Sun Rocks, Astra Apartments, Katikes or Esperas Trad Villas in Santorini?
 

We are having a difficult time deciding between these hotels....

We really like the look of Astra Apartments the best, but want to know if we will be sorry we are staying in Imerovigli rather than Fira/Firastephani or Oia.

Lots of people tell us Oia is the place to be, and we do like the looks of Esperas but not as much as Astra. Perhaps (unfairly) it is just the web site. Katikes is on the high end of our price range (250 per night). $260 gets us just a double, where we can get at Superior House at Esperas for $214, $225 at Astra, and a VIP Honeymoon Suite for $230 at Sun Rocks.

We know that location is a large part of a good vacation, so don't want to make a mistake.

Can anyone help??

Re - post above...

I forgot to mention that we will be going in early May, so (hopefully) crowds will not be so much of an issue.

I don't know if that makes a difference on the location choice or not.

So sorry - P.S. AGAIN - (I wish there was a way to edit our posts).

We will not have a car, nor do we want to rent one.

We would love a place that we could walk to the shops restaurants, or at least walk to the bus stop.

Firostephani is actually a good location. For "power shopping" and restaurants you are within easy downhill walking distance to Fira but removed from all the commercialism it embraces, and you can catch the bus back up the hill when you're ready to return to your room. The views of the caldera are every bit as fantastic as anywhere along the cliff, and you'll be able to see Oia off in the distance, as well as watch all the boats coming and going from the island along with the daily light show (the sunset). Most-not all-of what you'll find there in the way of hotels are newer and more modern than in Oia so they will lack some of the traditional charm that abounds in Oia's timeless setting, but I'm sure it will not disappoint. You can always take taxis or buses to any other part of the island, the main road is within easy walking distance.

.....We've stayed at the Astra Apts.
and we enjoyed the walk to Fira - it
was part of the ambience. The views
are stupendous all along the way.

.....We didn't feel we were too removed
from anything and if we were a taxi ride
wasn't a big deal.

llamalady -
How did you like Astra? What type of unit were you in - Standard, Superior or 2 Bedroom?

How long (timewise and milewise) would you say the walk to Fira is?

.....we were there six years ago and I've lost many brain cells since then
so this info. may not be accurate!

We had a superior room (2 couples) that
had a loft with a double bed and 2 more
beds downstairs.

IIRC the walk was 20/30 min. - but the
views!!

Eating yoghurt and cherries with strong
coffee in the morning while looking out
into the blue, blue water to the caldera
wasn't hard to take at all!

Thanks. I think we have narrowed it down between Astra Apartments in Imerovigli and Sun Rocks in Firostephani.

I think the location might be better (easier walk to Fira), but my husband really likes Astra.

Some posters on this site have mentioned they do not like Firostephani.

I would love it if someone could fill me in on the differences between the 2 villages. That might help us make up our mind.

We want incredibly romantic with great views - thinking of renewing our vows there - but since off-season, want also easy access to restaurants (walking) without having to rely on cabs.

wanderer,

Are you going this year? Or next year?

If you are going this year, I am afraid you may not be able to find a room in either of those you mentioned, unless someone cancels their reservation.

I tried to book Katikies (my first choice) in March for May and it was already full.

I have a reservation in Astra (my second choice) and I will be there in a few weeks' time.

wanderer,

I just saw your previous posts and realised that you're going in 2005. Perhaps I can give you some updates about Astra a bit later.

Yes, we are going in May of 2005, not this year.

If you can update me about Astra when you return that would be great!

Hello Wanderer. I've always stayed in Oia (except for a few days once at Vedema), and I love it for the quaint streets (or stairs), shops and restaurants. The no-traffic thing is invaluable when your top priority is serenity and relaxation. I would not rule out Oia if you like the idea of having lots of choices for dining and strolling galleries and shops without encountering cars or scooters. I also understand the appeal of Sun Rocks with the no-kids policy. However, some of your other choices may also have this policy if you check. For instance, there are no kids under 13 allowed at Katikies (according to their website) b/c of the "particular construction of the hotel." It would be too dangerous to have small children so close to the cliffs; there are not sufficient railings to keep them safe. Katikies has excellent facilities- great pool and restaurants, but still small and exclusive with a great romantic atmosphere. You need to think about how much time you'd like to spend in your room versus hanging out in the public areas to determine whether the lower room category at Katikies is worth it. I have stayed in a superior suite and a senior suite and they were great, but more expensive. However, even with those rooms, we were by the pool most of the day (and the pool is hard to beat). I haven't stayed in Imerovigli, but some friends did and commented that they found themselves going to other towns each night for dinner, which they didn't particularly like. They would have preferred having more things close by to choose from. Good luck with your planning.

