Maria's place is so lovely! The view is unparalleled and the location is ideal to walk to stores and restaurants in Oia. As far as beaches, the nicer ones are closer to Fira (though not so close) such as Kamari and you will have to rent a car or take cabs, but we totally preferred our location and would not have wanted to stay in Fira, though it is fun to see. Oia is magical and we can't recommend it and Maria's place highly enough!