If you love being around animals and prefer to be close to everything in Oía yet not surrounded by “influencers” when coming back to your place to stay, book Christa’s place NOW! (to be clear, the house is located on the backside of the caldera so you won’t be staying in the famously photographed cliff side of Oía, but read on if you want to know why that doesn’t matter)
Christa has the biggest heart and is extremely nice. She takes in animals from the streets and cares for them. She has two dogs (Zoi and Bella) who are the best. They are there to greet you when you come home and just want to hang out with you. Bella knows how to open doors though so if you start to hear the doorknob shaking, it’s probably her! There are also a lot of cats who are all extremely nice and just want to be petted.
The house is located just a short walk from the start of the main pedestrian walkway in Oía. This is where a bus stop is if you want to make your way over to Fira. Although, honestly, we went one afternoon and both looked at each other after having lunch and immediately knew that the other wanted to head back to Oía to hang out with the dogs and cats and lay by the pool. Mobs of people come into Fira from the cruise ships and it’s just not as pretty or enjoyable as Oía. If you do decide to go though, I’d recommend going to the main bus terminal down the street about 10 minutes because you’ll have a much better chance of getting a seat on the 45 minute bus ride. By the time the bus reaches the closer bus stop, it’s either too full and will just pass by or you’ll be standing in the middle aisle for the duration of the ride.
At the house, you have an entire guest suite to yourself on the lower level of a 3 story house that includes a full bathroom and kitchen. There is also the large outdoor space that has the amazing pool, which Christa keeps extremely clean. There are a bunch of loungers outside so you’ll always have a place to lay around and take in the views of the sea. Oh, and did I mention the dogs and cats who swing by often to check on you?!
Lastly, take Christa up on her recommendations. She booked the sunset cruise with Barbarossa sailing for us and it was incredible. You leave the bay around 3:30/4:00 in the afternoon and cruise all around the island on a boat that only holds 8 people. Swimming in the hot springs, seeing the sunset over the sea and slowly cruising back into Oía at night is something we’ll never forget.
Thank you, Christa!