Santorini Hotels
 

We are planning a trip to Greece May 2006 to celebrate my husband's 65th birthday. We would like to divide our time (approx 2 1/2 weeks including flight days) between Athens, Santorini and one other island. We were thinking of 5 days in Athens,5-7 in Santorini and the remainder in Mykonos or other.(looking for suggestions)

First...Santorini. Would 1 week be too long?

We would like a gorgeous hotel with a nice room and view at a price that doesn't kill!!!

So far, we are looking at Ikies, Anastasis, Volcano Villas and Rocabella.

Does anyone have comments about these? We would appreciate any input.

Thanks.

I am not familiar with those hotels. Santorini is a very small island. I would say 4 to 5 days max. Personally I like Naxos better than Mykonos. Amorgos is also very nice. Naxos has better beaches and isn't so crowded. Mykonos has more night life.

Thank you, Hania. We will check out Naxos. Any other suggestions? Or anyone with experience with the Santorini hotels I mentioned?

We stayed at the Volcano Villas near Oia last June and found it very nice. The price was right (95 euros)and a great view.It is not in the heart of Oia but beside it in Finikia. I think the walk to watch the sunset was about 10 minutes although you can actually see it from the hotel itself thus avoiding all the crowds and traffic. Nice room with good caldera view. Wonderful traditional Greek restaurant across the road called Santorini Mou. It has live folk music at night. We used the local bus system which is quite good but the hotel has a parking lot as well. We spent 5 days on Santorini but are planning to go back next year. There's nothing like sitting on the balcony on a warm night sipping a Santo wine and watching the moon rise over the caldera.

We'll be at Anastasis at the end of August & will post back when we return on how it was. Reviews on tripadvisor.com are very favorable.

I'm definitely partial to Santorini, so for me one week isn't a very long time. I just returned from staying in Oia for 4 weeks and I felt like I was just getting comfortable when it was time to leave. Obviously this is not the same for everyone. Only you can know if you'd be comfortable for more than a week staying in one place. If your objective is to relax and enjoy your surroundings I'd say yes. Otherwise try to plan your itinerary around a shorter visit. In May you can easily move from island to island without the necessity of advance reservations. You could get a phone card and just call ahead to the hotel of your choice and make your reservation for your planned arrival on the next island.

Although Rocabella is probably a nice hotel I think its location is terrible. It's true you'd have a sea view and excellent amenities, but it's so far from everything that unless you REALLY like to walk (uphill to Fira over a mile) you'll need to take a bus or taxi, or get a rental car or scooter to get to the rest of the island. Firostephani and Imerovigli are much closer to Fira, an easy walk. Even though Oia is at the far north end of the island it's a very special village and offers many fine hotels at reasonable rates, all with caldera views and pools. Look up the Canaves Oia, Esperas, Oia Mare, Laokasti and others on the following website for some good choices.

http://www.santorinihotels.com/hotels.php

My new favorite is the Aspaki at www.artmaisons.com. This isn't a hotel but beautifully decorated private houses well-worth the money in the heart of Oia. Absolutely stunning.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

We do have a budget...under 200 Euros a night. For that price we could get a minimum room at Sunrocks, a suite at Anastasis or accommodations at Ikies. Any opinions? Thanks. And thanks for the Rocabella information!

I was just in Oia (Santorini) for 4 days, and althought it was quite beautiful, I found it a little dull unless you like shopping all day long. I could have stood one less day on Santorini but if you do stay for a week, I highly recommend renting a car so that you can see the island. It is not a big island but big enough to warrant a car. Rocabella looks GORGEOUS but it is NOT in a town, and one would have to drive everywhere for everything besides relaxing and sleeping. Personally, I would suggest staying in Fira or nearby but that is just me. Lots of folks swear by Oia. We stayed at Esperas in Oia and although the staff was wonderful, it did not meet my expectations, amenity-wise, and as mentioned above, it tended to be a little to quiet for my tastes.

