Has anyone stayed at Ecoxenia Studios Santorini? It seems astonishingly inexpensive yet the reviews on tripadvisor are very positive. I like the idea of not being in the center of town, but having it easily accessable. I am also hesitant because it doenst have a pool. Thoughts?

I don't know the property but it looks fine and the reviews are good.

A pool? What do you need a pool for? You travel to Greece and want a pool? You can get that staying at home. I never understand why people want a pool when there is a beach minutes away. Even though Santorini is not known for beaches (as in the best to be found in the Greek islands), they do exist.
https://www.google.ca/#q=oia+santorini+beaches

LOL, I do see your point. I was thinking it would be nice if we had some downtime to just rest a bit by the pool, maybe enjoy a drink and a nice book.

The reason Ecoxenia is so inexpensive is because of the location. It's actually on the far side of that end of the island. It's not in Oia village but is in the area called Baxedes.

Look at this map to understand: http://www.santorini-web.com/map.pdf

To reach Oia means a long uphill (steep!) walk or use of a rental car or scooter. The beaches over there aren't that great and can sometimes be covered with dead seagrass or flotsam from the sea if the currents are moving that way. Efforts are made to keep them clean but sometimes it's not possible. A pool would be welcome, especially during the hottest months of summer.

figg

Just keep in mind that the hotel is not located in Oia, but in Baxedes, on the flat side of the island. It is close to Oia, you will have to walk up the road to reach Oia.
Oia is on the top of the cliff.
The price is low compared to Oia hotels, because of it's location.
Everything that has a caldera view has a pretty salty price.
A pool is a nice thing to have, especially if it's an infinity pool, other than that there are enough beaches on Santorini to spend a few days on the beach.

Very close to Ecoxenia there is my favourite beach , Koloumbos, a beach with pebbles mostly visited by locals.

Any suggestions for either a hotel, apartment, condo, etc. with a caldera view that is less than $150 per night. Thanks!

Start thinking in Euro. $150 = €109

http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter

You won't get anything with a pool for that but there is a very nice public-access pool in Oia: http://www.lioyerma.gr The use of the pool is free if you buy food and/or drinks there.

Check Thea Studios (the one in Oia, not Fira), Olympic Villas, Musses Studios, Aspa Villas and MaryLouJohn Villas.

Thank you for that map..it is great! I think we will stay a little closer in (but not too close) and rent a scooter for the duration. Definately with a pool for relaxation. Do you think Santorini is a good home base for excursions?

If you're asking about excursions to other islands, no. The ferry schedules are very limiting in that regard. For excursions on Santorini you can take a volcano/calderaa/sunset cruise or you can sign on for a land tour, winery tasting tour or hire a private guide. There's lots to see and do there.

booking.com/oia

Old Oia Houses might be in budget depending on the time of year.. There is enough to see in Santorini without having to make excursions to other islands. Scooters are a bad idea IMO, car rental is better.

Well, that is a bit disappointing about the ferry schedules. I will have to check those out to see if any will work. We plan on seeing all there is to see on the island, but I wasnt sure if there was enough to keep us busy for a couple weeks.

Thanks for the booking.com reference. This is a reputable site? I havent heard of it before and am a bit nervous.

Why would a car be better than a scooter for zipping around the island?

Car is safer than a scooter - roads are narrow in places, windy and steep. Even worse than scooters are quad bikes.
Booking.com is a reputable site, but mostly I book direct when booking anything in Greece.

Speaking of on line booking sites, very often, if you know the price of a specific hotel on one of these sites you can ask the hotel for a better price. This has always worked for me !! ( with the exception of August )

I like researching on booking.com or hotels.com first -- and then contacting hotels directly. Mainly, its a time-saver. When you choose a hotels & plug in your dates on these search sites, they show immediately the rates and if there is availability. If both are there, then I go direct to the hotel. as Clausar does. The time-saver factor: IF a hotel is fully booked, and the staff is busy, they have no motive to answer your e-mail query immediately ... so you may wait and wait to learn if they even have a room, until they get around to e-mailing you "Sorry, all full for your dates."

On the other hand, you may see, on an online booking site, that a desired hotel appears to be fully booked for your dates. However, that may just mean the rooms they give to agencies. If you contact directly, there may be a few rooms held back. Also, if an online agency shows the wording "unable to book this hotel at this time" --- that may mean simply that the hotel has chosen not to use an online agency. This latter reason can be the case if the hotel is one with very modest rates, and they do not choose to book thru an agency that charges a %.

Riding as scooter is in fact better than a car on small islands. Particularly when it comes to finding a spot to park.

The reason so many people are against scooters is that they do not have the experience to ride them safely. Tourists who have accidents have usually no experience on a scooter except when on vacation.

On an island the size of Santorini, I wouldn't even think about renting a car. But YOU have to decide for yourself.

Driving a scooter from Oia to Fira and vice versa always was my biggest horror, which is why i would never rent a scooter especially if i was based in Oia. Tried to see how it looks on Google Maps, but it doesn't reflect the real thing....
narrow road, busses and on some spots you are driving next to the abyss....
Also after spending the evening in Fira and other parts of the island, i would never try to drive back to Oia in the dark.

Although it's true that the main road between Oia and Fira is narrow and full of curves there is a secondary road down on the other side of the island that is virtually straight and flat. Look at this map: http://www.santorini-web.com/map.pdf

This road begins down on the low road below Fira's main square and continues all the way to Oia. There is very little traffic on this road. It is a lot safer than the main road.

I have rented a small car in Santorini and had no issues parking, even in Oia in late July. Parking might have been a bit far from the centre eg on the road to Ammoudi but it was possible.

Whether you rent a car or a scooter is simply about your confidence and experience with both. People who are not confident and experienced on a scooter should stick to a car but no one should presume to say that everyone should.

Driving a scooter between Oia and Fira is no more difficult than riding one in many places and people do so every day. I personally would not think twice about doing so on either road.

A common sight in Greece on a Sunday is the 'family Vespa' off to the beach for a day.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/1c3afa0b7...1zro1_1280.png

I don't object to anyone who prefers to rent a car but I do object to people saying 'don't rent a scooter'. You are speaking ONLY for yourself. Try being a bit more unbiased.