Max

Anyone with an opinion on the Kavalari Hotel. Also, what's the best way to reserve hydro-foil (or catamaran) seats from Santorini to Mykonos and Mykonos to Piraeus? <BR>Thanks

April

Do I have an opinion. The Kavalari ranks as the worst, bar none, lodging experience of my life. I've posted the details somewhere here on this forum, but basically it was dirty, worn and poorly run. Don't be fooled by the brochure.

Susan

I don't have a first hand opinion of the hotel, but it was recommended to me by people who stayed there a year or 2 ago. It sounds as though their experience was very different from April's - they really liked it a lot.

Tom

We stayed at the Kavalari for two nights earlier this week. I must admit I had some misgivings because I had seen the earlier comment, and I take the views of my fellow Fodorites very seriously. But it turned out to be terrific. The place was clean, the staff was friendly, and the view was wonderful. We also loved our room, which was quite distinctive (though I gather that each room is different). <BR> <BR>Do be prepared to descend some stairs, though. Like a lot of the hotels there, the place is built into the mountainside and is spread out on a lot of different levels. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Susan

Tom, given that I was the one who had heard the Kavalari was ok, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I always worry when I don't have first hand knowledge of a place. <BR> <BR>Any recommendations after your trip? I remember you had quite a 'crowded' itinerary. Any recommendations re restaurants, etc. in Athens and Santorini? <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance.

Tom

Hi Susan. It was nice to hear from you again. <BR> <BR>About Santorini, I think my main recommendation would be to stay longer! We were only there for two nights, and I think another night or two would have been perfect -- if for no other reason than to kick back and relax. <BR> <BR>I'm probably not the person to ask about fine dining, though there's no shortage of good restaurants, most with fine views. The only problem we had was on our first night there, when we were eating at an open-air place and the wind started to kick up. But it was all part of the adventure and, as I said, the view was great! <BR> <BR>This has nothing to do with dining, but we enjoyed an afternoon boat trip over to the volcano. There's no molten lava or anything like that, but it was fun trekking to the top (a bit of a workout, though). Someone had scooped out about six inches of volcanic soil with his or her foot, and the rock underneath was definitely warm to the touch. Plus, if you squinted just right in the bright sun, you could see a bit of steam coming out. I'm sure that other folks who have visited volcanoes have seen it all before, but for me it was all new! <BR> <BR>This is going to sound weird, but we also enjoyed going to an open-air movie theater just outside Kamari. The movie was in English, with Greek subtitles, but what made it special was watching it under the stars with warm sea breezes washing over us. It was quite a new experience for us. <BR> <BR>I hope you enjoy your own trip coming up. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

charlie

Stayed at Kavalari recentely (June 2002). First, many online hotel bookings will tell you it is a 4 stars hotel but its official ranking is C, meaning 3 stars. You'll find out when you arrive your room and care to read the posting from Greece's Turism Association which is on the front door. Kavalari offers two types of rooms: regular or deluxe. We stayed at the Dlx which cost almost like a 4 stars hotel. The decoration of the Dlx room was very good and the hotel workers were very nice, aside from that the rest was pretty bad. The bathroom I would rate it 2 star and the breakfast just sucked. I don't recommend this hotel, for the money you pay stay at a real 4 star hotel.<BR><BR>Actually, unless you're into partying, I would recommend staying at Oia, instead of Fira. Also if you're into partying, don't waste you're time going to Santorini at all, just go to Mykonos.