Old Castle Oia — Hotel in Municipality of Thira

Extremely disappointed with my stay at Old Castle Oia Hotel. We wanted to to big for our anniversary since the world has been shut down the last couple year and my wife has always dreamed of going to Santorini and staying in a hotel with a jacuzzi overlooking the ocean. The disappointment started before we even got to the actual hotel. The porter that was sent to the post office to meet us to carry our bags had nothing identifying him as working for the hotel so we stood there for a while waiting and trying to call the hotel with no answer till I finally asked a guy in regular street clothes that was sitting between cars on a sidewalk, smoking, and playing on his phone if he worked for Old Oia Castle Hotel. The man said yes, he then grabbed my two bags and just walked off immediately. There was no introduction, no small talk, no conversation at all to even orientate us to where we were going. It was just this guy walking at a fast pace 20 feet in front of us and only checking back to see if we were still following every 500 feet. Once we get to the hotel and go to the room I notice our jacuzzi is extremely dirty and the water is pool water cold. I go to the reception desk and let them know the jacuzzi is dirty and cold and they gave me a BS story about it only warm to a certain temperature because it was windy the day before. I said that would be fine but it is as cold as the unheated pool. Later they say the jacuzzis were all turned off because of safety from the wind (what sense does that make?). I let them know I felt other jacuzzi and they all felt warm and were clean, they said they would send someone out to check it out. The next morning (anniversary day) I see a pool guy walking around so I think something is getting done only to find out he is cleaning every jacuzzi but mine. I again ask the reception counter to please look into this because I just felt the other jacuzzis and they are warm and they said the whole system is broke which is weird because I walked by rooms where people were hanging out in their jacuzzis just fine. That night not only does neither one of our room heaters work but our hot water in our room is barely over luke warm. The final day I tried one more time to get them to fix the jacuzzi and let them know about the hot water issue but of course it was not fixed. The receptionist (she is very nice) did offer to let us use a shower in another room but it was late and we had to wake up early the next morning.||Some other bad things were there is a tv but no cable, you get liquid soap but no wash cloth, the floor in the shower isn’t sloped towards the drain so there is always a pool of water in there plus the way it’s designed, the water gets all over the bathroom. The hotel is the furthest hotel down the steps so every time you want to go into Oia, you will walk up to the equivalent of 15 flights of stairs to get to the top. ||There are some good things. The views are absolutely beautiful and the hotel was very clean. The breakfast that is delivered to your room in the morning is delicious and plentiful.||Overall, even if they offered to give me redo free of charge, I wouldn’t do it because I do not have the confidence that they would stick to it and I would some how get screwed over. ||I’m just really frustrated with this place since I checked in online the day before I got to the hotel and there was a question that said “Are you celebrating anything special” and I said “yes, our anniversary “ I also told them multiple times the reason we stayed there is that we saved up to celebrate our anniversary and wanted to specifically hang out in a jacuzzi overlooking the ocean. A place that can that little about their guests says...

Extremely disappointed with my stay at Old Castle Oia Hotel. We wanted to to big for our anniversary since the world has been shut down the last couple year and my wife has always dreamed of going to Santorini and staying in a hotel with a jacuzzi overlooking the ocean. The disappointment started before we even got to the actual hotel. The porter that was sent to the post office to meet us to carry our bags had nothing identifying him as working for the hotel so we stood there for a while waiting and trying to call the hotel with no answer till I finally asked a guy in regular street clothes that was sitting between cars on a sidewalk, smoking, and playing on his phone if he worked for Old Oia Castle Hotel. The man said yes, he then grabbed my two bags and just walked off immediately. There was no introduction, no small talk, no conversation at all to even orientate us to where we were going. It was just this guy walking at a fast pace 20 feet in front of us and only checking back to see if we were still following every 500 feet. Once we get to the hotel and go to the room I notice our jacuzzi is extremely dirty and the water is pool water cold. I go to the reception desk and let them know the jacuzzi is dirty and cold and they gave me a BS story about it only warm to a certain temperature because it was windy the day before. I said that would be fine but it is as cold as the unheated pool. Later they say the jacuzzis were all turned off because of safety from the wind (what sense does that make?). I let them know I felt other jacuzzi and they all felt warm and were clean, they said they would send someone out to check it out. The next morning (anniversary day) I see a pool guy walking around so I think something is getting done only to find out he is cleaning every jacuzzi but mine. I again ask the reception counter to please look into this because I just felt the other jacuzzis and they are warm and they said the whole system is broke which is weird because I walked by rooms where people were hanging out in their jacuzzis just fine. That night not only does neither one of our room heaters work but our hot water in our room is barely over luke warm. The final day I tried one more time to get them to fix the jacuzzi and let them know about the hot water issue but of course it was not fixed. The receptionist (she is very nice) did offer to let us use a shower in another room but it was late and we had to wake up early the next morning. Some other bad things were there is a tv but no cable, you get liquid soap but no wash cloth, the floor in the shower isn’t sloped towards the drain so there is always a pool of water in there plus the way it’s designed, the water gets all over the bathroom. The hotel is the furthest hotel down the steps so every time you want to go into Oia, you will walk up to the equivalent of 15 flights of stairs to get to the top. There are some good things. The views are absolutely beautiful and the hotel was very clean. The breakfast that is delivered to your room in the morning is delicious and plentiful. Overall, even if they offered to give me redo free of charge, I wouldn’t do it because I do not have the confidence that they would stick to it and I would some how get screwed over. I’m just really frustrated with this place since I checked in online the day before I got to the hotel and there was a question that said “Are you celebrating anything special” and I said “yes, our anniversary “ I also told them multiple times the reason we stayed there is that we saved up to celebrate our anniversary and wanted to specifically hang out in a jacuzzi overlooking the ocean. A place that can that little about their guests says...

Having traveled extensively, I can confidently say that Old Castle Oia Hotel ranks in our top 5 hotels of all time. This place is an absolute gem in Santorini, and as stunning as the photos are, they don’t even begin to do it justice. We’ve stayed in Oia before, but nothing compares to the breathtaking views offered here. While many hotels in Oia boast ocean views, Old Castle Oia gives you not just the ocean, but also the most picturesque panorama of the cliffs and the iconic village of Oia. Trust me, having stayed on both sides of Oia, staying on this side of Oia beats the blue dome side by a mile.

We booked a private pool suite, and it was perfection. The privacy was unparalleled, allowing us to enjoy the serene beauty of Santorini without being surrounded by influencers treating the world as their playground. Facing west, our room provided spectacular sunsets every evening—a sight we eagerly anticipated each day.

I know some have commented on the crowds near the hotel being able to look down at the main pool, but honestly, it’s not an issue. They’re not there to watch you, and if a few glance your way, it’s probably out of envy! Our suite was spacious, with large, beautiful windows offering a direct view of the magnificent scenery and sunsets right from the bed.

From the moment we arrived, the service was impeccable. Salis met us on the main road, helped us with parking, and carried our bags down the many steps to the hotel. Breakfast each morning was a delight, and Keti and Ioanna made sure our room was spotless every day. The hotel manager, Boyan, was exceptional, going above and beyond to ensure our stay was flawless.

Old Castle Oia is one of those rare places that we, now, just have to return to year after year. I would highly recommend it to anyone… but then again, I kind of want to keep this treasure...