Oia Cave Houses

The room was clean and tidy, and the views were very good, but the host spoiled the stay for us. The family lives in the same block and made us feel watched all the time. We were meeting up as two families after 20 years, and our friend came over for tea, but the host wouldn’t even let them step in, despite our saying they’d leave soon. The host was adamant and rude. We thought Santorini would be a lovely place for the reunion, but the host was really annoying. There were very few cooking utensils and nothing to make tea with. We asked for a smaller saucepan, but it took two days to arrive. They also gave the nearby room to someone else, so we had to share the hot tub. Ours was advertised as private but didn’t work. The place itself was really nice, but the host ruined it for us. Wouldn’t recommend.

Our room was spacious, with a nice view, and when we arrived the owner kindly adjusted the cold hot tub. That’s why I gave it three stars. We spent a few days here on our honeymoon, but I missed some extra touches for the occasion. Everything was very clean and the view was beautiful. The towels felt a bit hard, which I assume is because they air dry them. Breakfast was a little poor, and I missed fresh fruit. The bathroom also looked a bit outdated.

We had a very unpleasant stay and really wouldn’t recommend this hotel. There were five of us, a couple with our son and two people over 70, although the booking said four. We were willing to pay the appropriate extra amount, as we had done at other hotels during the trip. We tried contacting the hotel through the Agoda app to ask about getting there, but got no response from then until check-in. The area was like a maze, and we couldn’t find the hotel, so I had to Google it and call. My English isn’t good, and the call took a long time. The hotel sounded impatient. It took us ages to locate the place. Why couldn’t they meet us at the designated spot and bring us down, as other hotels did? It was only about a hundred meters away. When we arrived and asked to accommodate five people, the owner demanded an unreasonable €200. That was enough for me to book a slightly smaller room for one more night elsewhere. Although the system showed rooms available, the owner said there were none and wouldn’t accept my new booking, saying we could leave immediately if we didn’t want to stay. I promptly booked a nearby room for €125 for the two older people. The other hotel was friendly, even though we went in and out many times. The bubble pool wasn’t as clean as expected, with a greasy ring around it and small insects on the water. There was a coffee maker but no coffee. Our booking was for four people, though only three of us stayed in the end, and breakfast was provided for only three. Checkout was at 11 a.m. We were still having breakfast at 10:30 when an elderly family member came to help with our luggage. The owner saw them, shouted at them even though they couldn’t speak English, and wouldn’t let them into the private area. Then came an impolite “get out!!!!” When they didn’t understand, the owner said they’d call the police. There were two people in their seventies, one with leg mobility problems and neither able to speak English. There are plenty of friendlier places around. Don’t waste your money here.

We had a suite with a hot tub, which was nicely cold, and generous space with a dining area, kitchen and bath. The view was great, and the hostess was very helpful and nice. It was clean and quiet, with lots going for it. A few things weren’t as comfortable: the main bed felt a little thin and hard to me, the couches seemed intended as extra sleeping areas rather than places to sit, and some finishes looked tired. Still, it’s a great place and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.