Hotel Alta Mare vs. Oia Old House
 

How do these two hotels compare, and which is better? Thank you!

Alta Mare has what I consider an awkward location. Unless you take the top floor apartment the rooms at Alta Mare only have a partial caldera view. But it has a pretty good view of the architecture on the side of the cliff below the main square. Old Oia Houses has a much better caldera view and is closer to the popular sunset vista point. Alta Mare is more of a modern building (built in the 80's/90's) and Old Oia Houses "feel" more authentic.

You can spend the money you'll save staying at Old Oia Houses on fun stuff.

Thank you so much Brotherlee! I looked into planning my trip through one of the travel agents highly recommended on the boards, and while I was very happy with the transfers/ferry they were able to get for us, all the hotels they recommended got very mixed reviews on the web. based on that, does it pay to go through an agent or just go it alone?

If all you need is ferry information and to find a suitable hotel just do it by yourself online. You can check hotel reviews on www.tripadvisor.com , and as long as you indicate your travel dates and maximum daily room budget there are plenty of people to offer recommendations here and on the other travel forum websites (TA, Frommers, Virtual Tourist, Lonely Planet). Hotels for Santorini separated by village: http://www.santonet.gr/hotels

Thanks Brotherlee! Much appreciated.

These are the hotels I had picked out to stay in, before I started dealing with travel agents:
Santorini - Oia Old Houses
Chania - Hotel Palazzo
Athens - O&B Boutique Hotel

I can spend up to $150 per night on the islands (but have nor problem spending less!), and up to $250/night in Athens (want to stay in Plaka or Syntagma areas, at a nice place), and we plan to travel in June.

I welcome any hotel recommendations, as well as thoughts on whether the hotels I chose are good!

O&B has a good reputation. Lots of reviews here: http://tinyurl.com/y8dohfl

These are all in the Syntagma/Plaka area: Metropolis Hotel, Amazon Hotel, Pan Hotel, Arethusa Hotel, Cecil Hotel, Omiros Hotel, Hermes Hotel, Attalos Hotel, Tempi Hotel.