Hi,

Trying to decide between:

Nikos Villas in Oia
and
Dana Villas in Fira

Any pros/cons of either hotel or town? We will be there in late April with teens; would Fira have much more activity? Also traveling with Grandmother; is either much easier to access/walk about? Can anyone vouch for the atmosphere or service of either?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or tips.

Topping to see if anyone knows these hotels...

Fira will have more to offer teens in April than Oia and it's closer to the beaches by bus.

We stayed at the Vedema with our teens. It was gorgeous and they upgraded us to a 4-level villa. The pool was gorgeous, and the food was delicious. They have a shuttle that can take you to their private black sand beach during the day. There's also a complimentary shuttle to Fira and to the port. We spent our days in the pool and at the beach relaxing, and then would take the shuttle into town in the evening for shopping and dinner. The kids loved it! And the service was amazing! (I forgot a shopping bag at a restaurant in Fira, and they went the next day and retrieved it for me!) Only downside was that there was no caldera view, but we would stay there again in a heartbeat!

I believe Dana Villas is in Firostephani -- a bit of a walk into Fira. Best to check on distance. Also, lots of stairs.

We stayed at Dana Villas a couple months ago - man, it was a spectacular place! Dana Villas is in Firostephani, which is, maybe 10 minutes up the road from Fira, this was no problem at all for us. In fact, it is a little quieter and we preferred that.

It sounds like a family vacation. Personally, I think Fira would be better for kids than Oia. There is a lot of activity there. One thing to note about Dana Villas is that there are several steps between the villas and pool/dining area (this is in addition to the steps b/w the reception area and the villas). My guess is maybe 50-75 steps (wheelchair access? I think not) which wasn't a big deal for us, but I've heard some people had more problems with them. The service and food were great...let me know if you have other questions

Wow! Thanks for all the info everyone. I think I'm convinced Fira would be a better choice considering that it's a family vacation and not high season.

Dina, Vedema sounds great, but I think I'd like a view of the caldera. What was the view instead? The private beach access sounds wonderful! How many bedrooms were in the 4-level villa? What type of room had you originally booked? Was the pool heated, and is there any A/C?

Dopplehouse, was Fira a 10 minute walk from Dana Villas, or 10 minute drive? I'm so thrilled that someone replied who's actually been there! Do they offer a shuttle, or shuttle to the beach? Were the stairs gravely and uneven? My mother-in-law is 70, and in pretty good health, but not at all athletic! Seventy-five steps - as in stairs? Was the pool heated, and is there any A/C?

Thanks again for any additional info!

After doing further research...

Nikkos Villas still appeal the most! Excellent reviews on Trip Advisor.

Dana Villas may not be in a good location, and has what may not be a good situation with the stairs for MIL.

Reviews of Vedema on Trip Advisor were not particularly good.

However, I did find Hotel Atlantis highly regarded. It is in Fira, but not built into the hillside, so it has a real lobby and no "stair" problem. Would we loose a lot of the authentic charm of something like Nikkos Villas?

Any other advice greatly appreciated.

Hotel Atlantis has none of the charm of any of the hotels built along the lines of the traditional cave houses. It's a large structure designed like most "normal" hotels, with a lobby and 25 rooms of various size and amenity:

A/C in all units
Heating in all units
Private bathroom with bathtub in all units
Hairdryer
Anti mosquito protective device
Electric razor socket
Television in all units
Music in all units
Direct dial telephone
Mini bar with drinks
Private balcony in 20 units
Sea view in 22 units (caldera view)
Village view in 3 units
Cleaning every 1 day
Change of linen every 1 day
Change of towels every 1 day
Check in time 14:00
Check out time 12:00

The one factor it has that almost all other hotels there don't is that might make it best for your grandmother is that a taxi can drive right up to it. It's built on the main path through the village and there are lots of shops and restaurants nearby without so many of the ubiquitous steps needing to be negotiated.

We stayed at Anastasis Apt. in Imerovigli in June. No steps at all! Great caldera view, infinity pool, lovely host. Do a search on here as well as Tripadvisor. Reasonable prices.

Dana Villas is about a 10 minute walk - you are really just walking along the main road, along which are many villas, with a few restaurant/markets every now and then. Steps are not gravelly - and you'll need to use them each time you go from your villa to the pool and/or dining area. Its not that big of adeal, but I do remember hearing a couple people complain about the number of them. Yeah, there is no beach near Dana Villas - you'd have to go to another part of the island. Oia might be a better option. Wish I was you- I'd love to be going back to Santorini and Paros!

Imeravigli is in a remote location and farther from Fira than Firostephani.

Remote, however, is a pretty relative term.

While I'm not sure it's the best spot for teens (might be nboring) or a senior (mostly hilly), it's convenient by quick bus or cheap taxi to either Oia or Fira (five minutes tops).

Great setting. Some excellent accomodations and often better value for your money than Oia.

If we stay in Oia, how far is the beach? How far is Fira for shopping or dinner? Would we be taking a cab? Is there regular bus service?

You can take a cab or a bus from Oia to Fira....and there are many wonderful restaurants in Oia - you won't have to go to Fira for dinner (unless you want to).

There's a beach near to Oia called Baxedes which is rarely crowded, but it's on the windy side there. Below Oia is Amoudi Beach, which isn't really a beach but a small fishing wharf area with a couple of restaurants and a sea wall that extends around the end of the island for about 1/4 mile. The swimming is excellent there but there's no beach, you have to lay out on the rocks or swim across to the little rock island at the end of the wall where there's a nice platform and lots of privacy. For me this is the best swimming spot on the island. If you want regular beaches Perissa and Kamari are the most well-known. They don't have white sand. Perissa has black sand and Kamari has black pebbles. This makes for a hotfoot so wear flip-flops.

From Oia to Perissa or Kamari will take you about 45 minutes each way. Take the bus to Fira and then another bus to the beach of your choice. It will cost you 1 Euro for each bus you take. The bus from Oia to Fira takes about 25 minutes. If you go into Fira for dinner you might have to take a taxi back depending on how late you stay. The taxi costs 10 Euro. The bus stops running about 9:30 PM during the summer season.

Here's a link to the Santorini bus website, click on "TimeTable":

http://www.ktel-santorini.gr/

Considering your group as a whole you should be looking to stay in Kamari or Perissa. Both are flat beach resort places, both are cheaper to stay in than Oia/Thera towns. Buses are frequent into Thera for 'the view'. They have a good choice of hotels with swimming pools. The beaches on Santorini are generally exposed to the northerly wind, the meltemi, and are black sand or grit.

Thank you all! Very helpful info.