Hi All - I read a previous post from one of the Fodors editors on this board who said in his opinion, Oia is too isolated and he preferred to stay in Fira or Firastefani. Any opinions on this? Is it more "difficult" to get around Santorini based in Oia vs Fira or Firastefani??

I am still very torn on whether to stay in Oia vs Fira. My gut tells me that Oia will be more my style in terms of wandering around in a quaint village, but Fira may be more convenient and have better views (despite the hype about views in Oia). Help!! I am dealing with analysis paralysis

Any advice would be much appreciated...Thanks all!!

It's not 'difficult' at all. But it takes a bit longer to get to the rest of the island from Oia. Oia is on the north end of the island, Fira is in the center and the main beaches are on the far side away from Fira, so from Oia to Fira takes about 30 minutes by bus then another 30 minutes to the main beaches. The island's bus system is very good and reliable. You can also rent cars, mopeds and ATVs.

The views of the caldera from any of the clifftop villages (Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia) are all spectacular. There is no one village that's better than another in terms of the view. But if you want easy access to Fira's nightlife it doesn't make sense to stay in Oia. Fira is crowded and noisy, so if you want the nightlife stay in Firostefani or Imerovigli. for me Firostefani is the logical choice since it's only a short walk into Fira.

Thanks brotherleelove!! How does the "nightlife" compare in Fira vs Oia? I don't see us "partying" heavily while in Santorini, but we definitely want to go out to dinner and probably hit a bar or two - maybe see some music, etc. I know Oia has some restaurants, but what about other nightlife? Also, are the restaurants better in Fira? I would imagine there are probably more of them in Fira...

Also, any recommendations on hotels in Firostefani with beautiful views?

Thanks!!

Don't be misled by assumption. Oia has many excellent restaurants. I suppose quantity-wise there are more restaurants in Fira, but quality-wise the percentage is higher in Oia. There are a few mellow bars in Oia, Pelekanos is my favorite, and one fun taverna called 'Santorini Mou' where the owner and his cronies play music at night depending on who shows up. It can be a lot of fun.

Fira has the youth-oriented nightlife with discos and lots of large, overpriced crowded singles' bars.

I've stayed in Imerovigli and Firostefani and found Imerovigli inconvenient. From Firostefani you can easily walk to Fira while avoiding the crowds and noise. You can also catch a bus from any of these villages.

I thoroughly enjoyed staying at Sun Rocks Villas, room #31. www.sunrocks.gr

As always, brotherleelove knows his stuff. Oia to Fira is really not very far and the bus service is good. There are a lot of restaurants in Oia and I didn't find the need to venture further than there to eat. Fira certainly worth a day trip. I also hired a car and drove around the whole island in a day.