Porto Castello — Hotel in Municipality of Thira

Lovely little cosy double room on the first floor Backyard with dining area Fridge freezer Air conditioning with easy-to-use remote Television with international channels Small bench and chairs in the room Very comfortable clean double bed with chest of drawers on either side Plugs provided on the right side and lamps available on each pillow side Mirror available in the room Two sets of towels provided for the room but there are free beach towels provided that must be returned after each beach visit Large double wardrobe provided, which is useful if you are staying long Small bathroom with shower, toilet, sink and mirror There is access to the swimming pool in the back of the hotel from either outside the hotel or outside the room There is a little cafe beside the swimming pool There is also a restaurant next to the main hotel reception, which serves a variety of breakfast prices ranging from €5, €7 and €9. I arrived at the hotel at ~2am but there is no one there after midnight. The hotel was still open with reception leaving the room key at the reception desk with name, room number and key labelled with my name. It was very easy to find and very accommodating. Although my room was on the first floor, I could not find a lift and had to use the stairs. There is a €15 shuttle from the airport to the hotel but I walked from the airport to the hotel using Google Maps. It took about 1 hour to walk with my small case using main roads only. It was like walking around Malta. There are taxis available from the airport to the hotel also. The beach is just around the corner from the hotel. It is both a rocky beach and black sand. At the beach, there is a restaurant and a gypsy van selling souvenirs. I also saw people horse-riding, fishing and renting speed boats so there is a variety of nearby activities. There is a free shuttle from the hotel to Fira and back almost every 2 hours. I couldn't find any nearby supermarkets. You can rent a quad bike or motorcycles from the hotel reception or arrange to rent them out in advance. Overall so far, so good and lovely start to my visit...

Family run hotel where you can feel Greek culture a bit closer. Located in a secluded and quiet area around 10 min from Fira city centre, they offer a free of charge transportation every 3 hours which is convenient. The rooms are modest but well equipped with A/C and mini fridge. Sheets and towels are changed every two days and the overall cleaning is spotless! Not sure if it is a thing in Greece but found weird have to hold the shower over my head. The breakfast runs from 8-12 and you will have few different and basic set menu to choose for. I picked the ‘Healthy’ and everything tasted very fresh everyday. The lady who helped me had a contagious and genuine smile even when they were busy! efcharistó! The pool restaurant opens at 4pm in case you don’t want to got back to town they have a tasty and adaptable menu. However if you are planning to spend the day at the hotel you could buy drinks and few snacks at the reception but there are no shops around so be prepared if you like snacking. As my flight was late, after checking out I could spend the day at the pool, have a shower and dinner before heading to the airport and it was really handy. I paid €25 for airport transfer and it takes only 10 minutes from the hotel. Overall I enjoyed very much my staying at Porto Castello and would recommend...

I booked this hotel because I could not check into my other hotel sooner and figured two nights wouldn't hurt me. I booked and arranged transfer from the airport which is listed as free on the booking website I used and in emails I received directly from the hotel. The hotel insisted on charging for the transfer and then when I arrived at the airport no one was even there to collect me! Arrived at the hotel finally and was disappointed by its location and facilities. The lobby smells strongly of cigarettes, and the room is small and outdated, the bed felt like a slab of concrete. Breakfast, if it can be called that, is meager and not filling. The hotel is really in the middle of nowhere, there's really nothing to see, do, or restaurants to eat at, so if you want to do any of those you will need to go into town. The hotel provides a shuttle to town, however I am waiting on it for more than two hours now, since apparently you have to be standing outside waiting for it or it will leave you. I've taken it the previous two days and the driver always came inside to call for passengers but all of a sudden things have changed, probably because I declined to pay for transfer to the airport. Save your money and don't go...