We just returned from the Anastasis Apartments. It was a wonderful experience. We have previously stayed at the Astra, for more than double the price, we enjoyed the Anastasis very much. The view from Astra is probably better, and it is 10- 15 minutes closer to Fira. Anastasis was quieter and a more down-to-earth attitude. George at the Astra is fine, just a little snooty. Despina at Anastasis is warm and friendly. We would return to Anastasis but not the Astra.

Thank you, Alex. My husband leans towards the Anastasis. Did you have to climb a lot of stairs to get to your room? Did you walk to Fira at night? How did you return?Taxi? Was the pool warm enough for swimming? Tell me all you can. I think what we are interested in is the Junior Suite. Did you see it? Was it nice?

The pools aren't heated except by the sun, so in May it won't be very warm unless the weather is also warm.

We stayed in the superior apartment and our friends stayed in the honeymoon suite. Both were great, spacious and clean. We had a bed area, a sofa area, dining table, kitchenette, and a large bathroom with shower, no tub. Our friends had a separate bedroom along with a jacuzzi tub in their bathroom. We both had patios with tables and chairs for caldera viewing. The first night Despina arranged for a restaurant to pick us up for dinner. We enjoyed ourselves very much. We walked to Fira the next night and took a taxi back. The next night we went to Oia in our rental car. One difference between Astra and Anastasis, no stairs at Anastasis! It was quite a hassle at Astra with our luggage and the stairs, and we only had carry-on. The pool was chilly but I didn't think it was too bad.

Thank you, Brotherlylove and Alex! Alex, was it warm enough for you to swim? Were you there in May or June. We are planning on late May (before the rates increase!!!) No stairs? Anastasis is sounding better all the time! Did you have your breakfast there? Was it worth it? Thanks so much for all your input!

Even in May, for me the water was fabulous! Except for a couple of extra windy days that cooled to surface of the sea too much for my liking, it was wonderful diving into that beautiful blue water and having a refreshing swim. It's not as warm in May as in August, naturally, but it's not cold either.

That's good news, Brotherleelove (love your name!). We plan to go to the red beach, the black beach and whatever other beach (!). Will it be a problem to take the bus to a beach from Anastasis? What about the other sites (ruins, wineries). We do not plan to rent a car. Would all the sites be more accessibl from Sun Rocks? from Ikies? These are some other possibilities. Thanks.

The bus system on Santorini is very good. Except for the bus to the Ferry Port (1.5 Euro) all busses are 1 Euro each way. The island bus hub is in Fira. Get there from your hotel and there's a schedule to the far corners of the island on the side of the small structure there.

As for visiting beaches, be sure to go to Oia and take a walk down the steps to Amoudi, below the village, walk along the seawall to the left as far as you can walk, and take the short swim (about 100 feet) across to the little rock island. There's a nice platform for sunbathing just out of sight around the curve of the island.

Forgot to say that the Anastasis in Imerovigli is an uphill walk from the main village of Fira, but it's not an unpleasant walk, about 1 mile. The bus goes right by so if you want to use it just learn the schedule. It should be posted right near the bus stop there.

We just returned from Santorini. I agree with Brotherleelove--Rocabella is in a horrible location. It is right along the road between Oia and Fira. Also, Ikies is outside of Oia in an area with a few hotels along the caldera. We stayed at La Perla in Oia and really liked it. Without a car, I would not want to be at Ikies or Rocabella. We rented a car and found the roads to be uncrowded and easy driving. It was awfully nice to be able to explore the island on our own time.

Thank you, Digbydog, for the additional information. The fact that Ikies is isolated, is important to us because we don't intend to rent a car.
So, now, it seems to be narrowed down between Sunrocks and Anastasis. At Anastasis, we could get a Junior Suite, at Sunrocks, the basic accommodations. Any pros and cons?

Babylene--I don't want to make you rule out Ikies. As I recall, it is probably a 10 minute walk from there to the edge of Oia, but there are not sidewalks, and you are walking along the road. We had thought about staying there, so I noticed it as we walked from Oia to Fira. It looked very nice. However, we liked being right in Oia with lots of restaurants, shops, and markets within a short walk. On the other hand, you might have more privacy at Ikies, as there are just a few hotels along the caldera there.