My husband and I stayed in the Sailing Suite for 3 wonderful days at the end of April. Ah, heaven it was. The temperature is perfect at that time of year......cooler in the morning, warm but not too hot in the afternoon. Also, the crowds of tourists coming to visit Oia from Fira and other parts of the island are pretty minimal. One of the shopkeepers said in the height of the tourist season, the narrow main street in Oia is jammed with people during the day, shoulder-to-shoulder.
The personal service here is exceptional. Having Connie around is like having a personal concierge, and since the hotel has few rooms, she seems always available to help. Antonio at the Caldera Spa is wonderful. I arrived with my face extremely irritated from 10 days of wind, sun, and sunscreen. He gave me an incredible facial late that afternoon, with very little notice, and it took away the burning and stinging.
The Sailing Suite is wonderful. The bed is so comfortable and the furnishings are exquisite. The view of the Caldera is even better than the photos can capture. I do believe it has the best terrace of all the suites because you can look out at the Caldera from your chairs, and the small pedestrian path going by is below you, so you have privacy from the tourists that walk by to take pictures. The Venetian Suite terrace is at the corner and has the same great views as well but you won't feel as private with tourists walking around the corner, down the path. The terrace of the Captain's Suite is actually at the level of the pedestrian path; you cannot see the Caldera seated in your chair and you would notice people walking by through the lattice work above the wall. At the height of tourist season, there might be quite a few people walking by.
Breakfast was incredible, and we were glad we were there 3 days to sample all the options. Our meal at Ambrosia and Nectar was the best meal we had in Greece (we did not dine at Ambrosia, I can only imagine it must be outstanding as well).
Oia is where you want stay if you want some peace and quite. There are plenty of good shops, and not being into the nightclub scene, we had no interest in Fira. Some friends who went to Fria for the day said we missed nothing. Incidentally, Oia has a desalination plant that supplies its drinking water, which is good enough to drink from the tap. We were told by the guide at the Boutari winery (do visit!) that elsewhere on the island the water tastes terrible.
Tony is a wonderful host and was there to greet us in Oia at donkey pick-up and drop-off time (arrival and departure). I highly recommend paying for their special round-trip transportation. It's well worth it (and we usually rough it ourselves).
Treat yourself to a wonderful experience at the Sea Captain's House!
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