Ira Hotel & Spa — Hotel in Municipality of Thira

Review for Expedia and Trip Advisor of The Ira Hotel and Spa, Firostefani, Santorini, Greece.||Our recent holiday in Greece involved us, a family group of 4, staying at 5 different hotels in Greece. All but one were excellent and provided everything expected of a 3–5-star hotel. The last one, the Ira Hotel and Spa located in Firostefani on the idyllic island of Santorini, is rated as a 4-star hotel. We disagree with this evaluation and suggest that it should be rated as 2-star at best.||The property is very modern and visually appealing cascading down the cliffs on the side of the caldera which consequently requires many staircases. The initial concern which faced us on registration, was the absence of a functioning restaurant and bar. This was unique among the hotels we stayed in on our vacation and had several consequences. It meant that a pleasant lounge and excellent swimming pool, both with stunning views, were barely used by guests in our experience. We were told by the hotel staff that since they had chosen not to open their restaurant and bar, we were not able to have a glass of cool white wine in any public space on the property and in particular in the afternoons which were very warm. We could only drink alcohol in our rooms which made us feel like children being disciplined solely for the obvious objective of saving the hotel the costs involved in operation their restaurant and bar. They explained that otherwise they would be in contravention of the laws and regulations if they allowed an expected normal civilized behavior in a “4-star” hotel.| |Other peculiarities forced on guests was the provision of only one room key to each couple. The key was a card commonly used at all the other hotels we stayed in which had to be inserted into a power switch to have any power in the room. This included the air conditioning so that, on leaving the room for daily sightseeing, removal of the key switched off all air conditioning. With temperatures reaching the low to mid-30s in the afternoons our return to our rooms was unpleasant and required considerable time to be cooled to acceptable temperatures. If the key was left in the power switch during our absence, we were informed that the cleaning staff would remove it requiring us to ask the reception staff to open our room on returning. Again, an example of being disciplined like children with the objective of saving the hotel the expense of air conditioning. A 4-star hotel must provide such service to justify that rating and it was provided at all the other 3-5-star hotels we stayed at. |Other more trivial problems were encountered which added up to a reduced level of enjoyment of the property which was a great shame as the location deserved a truly functional first class hotel. The necessity for multiple staircases required some fundamental design features not always provided. The use of contrasting colors to define the edge of stairs was not always used. Some simple use of white paint would have sufficed. Nor, in our experience, was the and stairs use of lighting after dark. Although lighting fixtures were incorporated along walkways they were often not switched on which was either a lapse on the part of the staff or was another money-saving strategy of management. ||Breakfast was provided in the restaurant and was served by a hard-working employee who also moved luggage and serviced the pool area. He was a gem. A fixed menu was provided for breakfast and all the food items were already on the tables upon entering. Additional items could be ordered at extra cost, one example being two scrambled eggs for €10.00. All our previous hotels provided buffet breakfasts for one fixed price and did not charge for any additional items. Another example of the profit motive for the hotel’s policies not observed at any of our other hotels. ||The hotel had clearly been designed by designers or architects who were far more concerned with image than substance. While the room interiors were mostly laid out well some quirks stood out. The lack of adequate towel racks for example as well as insufficient towels to dry them on. The extreme slipperiness of bathroom floors when wet around the showers made them unpleasant to use. The placement of one shower immediately adjacent to the bed in the room so that splashing the floor around the bed was inevitable also diminished the expected functionality of the rooms. ||These deficiencies might at first sound like picky tourist gripes which can be safely ignored by hotel management. However, they detract from what could be a truly wonderful experience if attention had been paid to a superior hotel experience worthy of a high rating. As it stands, the Ira Hotel and Spa provides a disappointing 2-star bed-and-breakfast experience for guests not worth the ~$450/night room charge. It could have been...

