Caldera View Bungalow Resort

I can see why this hotel appeals to some, it is quiet (apart from the road noise which can be heard constantly in the background as the hotel is next to a main road), you never need to fight for a sun bed, the pool is huge and there is a general chilled vibe, however it was definitely the wrong hotel for us. It became apparent on our transfer to the hotel that the roads in Santorini are not pedestrian friendly, witnessing many people walking in the road as there are no pavements with fast, oncoming traffic hurtling past them with no street lighting. We read before booking that the nearest restaurants in Akrotiri were a 25 minute walk and a similar distance to Megalochori, which sounded fine to us, however, you cannot walk anywhere safely from this hotel or on the island in general. On the plus side, there are bus stops immediately outside the hotel both ways, but despite being regular, there was contradictory information on the last bus times so we couldn’t rely on them for nights into either village for dinner, one night we walked back from Akrotiri after dinner and at points it was very dangerous. The buses are also very busy, on a couple of occasions there were so many people rammed on that it was unsafe, I dread to think what it’s like in the height of peak season. You also have to make it very clear when you want to get on and off, they will happily pass you or miss your stop otherwise. Taxis are astronomical, Uber wanted €44 for the 4 minute car journey into the next village. Not wanting to hire a car and not able to rely on buses, we made the decision to pay out for another hotel on the second night in the centre of Megalochori for most of our stay, which was absolutely the right thing to do or we would have been isolated in a hotel with no amenities or shops nearby, this allowed us to relax, have a few glasses of wine with dinner and not have to contend with the main road on the way back. Our flight was delayed and on arriving at 10.30pm I asked at the pool bar if they sold crisps or similar snacks and I was told no, so we had to go to bed hungry. We didn’t even have water in our fridge on arrival, thankfully we were able to buy this on check in or we would have been thirsty as well as hungry. The rooms are very basic but clean. The breakfast was possibly the worst I’ve ever had in Greece, a few random ‘continental’ bits on a counter left a lot to be desired, no toast and the orange juice was squash. The pool bar was pretty good with a few snack options that were better than some of the meals we had out in restaurants. I am not sure if more goes on during July and August but there is literally nothing to do in this hotel, they could capitalise on so much, entertainment in the evenings, a wider food choice at the bar, snacks, ice creams, a small mini mart at reception for essentials so you don’t have to risk your life walking to get them, a shuttle service to and from the main towns…. If you are considering staying here, I would base yourself in Megalochori in the actual village part, is it beautiful and not ruined by tourism, plenty of restaurants, amenities and a wonderful bakery. Stay well within the village and you also don’t have to contend with the awful noise coming off the main road. Fira was a let down, massively overcrowded and not a patch on Megalochori. The bus there was packed but the crowd waiting to board our bus going onward from Fira to Oia was insane and made me immensely grateful we were not staying in either of these locations, swathes of people trying to get on our bus before it has even stopped. We didn’t try the restaurant across the road, Caldera View as the reviews were awful and the owner sounds like a con artist, although the views did look lovely!

We had a wonderful 9 days at the Caldera View. The hotel has the most beautiful views of the famous Santorini sunset. The staff are exceptional. Panos and his team work so hard and are always friendly and happy and go out of their way to help with any requests. Our room was perfect - spotlessly clean, and tended to daily - fresh towels every day. Breakfast was plentiful and fresh with a good variety. The pool is fabulous - probably the best we've stayed at - very quiet - large and good depth. Throughout our stay we had no issues with sunbeds and could have moved at any point during the day without issue. Wi-Fi in the hotel was upgraded during our stay which was great. We also had aircon in our room with no extra charge - never know this before in any other places we have stayed in Greece....it was much appreciated!! The restaurant (situated across the road) was lovely - the view from here is unmatched. Food was lovely too. Thank you Panos, Victoria, Tasos, Shota, Lika and all of the other staff for making our stay so memorable.

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Caldera View Resort for our amazing stay with them! My boyfriend and I visited Santorini for the first time and the hotel went above and beyond to make it special for us. Upon arrival, we were treated to a deluxe suite upgrade, and greeted with a round of free drinks. The room was absolutely lovely and the atmosphere around the resort was so chilled, especially as it’s adults only. Panos was so helpful, he replied instantly on WhatsApp whenever we needed help ordering a taxi or wanted to see some advice about an excursion. There was a bus stop just outside the resort, making it easy to reach major towns such as Fira and Oia. The sunset from the Caldera View Restaurant opposite was unbelievable and we couldn’t believe we had such an amazing view on our doorstep. Thank you so much for making our stay an excellent one and we would definitely recommend to others!