If I make it back to Santorini, it will be to this home. The stay epitomized to me what an Airbnb should be. It felt just like we were at home, If our home happen to be an extremely stylish classic cave house and a picturesque location where the birds chirping and donkeys braying gently woke you up in the morning and you were greeted by pastries. We come from a smaller, more rural town so the crowds and noise of Fira, though worth it for dinner for the magnificent view, was not really what I imagine a vacation to be. Once we came to the southern end of the island, I was able to relax.
The southern island is also a very convenient location for trips around the island either by car, taxi, or bus. Cabs are very expensive in Santorini, €20-€40 to go anywhere, so to have this easy location to the beach at Perissa, the view from the lighthouse, and the prehistoric city of Akrotiri was very nice. Flori and Steffano either drove us everywhere we wanted to go for a very reasonable charge and we felt very safe with them, or they would arrange for a car to be in the driveway in the morning for us to take from the local rental company. We had read about scams in some car/atv rental places so this ease was a huge relief and honestly we felt like royalty with the level of service, recommendations and quick responses provided.
The property has three units on it so the common spaces are shared, but this was never an issue for us as there are so many great places to enjoy, from the rooftop to the pool area, to the beautiful outdoor dining area. Plus, there was so much to do around us and to see that I found myself wishing we could spend more time at the house than we actually did.
This is the Greek hospitality you’ve read about, in a town that feels like a real community with real people: children going to school, friends talking in cafes, as opposed to the international feeling of Fira or Oia, which are awash with tourists. This location is also a very easy spot from which to go wine tasting around Megalochori, the next village North.