Headed to Santorini for the first time next month and am looking for recommendations on where to stay... We have heard that we want to be in Oia - can anyone confirm? If so, any hotel recommendations for under $250/night? We have looked at places in Fira and Imerovigli as well. Thanks so much!!!

We visited Oia in July, and absolutely LOVED it. I think it is one of the most stunning places that I've ever visted, and that includes the Amalfi Coast!

We also visited Fira, which we thought was tourist central. But if you are pretty young and like to party most of the night, you may prefer it there.

Unfortunately, I can't really make recommendations for accomodations. We stayed at Perivolas, which had unbelievable views of the Caldera, but wasn't worth the money.

Try searching for previous posts by BROTHERLEELOVE2003, who is very knowledgeable about Greece, Santorini in particular. He often recommends Art Maisons, which are in a wonderful location in Oia, but I haven't been inside.

Have a great time, and make sure to eat at least one dinner down at the bay in Oia. We went to DIMITRI's and thought it was some of the best food we had during our entire 2-week stay in Greece!

We can confirm that Oia is very nice and if we were to return that would be at the top of our list.

I think that $250/night is doable in October. As noted, Brotherleelove, who posts here is very helpful and his advice may be trusted. Do a search for him. We stayed at, and loved Katikies. I don't know what their prices would be for October.

Most of all, you want a caldra view.
Have a great trip.

We stayed at the Dana Villas in May. It is a beautiful, hillside hotel in Fira. Even though Fira is busy Dana Villas is a bit north of town along the path that winds across the island. It is a 5 to 10 minute walk into the town. Here is a review of the hotel:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Cyclades.html

There are many steps at this hotel so if you have bad knees look elsewhere...but the steps are what make it so Santoriniish (my own new word)

LR:

you will love Santorini and do try and stay in Oia, its romantic, quiet and just great.

We stayed at Katikies Suites, now known as Kirini, but its well above $250.

Again another eco for brotherleelove2004, who is really helpful. there are apts he reocmmends that might suit your budget.

Also down by Dimitris is Katinas for dining. you'll love the fresh seafood!

You really can't go too woring with Santorini, one of myfavorite places inthe world!

Weadles: Why was Perivolas not worth the money?

Wow, thanks for all the votes!

Indeed, I do recommend the Art Maisons properties frequently (www.artmaisons.gr), the Aspaki Suites and the new Oia Castle. Both properties have rooms in that price range in October. The Oia Castle has a sunset view and the Aspaki Suites have a caldera view. Both are fantastic choices.

Oia is small so whichever you prefer will still put you in the heart of the village.

tripgirl,

I've posted quite a few times about our disappointing visit to Perivolas, but to sum up, we had lousy beds, so-so air conditioning, poor plumbing, and a moldy smell in our jr. suite, all for the unbelievable price of just under $700/night!

I have to say though, that our HUGE terrace with its incredible views of the Caldera almost made up for every possible shortcoming. The only scenery that even comes close is the Amalfi Coast, but even for an obsessed Italian fan like me, it's a distant second!

And we really loved Oia. It's such a lovely town, despite the heavy summer crowds of which we were a part. Especially in the late afternoon town gets very quiet, and it's possible to wander unimpeded, just taking in the gorgeous scenery. It is quite an experience.

Sorry, tripgirl! I should have read your post more carefully. Didn't realize that you'd already been to Oia!

Weadles, I have no problem with your liking Oia, it is indeed a lovely place, but you've fallen into the "thinking" trap that many people do.

You liked Oia, partly because you were apparently staying in a place on the hillside with a wonderful setting. You didn't stay at a place facing the main street of Oia where you'd have to put up with the major crowds who seem to come every day to see the sunset. We got caught up in that one evening and it was kind of a "zoo". We couldn't find a single place to sit and have a drink, for example.

Yet your experience in Fira was more like our experience in Oia -- both of us experiencing those places as someone not staying there. Presumably you mainly saw the main streets where all the tourists stroll, buy stuff, and clog the passages. If you stay at Fira at one of the lovely hotels which faces the caldera in rooms that cascade down the mountain, your opinion of Fira would be totally different. In those hotels you are as removed from the "tourism" of Fira just as much as you are staying in a similar place in Oia. The difference is, if you want, you can head out and in a couple minutes be in the "thick of things" -- or ignore it and stick to the peace and solitude of your hotel or apartment.

Take Brotherleeloves advice and head straight for the Aspaki suites. We just returned and I would gladly stay there agin if given the chance. The view is out of this world. It is away from the noise and the hustle and bustle while still somehow being right in the middle of things. A private terrace, whirlpool tub, a full kitchen, the best view in the village and not too many steps. What more could you ask?

weadles,

We were in Santorini last May and had the streets to Oia practically to ourselves! But I could see inthe summer, it would be tough getting down the streets.

And we too loved the AC ( did that just this past May ) and enjoyed a 'crowdless experience!

I know the people who run Perivolas, so that is why I was curious as to your experience.

last May we stayed at "Esperas Traditional Houses" ( www.esperas-santorini.com ) in Oia and were quite happy with the overall experience. We would stay there again.

The low season room rate, which includes May and October, was 204 Euro (about $259), slightly over LRB89's $250 limit.

Neopolitan,

You've definitely made some good points. We had the luxury of being able to avoid town around sunset, so we didn't experience any nightmare crowds. And when we wandered through town in the late afternoon/late evening, we felt as though we had Oia's magic mostly to ourselves. I'm sure that the stay would have been quite different if we had not had the amazing view from our terrace, or stayed on the main street facing town. But I can only report on what we did experience.

To tripgirl:

Uh-oh. I certainly hope that I haven't offended you or your friends by being very blunt about our experiences at Perivolas!