I stayed three nights at Marina's cave house and it was a wonderful experience. It was my first time in Europe and this was only my second Airbnb experience.
Both Marina and Stefanie were so sweet throughout. Even when I reached out before booking. We arrived to warm smiles and we received help with our luggage, transportation, excursions, etc. Stefanie made arrangements to get us to the home when we found out we had too much luggage for an automatic rental car. That was much appreciated.
The house was very clean and looked just like the pictures. It was beautifully decorated and had a lot of character. I loved the views and the sitting area outside, but I think we were most appreciative of the the authentic experience and the air conditioning. I love the way the air conditioning works in Greece. Everyone gets to choose their own temperature in their room which saved a lot of aggravation. I loved the fact that I was in a cave house basically built into a mountain. There were also goodies and a bottle in the refrigerator. Marina lives right above the place and she came by and did a little cleaning and took out our garbage.
We were very close to Fira and Oia. Not necessarily waking distance, but it was only about 10 euros to take a taxi for 4 there. I was really thinking of asking for a rental car, but after seeing the mountainous roads, I realized it would be too much to handle since I'm afraid of heights. Maybe next time. Luckily, between the taxis and what ended up being our favorite Greek restaurant, Aidani, located at the base of the hill, we were good without. It was a little bit of a treck coming back up the hill to the house from the restaurant and the two mini markets when we would walk down, but it wasn't a long walk, just steep. It was worth it for Aidani. The food and server there were great. I will miss it. So we made it through without the car for the 3 days we were there.
The boat tour Stefanie booked for us was the best part. We were literally there all day and saw so many great things. It was a highlight so I'm so happy she suggested it.
The day we were leaving, I didn't really want to go. I had so much more to see and I was so comfortable there. Stefanie came by right when we got back from the tour and had gifts for us. So sweet!
In the end, we had great place to stay, great food, two markets, nice locals, an awesome view, an amazing boat tour, gifts, awesome hosts, and great air conditioning for a great price. I plan to come back and see the rest of the island and I would love to stay here again. Thanks Stefanie and Marina!! See you soon 😊