This “villa” is essentially a condo and while nice, overall we were disappointed with our stay, especially since it was so expensive. We would like to present an honest review so others can know exactly what they are booking.
First the pros:
1. The view is really stupendous.
2. The place is spotlessly clean.
3. The bed(s) are super comfortable.
4. The shower is hot and strong.
5. The breakfast is delicious and huge with a wide variety of items.
6. The location is good in the sense that it is pretty central between Oia and Fira.
7. The wifi is great. We never had a problem.
8. There is free parking right in front.
Now the cons:
1. The place is hard to find. We were told to meet at “Taverna Tasos”, which is actually almost next door. However, the Taverna is no longer open and has only one sign which faces the opposite direction when coming from the airport. You would not even know it is an establishment. And we asked about 3 different local people - no one knew where it was. This was very frustrating and caused us to have a later check in than we wanted.
2. The “development” is not finished and actually under construction. While the view of the caldera is stunning, if you look directly below, you will see empty pools and construction materials everywhere.
3. There is noise. We slept soundly with no noise at all, but do like to sit outside for afternoon coffee or a soak in the hot tub. If you do this you will hear a lot of street noise and also the construction workers at the condo directly next door (therefore no privacy also). It was really surprising to us since the apartment we stayed in in the middle of Athens was so quiet and relaxing during the day that we could hear birds singing.
4. The “hot” tub is not hot. It is really lukewarm and so disappointing. When we were let in, we asked if it could be made hotter but were told, “no.”
5. The condo is made with attention to form over function. All of the chairs are metal with no cushions and very uncomfortable. There is no couch, but rather a bench with pillows that is also really uncomfortable. They look pretty though. If you like to relax with a book while on vacation, you won’t be very comfortable doing it. The bathroom sink is very shallow and the faucet is high. No matter how low you try to turn the water on, you will still be splashed when brushing your teeth. The shower does not have a door and it seems to be designed like this since the bathroom floor has a drain in it. But, be warned that you should move the basket with the towels, trash can, and things on the counter, as everything will get wet. And, the floor will be soaked. If you don’t mop up the floor, you risk slipping in the water. But who wants to clean the floor after every shower? Not me!
6. We had no one to contact with problems. Even though Panos did answer my phone call when we arrived (so I know I had his correct number in my contacts), we never saw him and he never answered any of our texts. He said he never received any texts and we believe him (? technology glitch) but we initially followed up by emailing Fanis&Tina. However, they just repeatedly told us to text Panos, even when we said he wasn’t answering. We felt like they were annoyed so we just gave up. The man who let us in spoke little English and did not give us any instructions regarding anything. The man who brought breakfast also spoke no English. The first morning we got up, excited to use the Nespresso maker, only to find that it was broken. (We are quite familiar with Nespressos and had just used the exact same one in Athens). We had to go out to get coffee as we had no one to help us. It was fixed, however, upon our return after emailing Fanis&Tina.
7. There were several broken things. The most crucial was that there was no electricity in the second bedroom. There were wires hanging out of the wall in that room (? perhaps where a tv had been?), and a broken bed lamp that was dangling. In addition, one of the shade pulls in the other bedroom was also broken, making the shade unusable.
8. You really should have a car. We rented one and were so grateful we did. At the very least you will have to get a Covid test to leave (if going to the US) and get back and forth to the airport. There is not much to do within walking distance of the condo.
We are really not very picky people and have stayed in many Airbnbs all over the world. We would have overlooked so many of the problems with this condo except for the fact that we totally splurged to stay here and do not think it is worth what we were charged. We really rely on Airbnb reviews and want others to know what we wish we were told.