Wisteria Apartments

The neighborhood is very nice, and the apartment is spacious with all the necessary things. It’s around a 20-minute walk to the center, and there’s also a nearby bus stop. We weren’t lucky with one part of the service: when we arrived after check-in time, the room still wasn’t ready. Apart from that, we got good help arranging our airport transfer.

The staff were so helpful and kind, and the place was very clean and airy. I couldn’t believe how spacious and comfortable it was. The photos don’t show how nice it is. It’s in a quiet area with a sea view, and the price was such a pleasant surprise. In Santorini they could easily charge much more. Excellent value, and I’d definitely come back and recommend it.

Yianni kindly found us a room at short notice, with exactly the price and location we wanted for our one-night stop before continuing to a nearby island. He and the staff went beyond what we expected by letting us store our luggage until our much later boat departure. We liked being a little outside Fira, where there are more local shops and it feels less touristy. The bus stop and a great bakery are only a few minutes away on foot. The apartment was lovely, clean and spacious. We loved it and thoroughly recommend it.

The Wi-Fi was terrible, and mobile reception was no help out in this remote village. There’s barely anything nearby either: one small grocery shop and two pricey restaurants with limited menus, almost a kilometre away and awkward to reach on foot. Getting around is a hassle unless you have your own car. Taxis cost a lot, and waiting for the bus was a waste of time and energy. The village has steep hills, so hauling suitcases along unpaved roads was rough. Even with a car, parking was difficult despite our visit being off season, and the roads are so narrow and winding that you need to be a confident driver. I’d avoid renting a manual car here. The tap water tasted like seawater, and after showering and brushing my teeth I was left itching a lot. The bedrooms are in the attic, with curved roofs so low that someone around 5'5" could barely stand upright without hitting their head. The beds were the least comfortable of the three places we stayed in Greece, and both the wooden floors and beds were noisy. Don’t trust the professional photos to make this look like a dream destination. It’s not the advertised five-star place, and I don’t think it’s worth the high price. We could have found much better places in Fira within the same budget.