DO NOT BOOK HERE!!!!! This hotel is not friendly to it's guests or even it's potential guests. They do not practice good business! Their policies are not friendly! Booking here will be a mistake. They do not work with guests to help them in any way. Do yourself a favor and shop for a better alternative. I WOULD LIKE YOU TO READ ANOTHER REVIEW FROM June of 2025! Review for Expedia and Trip Advisor of The Ira Hotel and Spa, Firostefani, Santorini, Greece. Our recent holiday in Greece involved us, a family group of 4, staying at 5 different hotels in Greece. All but one were excellent and provided everything expected of a 3–5-star hotel. The last one, the Ira Hotel and Spa located in Firo stefani on the idyllic island of Santorini, is rated as a 4-star hotel. We disagree with this evaluation and suggest that it should be rated as 2-star at best. The property is very modern and visually appealing cascading down the cliffs on the side of the caldera which consequently requires many staircases. The initial concern which faced us on registration, was the absence of a functioning restaurant and bar. This was unique among the hotels we stayed in on our vacation and had several consequences. It meant that a pleasant lounge and excellent swimming pool, both with stunning views, were barely used by guests in our experience. We were told by the hotel staff that since they had chosen not to open their restaurant and bar, we were not able to have a glass of cool white wine in any public space on the property and in particular in the afternoons which were very warm. We could only drink alcohol in our rooms which made us feel like children being disciplined solely for the obvious objective of saving the hotel the costs involved in operation their restaurant and bar. They explained that otherwise they would be in contravention of the laws and regulations if they allowed an expected normal civilized behavior in a “4-star” hotel. Other peculiarities forced on guests was the provision of only one room key to each couple. The key was a card commonly used at all the other hotels we stayed in which had to be inserted into a power switch to have any power in the room. This included the air conditioning so that, on leaving the room for daily sightseeing, removal of the key switched off all air conditioning. With temperatures reaching the low to mid-30s in the afternoons our return to our rooms was unpleasant and required considerable time to be cooled to acceptable temperatures. If the key was left in the power switch during our absence, we were informed that the cleaning staff would remove it requiring us to ask the reception staff to open our room on returning. Again, an example of being disciplined like children with the objective of saving the hotel the expense of air conditioning. A 4-star hotel must provide such service to justify that rating and it was provided at all the other 3-5-star hotels we stayed at. Other more trivial problems were encountered which added up to a reduced level of enjoyment of the property which was a great shame as the location deserved a truly functional first class hotel. The necessity for multiple staircases required some fundamental design features not always provided. The use of contrasting colors to define the edge of stairs was not always used. Some simple use of white paint would have sufficed. Nor, in our experience, was the and stairs use of lighting after dark. Although lighting fixtures were incorporated along walkways they were often not switched on which was either a lapse on the part of the staff or was another money-saving strategy of management. Breakfast was provided in the restaurant and was served by a hard-working employee who also moved luggage and serviced the pool area. He was a gem. A fixed menu was provided for breakfast and all the food items were already on the tables upon entering. Additional items could be ordered at extra cost, one example being two scrambled...

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT stay here. My gf and I stayed at this Hotel during our first night in Santorini. We went out for dinner and drinks and came back and to the hotel around 11:00 PM and went to bed. The next morning we went shopping in the city. We came back to find we had been locked out of our room. We went to the front desk to ask to have our key replaced and the front desk woman said we could not access our room until the property manager came. We sat and waited outside of the check in room for OVER AN HOUR without explanation and without anyone telling us why or what was going on or letting us access our things. FINALLY, the property manager came and said we have to leave the hotel because we had screamed at, and HIT an employee and shut the door on him last night. Mind you, we had absolutely no visitors or employee interactions the night prior other than a young male who came to drop off a bottle opener before we left to dinner while my gf and I were getting ready for dinner. I asked the property manager to bring or tell us which employee we allegedly hit, yelled at and slammed the door on. After questioning her and asking for further innformation the manager said she was mistaken, apparently an employee "called our room" last night and we "yelled and hung up on them" (very different story now which was also, untrue). We were completely confused and upset and had no idea what was happening.

She then asked us to leave the hotel and said thats fine and we need to get our things. She said we cannot go into the room and THE HOTEL EMPLOYEES THEN BROUGHT OUR THINGS OUT that they had shoved into our suitcases and backpacks. Mind you, we were fully unpacked with our undergarments, bathing suits, bras, panties, dresses and clothes in the dressers, and hanging on hangers in the closet. They had grabbed all of our things and shoved it into our bags including our laptops, chargers, ipads, and make up.

It was the worst most traumatic experience we have ever had a hotel. Not only were we overseas and thousands of miles away from home and our families--it was our first time visiting beautiful Greece. Also and most horrible, to have a story made up about us and an employee (first being accused of hitting an employee only to later have the story changed to actually we hung up on an employee over the phone) was the most bizarre part. Being kicked out without reason, having a story made up and then changed by the property manager, and having our personal belongings tampered with and was an awful and very traumatic experience. To top it all off, having our personal belongings touched and removed from the room including our undergarments felt like a complete violation. My laptop screen was cracked in the process. The whole experience was unbelievable and...