MOD Santorini — Hotel in Municipality of Thira

Overall we were disappointed.

The positives: the room was very spacious and had a jacuzzi with an amazing view to the coast breakfast was good we had an issue in the middle of the night with jacuzzi making a noise which we texted the owner about and they responded straight away allowing us to resolve the issue.

The negatives: no safe included in the room. Whilst the location and the hotel was secure, for the price we paid for the hotel you'd expect a safe to be included as a standard one time the cleaner forgot to provide toilet paper and espresso capsules which we had to text the owner about - to be fair this was immediately rectified once we had texted. two big coffee cups were included but no espresso cups (I may be being a bit harsh with this one but it bothered me slightly) the location isn't as good as Ethos Vegan Suites (the other vegan hotel in the area) - MOD is 5/10 minutes further from the centre of town and you have to walk along roads with no pavements to get there making it a little dangerous the lunch offered at the restaurant was overpriced. It cost 80 euros and whilst it was good and the chef is very good it wasn't worth that price in our opinion - 60 euros would have been more acceptable. We also found a hair in the food and we told the chef who apologised but nothing was really done about it for example no discount was offered or complementary item. the entry on each door works on a card touch system - its easy enough to do but we weren't shown how to do it exactly (the card has to be held horizontal) which meant we wasted a bit of time trying to get into the property a couple of times. The owner could have spent a little time at check in showing us how it works to make things easier. transfer to the airport was offered at 40 euros whereas Ethos Vegan Suites arranged this for us with a separate driver at 25 euros. 40 euros seemed unfair to us for such a short drive (10/15 minutes) and given how much we had spent on the room we found it ridiculous that the owners would then want to squeeze 40 euros out of us for a short airport transfer. the biggest reason for the disappointment is that the owners are not around other than for check in and check out. To be fair we were there for only a 3/4 days but every time we came in and out no one was at reception - this allowed for no opportunity to get to ask the owners about their recommendations for Santorini or to flag any issues (for example the hair in the food). We did not feel like the owners really cared about whether we enjoyed our stay so long as they received our money. Compared to our stay at Ethos Vegan Suites where the owners were around a lot of the day and took a genuine interest in how are stay was going. the final straw for us was in check out (the second time we saw the owner during our stay) who said they were not able to hold our luggage on site for a few hours whilst we killed time before our flight as 'no one will be here' - we couldn't believe that such a expensive hotel wouldn't offer such a standard service as to hold luggage on site for four hours after checkout. The owner did not seem to care that we would need to haul our luggage down the busy road with no pavement and carry this with us for the rest of the day in the soaring heat. We were so disappointed with their attitude towards us at checkout.

I do not want to be too harsh on the owners as when we met the lady on check in she was very nice to us but in addition to the points above, in our opinion the owners really need to be around a bit of the time to make sure their guests are happy and their questions/concerns answered (we appreciate that other people might feel differently on this point to us).

I do think that our stay at MOD Santorini was made more of a disappointment because we had had such an incredible stay at Ethos Vegan Suites before we moved to MOD, but for the above reasons I'm really not in a position to recommend MOD, the main reason being that you just won't get the client care from the owners there that you do from...

5 stars are too few! You will absolutely LOVE staying here whether you are vegan or not. Truly heaven on earth. Already mentally planning my trip back.

The second you walk into the hotel, you feel peace and tranquility. My husband and I had taken a very busy ferry to the island, disembarked at a busy port… I was feeling a bit stressed and exhausted when we arrived in Santorini- that was until we got to MOD. Argiris picked us up from the port and instantly we felt welcome in Santorini- he gave us a really delightful introduction to the island on the ride to the hotel. Everything at MOD is so tastefully decorated and it’s modern while still reflecting the “Santorini style” that is so iconic and loved. We had ordered a Mezze board + sparkling wine to be waiting in our room when we arrived- and if you don’t do that, in my opinion, you’re making a huge mistake!! Everything was fresh and delicious and it started our stay in Santorini in the best way possible.

We stayed in the gamma suite- the jacuzzi/pool was such an amazing amenity to have right on our own terrace! We spent several hours sunbathing and soaking while looking out at the coast each afternoon. We ate breakfast outside most mornings with a beautiful ocean view.

Christina’s cooking will also be a highlight of your stay- If I were you, I’d honestly plan to eat several meals at the hotel (in addition to the breakfast served in room each day- I was SO sad to wake up back in “real life” this morning and know I didn’t get a delicious vegan breakfast made by Christina). It can be a bit tricky to find really quality vegan food on the island, but in addition to a diverse, affordable, full menu of on demand vegan food at MOD, Christina put together a list of vegan friendly restaurants that’s available for you to reference during your stay. There were so many little touches like this and it took allllll the stress out of traveling to a new place and trying to find vegan food that seems fit for vacation!

