ek

Hello,
My husband and I are visiting Santorini for the first time in early June and are trying to decide on a hotel in Oia. Our choices (because of reasonable rates, views, etc.) are Oia Mare, Volcano's Villas, and Alta Mare.

We are looking for a hotel with:
nice caldera and sunset views, a pool, and air conditioning, which all of these seem to have...

We'd really appreciate any personal feedback on these three hotels.

Also I've read that some may have more stairs to climb than others and that it's common to use donkeys to carry baggage, etc. After reading reviews about the treatment of the donkeys, I'd prefer not to use them at all.

Could anyone please fill me in on how easy it will be to get to these hotels from the airport, etc.? Is it possible to take a taxi straight to the entrances of any of these?

Any feedback would be appreciated and thanks in advance!

brotherleelove2004

First of all, the Oia Mare has the most stairs and they use donkeys there to transfer your bags since it's so far down the cliff. Other than that it's a lovely hotel. If you can manage to carry your own bags this is probably the best choice for the sunset. Just be forewarned that it will be physically challenging. There is no way to drive close to this hotel, and the walk from the nearest spot for a taxi is the furthest walk of the 3 hotels. That's why they use the donkeys.

The view of the sunset from the Alta Mare is blocked by the convolutions in the cliffside but it is in a very central location, which has its own advantages. It does have a great view of the caldera. You can get within a short walk by taxi if you learn the route in advance.

Volcano's Villas is at the southernmost end of Oia. The view of the sunset may be partially blocked by the island, but it's difficult to say for sure. If it is blocked, you will still have a great view of the caldera and the sunset sky, just not actually of the sun going down beyond the horizon. Judging by a photo I saw and my fuzzy memory I'm pretty sure you can drive right up to this hotel. Also, the bus stops right out in front on the road.

You can get to Oia by taxi from the airport for 20 Euro.

Liz2005

We stayed at Oia Mare this past July and loved it. Wonderful views. There are A LOT of steps to get to and from the hotel to the shops and restuarants. It would only take us a few minutes to climb and if we wanted to stop to catch our breath we'd just turn around and look at the view.

Oia Mare offers a transfer from the airport to the hotel for (I think) 30 Euro each way. I was very glad that we did this. A nice Sweidsh girl picked us up at the airport, drove us up the island (we arrived at night so we saw nothing!). Dropped us in the parking area and handed us over to a young Russian guy. Neither one of them spoke Greek very well! My husband had to "translate" for them what time the girl was to come back with another group. The guy then put our bags on his shoulders (and we had considerable luggage) and walked us through Oia to the hotel. When we left the same guy brought a donkey for our bags.

Also - we really liked the pool, small, but very nice. And our air conditioning worked the entire time.

ek

Thanks to both of you! I'm still a little torn but it definitely helps to hear firsthand info.

So far only Volcano's Villas has responded to my request for availability and rates so I guess we'll see if and when the others respond.

Thanks again.

bc_canuck

My wife and I stayed at the Volcano's Villas in 2004. We found it nice. I've made a temporary weblink to some photos of the hotel and some of the views from it. While you can't see the full sunset from the balcony, you can from the front.

pictures at www3.telus.net/ve7mt/oia

ek

Thanks so much for the great photos, bc_canuk, and for the review of Volcano's Villas. I believe that is our first choice at this point. Since you also visited the hotel in June, it gives me a good idea of what the sunset views will be like. Thanks again!

sactomama

We stayed at VVV in July of 2005. It was the highlight of our 2 week Greece trip. Santorini was a magically beautiful place and VVV had incredible views, a nice convenient location, and beautiful pools with great pool service (esp. the ice cream!) We loved it.