ring. He had it in his pocket the whole time. Really cute. Santorini is the perfect place for romance!
Service is very good. The same few people are there everyday, so they get to know what you like. Front desk person very helpful, as was pool 'restaurant' guy.
Pool is small, not a lap pool. It's cold, unless they turn up the heat in it, which they will offer to do when they see you coming. Nice little pool surround, with lounge chairs looking over the caldera. Looks just like the photos!
We ate our first lunch at the pool, which has the only seating for their limited restaurant. The menu is good, and the food is fresh. There are small tables set under an awning, overlooking a full view of the water. Or they will serve your food anywhere you want.
Full breakfast is included, and served on your private patio, overlooking the caldera. It's a gorgeous view. You order your breakfast choices from a menu daily. We would get cappuccinos, juices, milks, a basket of breakfast breads, 'Greek' scrambled egg dish, & ham. or bacon. DH also got a type of muesli cereal, with a bowl of fruit. They didn't blink an eye at how much we'd eat every morning!
The front desk arranged a half-day swim/snorkel tour for us, on a boat that only takes about a dozen people and provides a full meal, with shrimp and chicken grilled on board, open bar. Very nice crew. (Snorkeling was fun, but we didn't really see many fish.)
The decor is a bit too much for my personal taste: it's white and gold (i.e. Gold Suites), but it's not over-the-top (like a Trump apartment!). It's new and very clean.
The location cannot be beat, like I said.
If you take the path toward Fira, you walk by numerous other little hotels, some with restaurants on the path, and one with a cute wine bar. I don't know if I mentioned it above, but La Maison is the restaurant we found on the path that we loved.
http://www.lamaison-santorini.com
I had booked Gold Suites through CostcoTravel.com, because I was running out of time, and I liked the idea of getting ground transport and ferries included in the price. So we didn't have to worry about those two things.
A Costco concierge meets you at the airport and/or the ferry terminal. They greet you, give you all the info you need about how to contact them if you need anything, and send you in your vehicle to your hotel. It made it so much easier.
In fact, this concierge service saved us, because when we landed at Athens, our Costco rep told us that a ferry strike was scheduled for the exact day we needed to ferry from Santorini back to Athens. The concierge had already grabbed a flight for us, from Santorini to Athens, before it got completely sold out. It cost a bit more, but not bad, and we could have said No (if we'd been stupid).
Turns out, lots of tourists were stranded on Santorini by the two-day strike, and missed their flights. So glad it wasn't us! We had an early morning flight, and Gold Suites provided an especially early breakfast for us. Their room service is 24/7.
I'm going to work now, but might remember more things we liked. There were no negatives.
It's very small (about 12 suites?). It is situated on a hill, starting at the beautiful lit pathway. We had the simplest suite, called a junior suite. It was large.
We were at the bottom of the hillside complex, which we liked, because our patio had a private stairway down, with a small gate that opened directly onto the path. Perfect.
The largest suites are at the top. We didn't look at them, inside, but I'm sure they are great. Especially if you want to splurge on a private pool, and more space on your patio.
No kids are allowed. They seem to be geared for celebrating romance: at nearby hotels, we saw several photo shoots going on which were either for a wedding, engagement or anniversary.
In fact, we met a young couple when we shared a cab with them, from Fira back to Imerovigli. The young woman was teasing her partner about when was he going to propose. They were about 30. I showed her pictures on my phone of our DDs recent wedding, and our DSs recent engagement. She was excited about weddings. The next day, we heard voices below our patio, saying, "Hey, Colorado friends". We came out to see them, and she flashed her engagement ring. He had it in his pocket the whole time. Really cute. Santorini is the perfect place for romance!
Service is very good. The same few people are there everyday, so they get to know what you like. Front desk person very helpful, as was pool 'restaurant' guy.
Pool is small, not a lap pool. It's cold, unless they turn up the heat in it, which they will offer to do when they see you coming. Nice little pool surround, with lounge chairs looking over the caldera. Looks just like the photos!
We ate our first lunch at the pool, which has the only seating for their limited restaurant. The menu is good, and the food is fresh. There are small tables set under an awning, overlooking a full view of the water. Or they will serve your food anywhere you want.
