Seems like Oia is where people go to take pictures of the beautiful sunsets,is the town not worth staying at? We are 90% decided on the Volcano View Villas in Fira, i've not heard a bad review of that hotel.
Comments?

Many people say to stay in Oia to avoid the noisiness of Fira. I suspect they've never stayed in Fira so really don't know what they're talking about. Most of the hotels in Fira are built cascading down the side of the caldera. The noise of the town is totally behind them and blocked. We sat on our terrace at Loucas in the "center" of Fira and never heard a noise at night, except for the occasional hoof beats of donkeys coming up the paths. Yet if you want some entertainment and excitement it's only steps away.

And regarding the sunsets -- I have pictures from both Oia and Fira. I much prefer the sunset pictures from Fira because you get the outline of the "barrier" islands of the caldera shadowed against the sky -- much more interesting that merely the open sea.

Patrick makes good points about the noise level and the views. As long as your hotel is over the edge of the cliff it shouldn't be veery noisy in Fira unless there's a main path nearby.

That being said, I always stay in Oia. I would never stay in Fira. For me Fira is just too big and commercial, whereas Oia is much smaller with less traffic and has a timeless feel to it that keeps me coming back time after time. It's a matter of personal preference. If you want nightlife, lots more restaurants and shopping opportunities, Fira is for you. If you want quiet and simplicity go to Oia. If you're going Late July through August be prepared for crowds everywhere.

A note of agreement with Patrick, we stayed at the Loucas and had the best nights sleep, all quiet and peacefull and even up on the main street it's not like a busy traffic intersection. Oia was a lovely spot, we only spent a day poking around but we did invest in the local economy !!!! Heavily

One other thought about Oia. If you do go there to be away from the crowds, I'd strongly suggest you find somewhere else to be for the couple of hours around sunset, when the tour busses and cars back up into Oia and the streets and little bars become jammed with people coming to see the sunset. If your hotel is removed from the main street, you'd be fine. I'd just suggest you not leave your hotel until after the sun has set. Oia at sunset was the worst "zoo" we saw in our whole month in Greece.