In addition to the hotel itself being amazing, it’s also in a fantastic location. The perfect mix of being able to get away from the crowds and truly unwind and relax, while still being only a few minutes’ walk from all the action. It was so wonderful to be able to seek out busier areas and quickly walk into town when we wanted to, but have a quiet, private place to relax and come back to each night.

Finally, what sets MOD apart are the hosts and owners- Christina and Argiris. They are both just absolutely delightful people and it is immediately clear upon meeting them that they truly care about the hotel, the guests, and the island of Santorini. I highly recommend booking the extra services they offer- we did a vegan food/wine tour of the island with Argiris and it was absolutely incredible. It included a home cooked meal at a small winery we would NEVER have found on our own (and we leaned about the history of the winery and got to visit the wine cellar!), we got to see some extremely beautiful views on the island (again, not places we would have found online), and learned all about the history and culture of Santorini from Argiris, who grew up on the island. We went to a wine tasting as well- absolutely fantastic.

We also booked the sunset picnic (see pictures)- it was seriously the highlight of our whole trip (which included an entire week in Athens). It was such a special thing that I don’t think we will ever be able to replicate. I wish we had stayed more than 4 nights at MOD and had time to book more experiences with Christina/Argiris.

I am sure I’m forgetting a bunch more amazing details, but suffice it to say that my stay at MOD was the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to go back and I’ve been daydreaming about it ever...

Review

Hotel: *

Mod Santorini is a vegan hotel on the island of Thera (Santorini) in the picturesque village of Firostefani. This incredibly cute boutique hotel run by Cristina and Argiris exceeded every expectation I had prior to arriving on this beautiful island. The hotel is new so expecting perfection would be a ridiculous expectation, but this team nearly achieved perfection. From the accommodations themselves to the hospitality we received this crew made our stay on Santorini wonderful. In addition to accommodations, we were pick-up/dropped-off at the airport; participated in a food and wine tour; got car rental reservations made on behalf of us; had arrangements made for a catamaran tour of the caldera; received restaurant/bar recommendations; and…got a sack lunch packed for us for our hike from Fira to Oia.

Location: *

Great location in the village of Firostefani (directly next to Fira). Within walking distance to all the action in Fira (5 to10 minute walk) and many things in the village itself. Keep in mind that the hotel faces east, away from the Caldera, but the sea view rooms have a great view of the sunrise.

Accommodations: *

The hotel is newly reconditioned and re-opened so everything was in exceptional shape. We had a minor problem with the room which was fixed immediately. The room is very quiet and the temperature in the room was pleasant. The room has heat and AC, but we didn’t need it. The bed is very comfortable and adequately dark. We left the east facing window shades open so we could see the sunrise (spectacular) each morning.

The room includes a vegan mini bar stocked with snacks and beverages and the room is provided with an unlimited supply of filtered water delivered in a reusable bottle.

Our room had a hot tub on the balcony that was accessible either directly from the room or from the balcony.

The balcony has a table and two chairs where one can enjoy breakfast (or dinner) or drinks with a view of the Aegean Sea.

The bathroom facilities were nice as well, with an overhead rain shower along with a hand shower.

Food: *

The hotel offers full-restaurant service on a reservation basis which we did not take advantage of as well as lunch catering and complimentary breakfast which can be upgraded. The standard breakfast included a chickpea omelet, toast & jam, orange juice, breadsticks, and a sweet treat along with in-room coffee (press) and tea. The standard breakfast is delicious, but we upgraded one day to pancakes and waffles which were also delicious. Cristina packed us a lunch for our long hike to Oia which consisted of a falafel wrap. It was also delicious.

Scheduling Services: *

Mod Santorini offers scheduling services and help with itineraries as well. Cristina scheduled a couples massage, rental car and catamaran trip on the Caldera on our behalf. She also recommended a kayak company and suggested several restaurants and places to have a cocktail and watch the sunset. We had the rental car just for a day, and Cristina provided us with a suggested itinerary of places to visit on the island. It did not disappoint.

In summary from start to finish this team behind Mod provided exception service and support and went out of their way to help have an enjoyable experience. As other have said, it felt more like a visit with old friends (complete with hugs) than just a “guest”. I’d highly recommend this hotel and will...