Had an amazing 1 week holiday in Santorini, in part due to the accommodation which was exactly what was needed and provided good value for money, especially for such an expensive area. The photos are accurate and you do get what you expect. There are a few minor things that let it down, which I think would only bug you if staying for a week or longer, which you can find in the con’s below. But first there are many things to like about GTK Sunset villa.
Pro’s:
- The villa is well positioned in the very beautiful village of Finikia, with some nice restaurants, and easily walkable into the popular area of Oia (10-15 mins)
- The villa is small but perfectly comfortable enough for 2 people (might be pushing it for 3 or 4)
- The hot tub was a perfect temperature for us, not too hot that you could only spend a short time in but not cold enough to be chilling.
- There was some complimentary cheese, ham, milk, bread and even a watermelon welcoming us.
- The kitchen was very small but had a kettle, hot plate, toastie maker, sink and fridge. Which is enough to make simple meals and there was enough cutlery and glasses for us. (I would have liked to see bigger tea cups/ mugs however)
- complimentary beach towels, and toiletries (not enough for a week but I’m sure if you asked, more would be provided)
- The host was very responsive to messages and helped us arrange activities and taxi. We arrived at midnight so it is recommended to arrange the taxi through the host so they can give you the key. We arranged our own transport back to the airport however and they didn’t have a problem at all finding the villa.
- The bed is comfy and extra pillows provided
- There is an iron and ironing board in the villa which is very handy considering the men wear shirts nearly all the time in Santorini
- The villa is within 15 min walk (down hill) to the very lovely vineyard and wine tasting of domaine sigalas, I recommend to do this very much!
Con’s:
- One arm of the sofa was completely broken, this was mentioned to the host who didn’t know. Only mentioned as is potentially unsafe.
- The shower leaked onto the toilet area no matter how carefully we showered (could never figure out where the leak was coming from). Also the shower wall attachment didn’t hold the shower head properly so had to hand hold. (I think this may have been fixed after we left)
- The view from the hot tub is amazing facing outward to the sea (as seen in photos) but to the right is a pretty ugly car park. Similarly you can only see the sunset (in September at least) go down behind the neighbouring villa/wall to the west. The sky is still a very nice colour though
- The walk to Oia or the village of Finikia requires a walk up a fairly steep hill, but doesn’t take long
- The AC was pretty useless during our stay which ranged from 25 to 30 degrees outside. Even on maximum strength the AC didn’t cool the villa, we had to resort to opening windows and hoping for a breeze. But the temperature was a little uncomfortable at night.
- The taxi the host arranges is more expensive than you can find elsewhere. Upon arriving we had no choice to pay the €50 euros 1-way trip from the airport due to it being the only way to get the key at 12am. We arranged our own returning for €30 which found us easily despite there being no street name.
All in all, despite the negatives I believe this villa was very good value for money (for Santorini) and our host was very helpful, although we never met. I would recommend this villa if you want to be close to the gorgeous sights of Oia but don’t want the busy crowded streets on your doorstep, it is certainly a very nice place to come back to for a bit of peace and tranquility. I would return.