Golden Sunset

The sunset views are some of the best in Oia, and this place is nearly always full, so book early. For a couple, go for one of the cave rooms; for a group of four, choose the windmill. We paid roughly €180/night in December, and it was the best money you'd spent in Oia.

We chose Room 3 at Golden Sunset Villas for our honeymoon and paid about EUR 200 per night for three nights. The sunset views were absolutely spectacular, which is why we stayed. Apart from that, it felt more like a 2 or 3 star hotel. Staying in a Santorini-style “cave” villa was a fun novelty. Breakfast was very basic, though the balcony view was great when an outside table was available. The buffet had cereal, slices of cheese, ham and tomatoes, bread or toast with butter, jam or Nutella. One day the fresh bread ran out and wasn’t replaced. The filtered coffee wasn’t good. We got a cappuccino one morning because the filtered coffee machine was broken that day. Otherwise, the choices were orange cordial, instant coffee or tea bags. They didn’t refill the coffee pods or sugar in our room during our stay, and there were no milk or cream sachets. The Wi-Fi barely worked in or around our room. We could use data on our UK phone plans, but reception in the room was poor too, so that was difficult. We didn’t spend much time inside, and it was a cave, but it’s worth knowing. The shower head was broken and barely stayed in its holder. It couldn’t be adjusted, so it sprayed down and onto the wall, and we had to hold it the whole time. A broken gap also sent water over the shower curtain, leaving the bathroom floor wet and slippery after every shower. We almost slipped a couple of times at night, which felt dangerous. We wanted to put a towel on the floor, but a sign said not to use towels for drying it. There was a mat, but it was too small to absorb all the water. We accidentally left two almost-new TRTL travel pillows in the cupboard when we checked out. The staff were friendly and helpful, but when we realized a few hours later and returned before our flight, they couldn’t find them. It was our fault for leaving them behind, but we don’t understand how they could disappear so quickly after the room was cleaned. Surely the cleaner would have seen them, but the staff checked with her and she didn’t know. We’d still return for the amazing sunset views and prime Oia location, but it’s good to know what the hotel actually provides. Leaving the pillows was our mistake, but a less basic breakfast, fresh coffee or juice, refilled room supplies and a working shower would have made the stay much more enjoyable. Given the price, those don’t seem like too much to ask.

Watching the sunset from the Oia Windmill each day was something else, with the Caldera spread out in front of us. We slept there with the breeze coming through and woke up to those incredible views. Honestly, what more is there to say?

Staying inside a windmill was such a unique experience.