ok, i've listened to your advice and my daughter and i will stay in santorini and not travel to crete this time. where do you recommend staying, referably in Fira, will not be renting a car but will walk alot and take buses, taxis, etc to get around, want a view and moderately priced

Bobbie, Read my lips-OIA, OIA OIA !! <BR>You do not want Fira---far too touristy. <BR>A compromise is Imervigili[sp] half <BR>way between, but Oia is special and you <BR>will love it. Check out the Esperas <BR>Traditional Houses if you want the best <BR>views on the island---and your legs are <BR>working well.

my husband and i stayed in fira last may. we stayed at the tzekos villas, it was situated right on the cliff with a beautiful view of the caldera. oia is fine to stay a night but you need a car to get to fira and that is where most of the action is. we rented a car.

also....tzejos villas is walking distance to town.

I went to Santorini last May and stayed in both Fira and Oia. Fira's views were much more spectacular than Oia. Oia is very quaint and beautiful but it took more time traveling to beaches (via public transportation). You should split the time and stay in both towns. It's the best island so you'll have a great time no matter where you stay but I would make sure your hotel is on the caldera. Bon voyage!

I agree with whole-heartedly with Bob. I can't help but wonder if we would have had a more pleasant 'Santorini experience' staying outside of shabby, smelly, tacky Fira. <BR>

We stayed in Imerovigli ... which is very quiet and clean (away from Fira's noise) and may have the best views in the island (hotels on the caldera crest have views to both sides of the island). But (and that's a big BUT) we had a car ... Though there was a bus station right in front of the hotel, buses in summer were kind of irregular (2 in a row, almost one after the other, and the next one in more than half hour sort of thing). There was a couple in the hotel relying on taxis ... they said that the average time they had to wait for a taxi to pick them up at the hotel was 25 minutes. If you're not going in the summer things would surely work out better. Also, although one possibly could stroll to Fira it's quite distant (3-4 miles). <BR> <BR>Once you're not renting a car, I certainly agree with Bob ... stay in Oia and use a taxi or bus to visit Fira and other sites in the island (even though it's indeed farther away from these sites - Akrotiri, Mount Ilias, Kamari and Perissa beaches, etc). <BR> <BR>In case you decide you want to stay closer to Fira, I would look for a hotel in Firostefani (wonderful views, quiet and clean and just a 15min stroll to the town centre). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

My vote goes to Firostephani. Close enough to Fira to walk, yet far enough away to feel remote. I also stayed in Imerovigli years ago, and although it was peaceful and beautiful, I found it too isolated. You can, however, get some good deals in Imerovigli for the same reason.

I remember my time in Fira. I agree, it was beautiful but it was somewhat spoilt by too many hedgehogs. They were a road hazard and beaches were also infested with rabbits.

We will be staying in Fira for several nights in June. READ MY LIPS: I love walking around the village at night, and do not plan to walk uphill 30 to 45 minutes in the dark to get back to my hotel. I like being in the heart of things. Loucas Hotel came highly recommended, and is almost too cheap to be good, but we are going with it anyway. All rooms walk out to balconys (shared), and the redone rooms are all barrel ceilinged traditional cave rooms. <BR>Other spots on Santorini may be more secluded and quiet, but we are doing that on other islands. On Santorini, I look forward to the "spirit" of Fira.

Thank you Patrick for reminding me of the name of the hotel "Loucas". That was where I stayed in Fira and the room was great for the price. The view was spectacular and the restaurant below was delicious. If you can, request room 21. It has the best view of the sunset and seemed to be larger than the rest. However, we found the staff of the hotel not very friendly especially when we (and other guests) checked out and had to carry our bags up the stairs ourselves. But I would recommend the place for its location, view and price.

Hi Bobbie- <BR>I see the Fira vs Oia controversy continues. My husband and I also stayed at Villa Tzekos in Fira and found it magical - as opposed to crowded and smelly and the other previous adjectives. We were there this last September if that makes any difference. While we rented a car and traveled all over the island, I pretty sure that Fira is closer to beaches etc. <BR>So now that I've registered my vote I have a confession to make..... <BR>Betcha' if we had stayed in Oia I would be recommending that town. Point is Santorini is a very special place and a person would be hard put to not have a <BR>memorable vacation there. <BR>Have a great trip! <BR>Jill