Kastro Suites — Hotel in Municipality of Thira

We just stayed at Kastro suites for 3 nights in August 2024. Location location location! View view view! From the moment I arrived (fairly sweaty from dragging 2 suitcases around the hills of Fira) Sofia at reception was extremely nice and helpful. The sign at the steps leading down to the hotel was covered by a potted plant which didn’t help. Our room was fairly Spartan for the price, but given the time of year and location and comps for places with pools, that did not bother us. It was spacious and comfortable, and fairly represented in the pictures, though I think some travel sites mix up the different pictures from the different rooms. We stayed in the family cave suite.

For us the absolute highlight of this hotel was the pool. It has spectacular view of the Caldera and a lot of Fira, and that combination beat my high expectations. I have held a romanticized vision of Santorini for decades, and to finally go there and have reality exceed my expectations, and to be able to soak it in for hours from the (albeit small) pool was one of the highlights of our 2-week trip to Greece. I was worried I would get to Santorini and would find that the great view only existed from a particular angle in one corner of Oia, but the island and its Cycladic architecture is just spectacular all over. The only drawback is that this is no secret so in busy season every gorgeous view is mobbed with tourists, but the pool at this little hotel gave us a chance to enjoy the view as much as we wanted, without having to dodge the thousands of people taking photos after being disgorged by the cruise ships below. The pool is not large, but very few in Santorini are. The common balcony on the higher level is also small, but the vibe during our stay was generally pretty friendly, and we had enjoyable times hanging out with some of the other guests from Australia and the States.

We had a load of laundry done for $15 which is extremely good value vs the exorbitant prices from other hotels where single items can run that much.

The food in the included breakfast is nothing to write home about, but fine. The view while eating breakfast is fantastic, though seating is first come first served and we found ourselves in an overly sunny spot the first morning.

My back isn’t great, and the mattress on our bed didn’t really help. That could be improved. We byo pillows so I have no review on those. Linens and towels were perfectly clean. Decent cupboard storage but tiny safe. Our room had no corkscrew but some other friendly guests gave theirs to us.

Front desk is not 24/7, but having just come from a serviced apartment in Paros, that didn’t bother us. Our room itself didn’t have a view, but our front door was 5 steps from a breathtaking view so...

Bora is amazing! Very nice and helpful owner of this amazing place, great great view of caldera from all the rooms, perfectly fine breakfast every morning with really good food and drinks to get ur day started.

A lot of the activities in the neighborhood can be arranged and called by Bora, such that you as a guest don't have to figure it out and look up all the information urself, there's enough to explore on Santorini, and plenty of locals and guides who can tell you all about it, and/or give you tips what to visit.

The rooms are very clean and better than you could expect from an hotel with 8 suites. We had some problems with the shower and toilet, but after communicating with the staff, it was fixed by the end of the day. We were also very happy to get a free upgrade to the family suite, which "wasn't occupied anyways" according to Bora :-)

Special thanks to Marius(not sure about his name) for picking us up from the main road, searching for us when we arrived there, and walk with us, 2 minutes up the mountain with our luggage. Really makes your guests feel special...

Speaking for myself, my first time in Greece is definitely not gonna be my last time, thanks to Kastro Suites who takes great care of their guests, and makes sure they get an amazing and...

We spent 4 nights in Santorini and the Kastro suites was a real oasis from the hustle and bustle of this beautiful island in August. Despina and Mario couldn't have been more helpful, warm and professional. Thank you for your hospitality! ||The location is really fantastic with an incredible view, and it so central, you are steps away from everything. The pool is great for a quick dip to cool off, and we spent much time on the balcony enjoying the serene surroundings. Breakfast on the balcony was a lovely way to start the day, and Despina also helped us book a sunset boat tour which was a lovely way to see the sunset without the craziness of Oia.||The suite was really comfortable for the four of us - the bed probably the most comfortable I slept in during our trip. Very very clean, towels changed daily if required (with pool / beach towels available from reception). A truly lovely stay. The decor may need a bit of updating - but it's a charming, lovely place and we couldn't have asked for more for our vacation.||Two bits of advice for Santorini - avoid August if you can as it's just too crowded at times; and walking down to the Port can be really hair raising as you try to dodge the donkey poo and donkeys going up and down the steps with cruise passengers on...