We spent one week at Despina's cave house. On top of being a beautiful renovation, we were happily surprised by the large space, the 2 bathrooms, and the equipments (real kitchen where you can cook, and a washing machine to rinse beach towels every other day). At first, ee were a bit concerned by the shared terrasse with another house but the successive guests that came during the week were always out for the day so we could have the terrasse to ourselves most of the time and leave our children play outside without disturbing anyone. Also worth noting is that the terasse is sheltered from the wind and has enough sun protection to let you stay outside during the day. Katrina who manages the house in the absence of Despina was able to book a car with a local company (cheaper than the international companies) transfer from our ferry boat and a boat excursion. If you don't stay very long in Santorini, this is a very convenient service that can save up some precious time.
While you could get around without a car, we definitely advise to rent one as Mesaria is not in walking distance of any touristic places. Travelling by bus is possible if you don't mind the wait and frustration when it doesn't turn up or is so full that it cannot take you (may occur in peak season, we had to take the bus once after a trek to return to our car and had to face exactly this).
Apart from that, Mesaria has 2 local minimarkets that are open until late at night and even on Sundays, as well as a big supermarket where you can find everything including fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, fresh meat and cheese, as well as local well known wines, all at local price! There were several unexpensive restaurants and grills as well. While it was no Fira or Oia charm, it was all very convenient.
Thank you Despina and Katrina for this lovely stay!