SWantorini Princess vs. Aspaki hotel
 

Need help in choosing between the Santorini Princess Hotel in Imerovigli or the Aspaki Hotel in Oia.Planning for the end of May.Are we avoiding the crowds traveling during this time?

Yes, you'll definitely be avoiding the crowds in May. Choosing between these two, take into consideration what you plan to do with most of your time. If you think you will want to take frequent advantage of the shopping, restaurants and nightlife of Fira then the SP would be a better fit since it's close enough to Fira for easy access. You could even walk into Fira from Imerovigli if you're feeling energetic, although it's a long uphill walk back to the hotel, about 1.25 miles or more.

Aspaki, on the other hand, is in the most beautiful and timeless village of Oia, 7 miles north of Fira at the sunset end of the island.

Sorry, I accidentally posted before I was finished.

Aspaki, on the other hand, is in the most beautiful and timeless village of Oia (ee'-yah), 7 miles north of Fira on the end of the island that offers an unobstructed view of the sunset from the cliffs. Aspaki doesn't look out towards the sunset but it has an incomparable view of Oia and the caldera, as well as of the other villages along the inside curve of the island. So even though you can't see the sun set from your private balcony you can see the colors change around you as the sun sinks into the sea, and then at night you can enjoy the lights of the villages off in the distance as well as the reflections in the water below. If you're fortunate enough to be there on the full moon it's a sight you won't soon forget.

The rooms at Aspaki are the best I've found so far on Santorini in terms of their unique decor, a blend of traditional and modern, done with a sense of humor and quiet elegance.

Oia is small and quiet, with nightlife limited to excellent restaurants, quality shops and a few mellow bars. Everything is within easy walking distance of everything else.

Thanks for the info brotherleelove.
We are now leaning towards Aspaki.
We are just doing this island and wondering if five days is a bit to much.Also what is the weather like in May?

If you need a lot of external stimulation 5 days might possibly seem like too much. I'm not the one to ask, though; I stay for 4 weeks and still don't want to come home. You have to take into consideration that it's not a large island like Crete; you can see all of what Santorini offers in a fairly short time. But if you like to relax, read a book, take walks and a Greek 'siesta', enjoy the peace and quiet of your surroundings with the occasional foray out to see some of the sights, you'll easily be able to fill 5 days without getting bored.

May weather varies. The mornings can be foggy over the water and there can be some wind and clouds in the sky, but overall it's warm and the clouds usually burn off by noon. I'm guessing that for the most part the daytime temps will be in the mid 70's to low 80's.

Hello Brotherleelove & Baron7,

Funny that I ran across this posting as we too are going to Santorini the end of May and also were hesitating between booking at Santorini Princess vs. Aspaki. I am surprised to read that from Aspaki, we would not be able to see the sun actually setting down as I thought that the best view of the sunset is in Oia. So a bit bewildered by that news... How is it that Aspaki does not offer a view of the actual sunset? Is it on the wrong side to actually view the sun directly? To Baron7: my colleague just came back from Santorini Princess and highly recommended it to us. I was just very drawn to the balcony size on both Aspaki and Oia Castle. But I did read very good reviews of Santorini Princess and receive high recommendations from a picky colleague. The only thing was I couldn't really view the balcony's size and privacy from their website.

Annamxdanceprod-

Here's an enhanced Google map of Santorini that might help you understand:

http://www.vrsantorini.com/santorini-map.html

Most of the buildings in Oia face south or southwest. Picture the north end of the island as a curved finger, with most of the hotels lined up side-by-side along the inside curve of the top segment of that finger.

The only hotels I'm aware of that actually look west to the sunset are the Oia Castle, Fanari Villas, Ether Studios, Golden Sunset Villas, Esperas and Oia Mare. Sometimes even these hotels have obstructed or partially-obstructed views of the sunset depending on the time of year and whether or not the sun is setting behind Therassia, the small island across the caldera west of Oia. Some of these also have partially obstructed views of the caldera, the whole view being blocked by convolutions of the cliffside as well as how far down the cliff they are situated.

But don't think that the view from Aspaki is not spectacular, it truly is. From your balcony you can sit and watch the sunset colors change over the whole caldera, nothing shabby about that, for sure. But if you want a sunset view, I highly recommend the Oia Castle, Aspaki's sister-hotel.

Hello I am new to this post. We have just booked at Aspaki for May next year and I can't wait. The property looks amazing! We where married on Santorini 5 years ago and stayed at Fanari which is also a beautiful location and the sunset are perfect. Though this time we have 7 nights so we choose Aspaki not only for a different view but everyone says how private and relaxing it is. Having read your post Brotherleelove2004 I found your information very helpful.Thanks!

I hope to be there at the same time, see you then!

Hello Brotherleelove2004,

Thank you so much for the map and all your great advises. They are so helpful!

We did originally request with artmaisons, if we could try various rooms between Aspaki & Oia Castle during our stay of 4 nights in Santorini. They will not be able to let us know for sure until coming closer to our date of arrival if that is do-able (of course, it's more business-profitable for them to book longer stays vs 1 night stay here and there). So, right now we are all 4 nights at Aspaki. Which is fine. I was just wondering about the sunset, that's all. But will definitely try to see if we could at least enjoy one day or two in Oia Castle, now that you said we might have a direct view of the sunset.

Thanks!

Here's another one who will be in Santorini at the end of May. The 20th to the 25th to be exact.

I think we've settled on either Imerovigli or Fira. We are going for our 10 year anniversary & have never been to Greece before. We are traveling with my sister & her husband too.

We are seriously looking into the Santorini Princess. We have been inquiring about the 4 person apartments. I'm just wondering if anyone knows for sure if the 2nd bedroom is very small. I know that the 2 bedrooms are completely seperate & I've viewed a 360 picture of a 4 person apartment but I still cannot tell how big the bedroom is or where the 2 bathrooms are.

We are also looking at the Theoxenia in Fira. So if anybody could help us with either of those locations that would be great. We are looking for a relaxing time but also we want an experience of the Greek culture & want to be able to browse amongst the streets etc.

As far as the Theoxenia is concerned:

The main pathway along the cliff in the center of the village is lined with expensive shops. In fact it's called "Gold Street." The Theoxenia Hotel is right in the middle of all this, set back from the cliff so you have to look out over some rooftops to see the view. Also, you can see the foot traffic on Gold Street below. If privacy is an issue then you might want to keep searching. But if you like being right in the middle of "things" then this will provide you with that.

If you do prefer a quieter environment, have a look at the Loucas Hotel, Kavalari Hotel, Scirocco Hotel, Blue Dolphins Apartments and Ilias Villas.

Thanks so much for your reply. I think the Santorini Princess might be a good idea for us.

Hi Chopinplayer and others !

We are also thinking of staying at the Santorini Princess in a 4person apartment. Can you tell me what your experience was like and if it's suitable for 2 couples? Also did you find it isolated as many others have mentioned.
Thanks Maggey