Europhile -
Thanks for your comments, which I found especially helpful.

We were looking at Imerovigli and Firastefani only because we really thought we didn't want to be in Fira, but wanted to have some restaurant choices nearby.

From what we had read, it seemed that Oia had only 2-3 restaurants, and the same with shops, so it seemed like we would run out of choices pretty quick.

Perhaps we are being misled by the guidebooks, which described Oia as beautiful, but a sort of "one-horse town" with not much there.

Where in Oia did you stay?

There are _AT LEAST_ a dozen restaurants in Oia that readily come to mind, not to mention a few in-hotel food services. Believe me, there's no shortage. It's just smaller, that's all. Shopping is more sparse than elsewhere, but much better than it used to be; the quality is high. There's jewelry, art, clothing, antiques and the ubiquitous selection of t-shirts, hats and postcards. There's even a jazz bar.

But that's what Fira's for, anyway. Oia's charm is it's timeless architecture and the marble paved pathway through the center of the oldest section of the village along which you can stroll, shop, stop to admire the view and have a coffe or a bite to eat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I haved stayed at Katikies twice and Atlantis Villas once (which is also very nice- just not as luxurious, but also not as expensive). Honestly, Brotherleelove is absolutely correct about Oia and the restaurant choices. There are so many, and of very good quality. 1800, Ambrosia and the "gourmet" restaurant at Katikies immediately come to mind for drop dead views and upscale dining on the terrace. They have sophisticated food and romantic atmospheres- not your usual taverna fare. There are also lots of more casual restaurants, including Kastro with a great sunset view, The Big Blue for lunch (also great view) and the waterside restaurants at Amoundi (all the way down the stairs in Oia).

I was last there in 2001 (but I'm going back this July), and I was amazed at how many shops there were in Oia. It is a much more upscale shopping area than Fira, in my opinion. Lots of art galleries, jewelry shops, etc.; not so many t-shirt shops. You can stroll from one end of the pedestrian path to the other end of Oia, and there are shops all along the way. If you do it at a leisurely pace and stop in the stores, you can easily spend a couple of hours this way, which is nice when you want to get out of the sun for awhile.

Fira is a very different feel, in my opinion, with more action and many more stores and restaurants, but that doesn't necessarily mean better stores and restaurants. It's just a matter of what kind of atmosphere you like- more action or more upscale and quiet. As I said, I can't speak from experience about Firastephani or Imerovigli, but I really love Oia.

It does sound like your guidebooks are misleading if they describe Oia as a one horse town. It has plenty of restaurants for you to go someplace different each night for a week, and that's assuming you don't want to try any in the other towns (but it is fun to go to another town at least once or twice for a change of scenery, no matter where you are staying- try Vanilia and Selene, both in or near Fira).

Wanderer:

I thought you might like to see this live webcam view of the caldera from a hotel in Imerovigli:

http://hotel.heliotopos.net/index.ph...amp;no_cache=1

I simply cannot believe anyone can pay such ridiculous prices for a mediocre island such as Santorini. At least on most islands it is immpossible to pay such prices, there are at least 70 islands preferable to Santorini. You are being advised by wallies.

The great thing about a travel forum is that there's room for all opinions no matter what they may be. We all want the same thing, to help others by passing on information and experience. Let's all keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
Brotherleewallie

We stayed at Esperas Villas in Oia last June and thought it was absolutely beautiful. There were only couples there when we stayed, the villas were very, very romantic and the pool was gorgeous. We visited Fira by bus one day and couldn't wait to get back to Oia. There are dozens of restaurants and cafes from expensive to really reasonable and I managed to do lots of damage with the credit card at the shops. All in all, much better than Fira.

We stayed at Katikies last September for our honeymoon. The place blew me away. It is super nice and very much worth the money to stay there. We had reserved a honeymoon suite there and they bumped us up to the Katikies suite. Doesn't get any better. The service there was the best I have ever had. It was definitely the highlight of our trip!!!

I booked our honeymoon through a greek travel agency (Fantasy Travel) and they saved us some $$ b/c they get greek discounts.

Also, we made Santorini our last stop in the islands. I am glad we did b/c it just doesn't compare to the rest. The other islands are nice, but Santorini is one of the most beautiful places I have been.

You are going to have a wonderful trip!