I booked Maria’s home for a quick trip to Santorini, 7-11, May 2019. I am not sure if I can adequately express how pleased and impressed I was with this home.
The home is located literally steps away from center of town in Fira (the capital of Santorini), yet it sits in a quiet, safe and very friendly residential area. I would give Maria’s home a walk score of 10 since “ten toes down” in Fira gives you access to ATMs, fine dining and fast food restaurants, shopping, sightseeing tours, liquor stores, clubs, bakery, pharmacy, taxis station, spa and beauty shops, jewelry stores, sea port, donkey rides, incredible views of the volcano as well as the nearby villages of Oia, Firostefani and more.
Maria’s attention to detail provided extraordinary comfort in a space that made me feel it was created just for me. This is a super clean townhouse with the master bedroom (TV), en suite bathroom w/walk-in closet , living room (TV), dine-in fully stocked kitchen, and a 2nd full bath downstairs, as well a 2nd bedroom (TV) upstairs. WiFi was throughout he house and worked well. Each room had really nice double-pane, screened-in windows that open out to the side and also pull down. This allows a fresh breeze to flow the the home.
The windows in the bedrooms have room-darkening curtains that ensure your ability to sleep-in if you so desire.
Both bathrooms are ultra modern with dual shower heads, bowl sinks and tankless toilets. There was always a quick return on hot water. *⚠️ The tankless toilets are not made to flush paper. All toilet paper must be placed in the small trash can next to the toilet*. No worries, all of the trash cans have lids. This was the case throughout Santorini.
If you like to look at yourself, you will have plenty of mirrors to do so in Maria’s home. There is a full length mirror, a vanity with mirror with sufficient natural light and electric light , as well lit mirrors in the bathroom. Putting on makeup was no problem. Maria also provided a conversion plug for devices that need to be charged. And there are plenty of wall outlets throughout the house.
Both beds are European style (Q) platform beds. I found them to be very comfortable. The bedding was super cozy and the pillows were just right.
There is a doorway from the kitchen that leads to veranda. This backyard area is so nice. There are tables and chairs with ashtrays available if you are a smoker. If you are a non-smoker, like me, you will appreciate the smoke-free environment on the inside of Maria’s home. It smelled clean and fresh, and there was no residual anything. I am very sensitive to smoke.
The best part of the backyard area was the heated spa/hot tub with a full privacy wall. What a wonderful way to relax after walking up and down stone steps all day long. I believe the hot tub water is chlorinated and not salted. Again, this area of the home was sparkling clean and very welcoming.
While Maria owns the home, but it is beautifully managed by Tania. Both Maria and Tania were ultra responsive on the Airbnb platform. All of my inquiries were addressed quickly and sufficiently. This was my first time ever traveling solo, and I was very nervous about flying into Santorini in the dark of midnight. But Tania was the “hostess with the mostess”. . She assisted me in pre-arranging my transfer from the airport to the house, and she met me at the upon arrival. It was almost 1am when I arrived. That was truly above and beyond kindness and flexibility, as some Airbnb hosts have cutoff times for arrivals when a self check-in process is not available.
I cannot say enough about the hospitality that Tania provided me. There were light snacks and bottled water in the kitchen upon arrival. Perfect for a tired and hungry traveler. The next morning, she gave me a quick walking tour of Fira, suggesting “must see” sights, explained how in could transport myself around the island, showed me how to get to Maria’s beautiful spa, and always made herself available by mobile and WhatsApp at all times throughout my stay. This was above and beyond the call of duty.
Should you decide to book Maria’s lovely home, be sure to set some time aside to visit her spa, “Elysium” for a massage, pedicure or other beauty treatment. I had the 60 min aromatherapy massage and I felt like I was in a relaxation trance. Self care is so important and this was truly an “in the moment” treat that helped me focus on “me”. And even if you don’t book Maria’s home, you can still book or walk-in her “Elysium Spa” for a relaxing beauty treatment. Her staff will spoil you ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡
I cannot thank Maria and Tania enough for this wonderful experience. They really and truly made traveling solo a fun filled experience.
Without hesitation I would highly recommend Maria’s home (Elysium) and spa treatment for your Airbnb stay in Santorini (Fira). Home and spa treatment are separate and worth every Euro. You won’t be disappointed. (^_−)−☆