Pezoules of Oia — Hotel in Municipality of Thira

LOCATION - Conveniently located in the center of Oia but tucked away in a private enclave of its own away from the touristy buzz which is great. We could peacefully take all the pictures we want at our own pace from the property. However, to get to the property from the main street there are many steps to take and might be pretty challenging for guests with mobility issues. Anti-slip shoes are recommended especially if it rains as the steps are rather slippery when walking down. The attractions are all within walking distance, e.g. the famous blue domes, the Byzantine Castle Ruins, everywhere we walk it's simply beautiful and gorgeous. I love Santorini :) Lots of walking and climbing the stairs. Gets really hot in the afternoon. I would suggest heading out early in the morning say 7+ to take your pictures to avoid the crowd and weather is cooling too. You'll see many professional photographers or bridal shoots at this timing. Then return to have breakfast, enjoy the room before heading out again later in the day and for dinner.

TRANSPORT - We booked a 2-way airport shared shuttle which costs EUR30 per person per way. Had a chat with the guests in the shuttle and realized that they were charged EUR15 per person per way instead. Ours cost double but understandable that the hotel would want to profit from the arrangement. The journey was about 30-40 minutes depending how many people are sharing the shuttle. When we arrived we had the whole shuttle to ourselves, comfortable and the driver was friendly. When we returned, the driver received a last minute pick up and we u-turned to pick other guests and he lost his way a little. The air conditioning was not really functioning which made the ride a little uncomfortable.

ROOM - Expensive but we enjoyed the stay. There are only a few units in this property, 8 if I am not wrong. We stayed at the Mentha Cave Suite which comes with a private jacuzzi tub. This room provides good privacy. Room size is generous and clean. Spotted some ants on the sofa but doesn't really bother me. I especially love love love the bed, very comfortable and I slept really well even with the wind howling outside. The wind was unusually strong on the first night when we arrived. The shower head has got good water pressure but the holder was positioned too high and I had to hold the shower head as I bathe which I didn't quite like.

DINING - Breakfast was decent but made perfect by the Aegean blue backdrop at the terrace of our room. We preferred to dine earlier when the sun is not so scorching. Many good restaurant options are available near the hotel. We booked a sunset dinner at Oia Gefsis as recommended by the hotel. The food was awesome. If you pass by the Lolita gelato, try strawberry sorbet it's awesome! Oh and try the Yellow Donkey beer from Santorini, very refreshing and light.

FACILITIES - There is a small inifinity pool that offers an incredible view and a pool bar is located next to it. The pool bar area is air-conditioned, has a toilet and 2 tables with seats that act as a holding area that we used while waiting for our airport transfer after checking out. I have to say the music selection was perfect and chill at the bar. I can't help it but asked for the playlist to be added to my spotify.

SERVICE - Service is great. We really appreciate the gentleman who helped us with the big luggages down and up all the steps during check-in and check-out as well as the gentleman who served our breakfast each morning at our terrace. Really laborious jobs and requires...

Stayed June 2022. An absolutely stunning property. Beautiful rooms, beautiful views, amazing breakfasts on the terraces. No complaints whatsoever on that front.

The owner and family are lovely and the staff was mostly extremely helpful. The staff member bringing our breakfast each morning was absolutely wonderful.

We had actually booked for 2020 and had to reschedule twice due to Covid restrictions. Their flexibility on this front was extremely appreciated.

This place is almost 5 stars but there were a couple of small things that frankly disappointed me (especially given my very high expectations based on reviews).

First: our arrival could have been smoother. I understand the constraints of the space in the caldera and there is no ‘lobby’ to speak of. But given the hotel knew our arrival time, it felt somewhat disorganized. We were left standing around for a while before finally being directed to the pool area to sit. At that point we weren’t offered drinks or towels until I asked, nor help adjusting the single umbrella/ seating arrangement for shade in the peak heat of the day with our luggage. This was minor but an unexpected less than warm welcome in comparison to other places we have stayed. It struck me as unpolished.

Second: there was meant to be a scheduled power outage during our stay. We had absolutely no issue with this and understand things beyond the hotel’s control. The issue was with one particular staff member who presented this information and was very rude when we asked about timing and potential accommodations for breakfast during that time (as we were scheduled to be somewhere early). We would have been very happy to be told they would provide whatever options are possible (ie cold options) depending on the circumstances, but instead we were made to feel like we were a problem for asking questions and treated frankly very rudely out of no where. It was all a bit baffling as we didn’t think any of it was a big deal, but perhaps this staff member was overwhelmed with her task as the messenger for bad news? In the end there was no power outage after all and we had a lovely breakfast as usual! It was just this one staff member that both myself and my parents (who were traveling with us) found to be inexplicably rude.

These two things were small snags in an otherwise near perfect stay. Overall I would recommend this place and was very happy. We even purchased some of the etchings for sale by the owner’s daughter and think they’re really lovely....

Where to begin? The place itself is absolutely beautiful and well maintained and perfectly located in Oia. The luxurious cave rooms are exactly what you want when you come to Santorini and the terrace and the view are out of this world. We miss it already. The infinity pool is the icing on the cake. We also liked, that it's peaceful as Oia itself is quite busy, so when you come back after a day of strolling around (tourists right and left), you will find the perfect place to relax. Or to get spectacular drinks from Dimitris. He made me my favorite drink a couple of times (basil smash), which is not on the menu, and he made it just like my favorite bar back home (and no-one ever gets it right!!) and that after his shift had ended. It doesn't get any better. Victorino (not sure if spelled right) brought us breakfast every morning. He has the cutest laugh and is very respectful and forthcoming. He tries to anticipate what you need before you ask for it. It was always a pleasure to see him in the morning. The cook, a lovely woman prepares the food with attention to detail and does everything with love. We also met the owner, a very kind man who watches over everything. Last but definitely not least: Marieanetta. She was our favorite person. She booked us a private sailing trip and negotiated the price for us until it was affordable. She also always made us laugh and her nature in general is very funny, kind and attentive. Like a best friend on holiday, you never knew you needed.

Honestly, I usually don't book hotels this expensive, but it was worth every penny. I thank all of them for our perfect trip to Santorini, we will never forget it. Stay safe...