Where To Stay In Greece

Greece

We had a fabulous trip to Greece in September 2016 (already written 4 posts on it!). The hotels that we stayed at played a huge part in making our trip so memorable. I had put in a good amount of research before finalising these places thanks to TripAdvisor and booking.com. Here are my recommendations if you are planning a trip-

Athens

1. Athens: I would recommend staying in a hotel with metro access. We stayed in Athens for a couple of nights at Hotel Areos (100 EUR per night) and found the location to be quite convenient. The hotel is a 5 min walk from Victoria station (See map below). Victoria is a couple of stops from both Monastiraki and Syntagma and a very convenient base to explore the city. The area is also less expensive as compared to Monastiraki.

Areos is a pleasant and chic hotel. The room was spacious enough for two people and the balcony gave us a good view of the Acropolis!

The breakfast spread was good and staff was very friendly. Also, it's a couple of blocks away from the National Archaeological Museum which is a 'must do' in Athens! The lighting could have been more cheerful in the room! Also, the area is a bit quiet at night and I would not recommend venturing out alone after dark. Overall, good value for money and highly recommended!

Santorini: We stayed in 3 different hotels during our 5-day stay in Santorini due to a last minute change in our trip dates. But it worked out really well in the end.

For the first two days, we chose to stay at Smaro Studios (150 EUR per night) in Firostefani because it looked every bit as gorgeous as Oia (maybe more!) and was cheaper.

We stayed in the Dimitris room which was super spacious with a well equipped bathroom. Every room has a private terrace to enjoy the stunning caldera views with a bottle of complimentary Vinsanto wine.

The views are to die for here! Simply spectacular-You don't need to anywhere to enjoy the famous sunset, just head up to your terrace. The breakfast spread is good with pancakes, fruits, cakes, yoghurt, eggs, bread etc. The hotel is very conveniently located close to lot of amazing restaurants and the bus stop.

For the next two days, we stayed at Blu rooms (100 EUR per night) in Akrotiri. Located on one edge of the C-shaped island, this boutique hotel offers breathtaking views of the caldera. the rooms are beautifully done, the breakfast is fresh and lovingly prepared by the cool couple who run the place. It is a perfect base to explore Akrotiri, the beaches of Santorini and the wineries of the island. There is nice pool down the road, where you can cool off after a hectic day. The bus stop and a couple of restaurants are 7-10 min walk from the hotel. There is nothing at the doorstep but the family will go out of their way to make sure you are well fed. They dropped us in their car to 'The good heart' and made sure the restaurant owners dropped us back after the meal.

For our final day (sadly because I never wanted to leave!!), we stayed at Villa Caldera's Majesty (188 EUR per night) at Imerovigli. Yiannis, the owner, is the sweetest host ever. He helped us with our luggage down a long stairway that leads to the villa. The room is very chic and modern and well equipped with lots of fruits, cakes, biscuits, tea and coffee. There is a jacuzzi outside the room where I chilled and enjoyed the dramatic views as soon as we settled in our room. We also had a private terrace to enjoy the sunset. Imerovigli has the most gorgeous views out of all places in Santorini (most expensive as well!) and I am so glad I celebrated my birthday here. Yiannis also gifted us a delicious cake from a famous bakery for my birthday.We were lucky to enjoy the fireworks over Nea Kameni (annual event) that celebrates the volcanic eruption which gave a magical touch to the island's beauty.

All three hotels are fantastic and are highly recommended! We met such beautiful people along the way who made this trip more enjoyable.

Mykonos: We had a two day stay at Lithos by Spyros and Flora (140 EUR per night) right in front of the beautiful Agios Ioannis beach.The rooms are lovely and huge. Each room is like a one-bedroom apartment with an extra bathroom. The rooms are very well done and the beach view from the balcony is lovely. The pool also looked good, but we never used it since we were at the sea during the day and in the town at night. The breakfast here was good but since we were charged extra 9 EUR per person per day, expected a bit more. Superb location, as the bus stop is right in front of the hotel. The bus takes you to both the Chora town and Ornos beach (to catch the water taxi to the beaches). Wish we had some more time here!