Full breakfast is included, and served on your private patio, overlooking the caldera. It's a gorgeous view. You order your breakfast choices from a menu daily. We would get cappuccinos, juices, milks, a basket of breakfast breads, 'Greek' scrambled egg dish, & ham. or bacon. DH also got a type of muesli cereal, with a bowl of fruit. They didn't blink an eye at how much we'd eat every morning!
The front desk arranged a half-day swim/snorkel tour for us, on a boat that only takes about a dozen people and provides a full meal, with shrimp and chicken grilled on board, open bar. Very nice crew. (Snorkeling was fun, but we didn't really see many fish.)
The decor is a bit too much for my personal taste: it's white and gold (i.e. Gold Suites), but it's not over-the-top (like a Trump apartment!). It's new and very clean.
The location cannot be beat, like I said.
If you take the path toward Fira, you walk by numerous other little hotels, some with restaurants on the path, and one with a cute wine bar. I don't know if I mentioned it above, but La Maison is the restaurant we found on the path that we loved.
http://www.lamaison-santorini.com
I had booked Gold Suites through CostcoTravel.com, because I was running out of time, and I liked the idea of getting ground transport and ferries included in the price. So we didn't have to worry about those two things.
A Costco concierge meets you at the airport and/or the ferry terminal. They greet you, give you all the info you need about how to contact them if you need anything, and send you in your vehicle to your hotel. It made it so much easier.
In fact, this concierge service saved us, because when we landed at Athens, our Costco rep told us that a ferry strike was scheduled for the exact day we needed to ferry from Santorini back to Athens. The concierge had already grabbed a flight for us, from Santorini to Athens, before it got completely sold out. It cost a bit more, but not bad, and we could have said No (if we'd been stupid).
Turns out, lots of tourists were stranded on Santorini by the two-day strike, and missed their flights. So glad it wasn't us! We had an early morning flight, and Gold Suites provided an especially early breakfast for us. Their room service is 24/7.
I'm going to work now, but might remember more things we liked. There were no negatives.
May 4th, 2017, 04:54 AM
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PS. DD and her hubby are going to Santorini this month, for their 1st anniversary, too. Of course, I recommended Gold Suites to them. They are world travelers, and I feel confident they will like it.
And, we are gifting DS with a honeymoon trip next year. Guess where we are recommending they go??
And, we are gifting DS with a honeymoon trip next year. Guess where we are recommending they go??
May 4th, 2017, 10:35 AM
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Quick question to OP, Tabernash and others. Did you reserve any restaurants prior to your trip? We're staying in Santorini at the end of June followed by a few days in Mykonos.
Btw, our hotel is the Santorini Princess in Imerovigli. Never stayed there, but looks pretty. http://www.santoriniprincess.com/
~Roberta
Btw, our hotel is the Santorini Princess in Imerovigli. Never stayed there, but looks pretty. http://www.santoriniprincess.com/
~Roberta
May 4th, 2017, 08:17 PM
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Roberta, we don't usually plan ahead where we want to eat, so do not make reservations practically anywhere. We prefer to just go where the day takes us, and find a place that looks good whenever we're hungry.
Plus, we were in Santorini toward the end of their season, around the third week in September. It was not crowded.
You don't want to visit there after September, IMO. It gets very windy and rainy. Things close down for the winter, people move back to Athens.
Our weather was very nice. Just one rainy night, with wind the next day.
But, if you like the looks of La Maison that I linked above, it's very small. Like 10 tavle, maybe. I definitely recommend going there and getting reservations.
We only lucked into a table there, because it was the night with bad weather, so people didn't show up for their reservations.
Plus, we were in Santorini toward the end of their season, around the third week in September. It was not crowded.
You don't want to visit there after September, IMO. It gets very windy and rainy. Things close down for the winter, people move back to Athens.
Our weather was very nice. Just one rainy night, with wind the next day.
But, if you like the looks of La Maison that I linked above, it's very small. Like 10 tavle, maybe. I definitely recommend going there and getting reservations.
We only lucked into a table there, because it was the night with bad weather, so people didn't show up for their reservations.
May 5th, 2017, 04:30 AM
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Tabernash- Thank you SO much for the incredibly helpful information on Gold Suites. My husband and I booked a junior suite at Gold Suites! We appreciate the time you took to tell us about it. Thanks again!
