"I spent months researching locations in Santorini before choosing Astra Suites. Imerovigli is located right in between Oia and Fira and since it is not as touristy, it is quieter, easier to navigate but doesn't lack for the luxury, views and amazing food. We stayed in the Villa which is has two bedrooms ,2 1/2 bath, sauna, small gym, full kitchen, pool and hot tub. Even before we arrived, we were provided 5+star service. All of my questions were quickly responded to (folks don't work 24x7, so weekends are quiet) regarding rental cars, pick up, possibility of early check in, etc. Our flight was delayed, but the driver was there to greet us and take us to the villa. George (Concierge) had a rental car ready for me (I even surprised them with a request to have it 2-3 hours earlier than originally requested). He also was able to move our table reservation at the Five Senses to the 'front' of the restaurant with an unobstructed view of the Caldera. The Villa took our breath away. It was immaculate. The showers are enormous. One shower has small lights so you feel like you are outside with the stars. The view was beyond breathtaking. My photos do not do it justice. The living room and dining room were also very spacious. The kitchen had everything we needed. The frig was stocked with plenty of complimentary water as well.
I would like to point out two things.
1. Santorini is small and packed with tourists. The Fira->Oia hike goes right through Imerovigli. In Santorini, buildings and hotels are right next to each other (which is the beauty of the landscaping!). If people expect 100% quiet when you are in your hotel, Santorini is not for you. The beauty is the Caldera and the vast number of white-washed buildings that are next to each other. Our Villa is located near the trail, but we could not see anyone when we were in the pool as the Villa sits higher above the trail. So privacy is great! But that does not prevent you from hearing folks as they walk by. This did not bother us at all. We are not near the location where the cruises drop off, so we only had a trickle of tourists walk by.
2. It is windy in Santorini. Windier than we expected. Our pool was heated. But it was still a little cold when we first jumped in. But swimming around after a long hike felt great. But the hotel cannot control the weather. If you expect balmy tropical weather, research more about Santorini weather before you book so expectations are realistic. It was nice to sit in the sauna for our sore legs (walking 10 miles a day) then jump into the pool. Then finish in the hot tub with a fresh glass of an amazing Santorini wine.
The location of the villa is perfect. We ate at the amazing Five Sense restaurant (that is part of the hotel) and other nights, we walked to local restaurants that were very good. We were very lucky to get into them without reservations since we were in the shoulder season. But if you can, make reservations ahead of time.
The rental car parking could be a challenge, but there Is a large parking lot (free) that is just a 6 minute walk to the hotel. It is very easy to drive around Santorini. New parking lots are being added, so we had no problem finding parking in Oia. We walked to and from Fira, so we never ended up driving there.
Back to the hotel. We ended spending a little more time in the Villa during the afternoons because it was so incredibly comfortable and relaxing. After spending days in Athens/Delphi and the mornings in Santorini walking/sightseeing - ending the day reading by the pool, going for a swim or taking a nap is how we wanted to end our last two days of vacation. Then walking to have an amazing meal would close out a perfect day. While tourists may fight for space to see a sunset in Oia, we reveled in how perfect the sunset from our villa patio was. We did not feel that we were missing anything and felt lucky and how perfect the sunset was from the comfort of our 'backyard'.
I could wax on forever at how perfect our stay at Astra Suites was. The location, service, accommodations was all 5+stars. Thank you to everyone there for making our vacation a memory we will never forget."
