We stayed at Istoria for 5 nights. The hotel is a beautiful paradise. The rooms, restaurant, pool etc are impeccably clean and beautifully presented. The staff at the hotel from poolside, breakfast, front desk and the manager are all welcoming friendly and attentive. The hotel manager Greg makes an effort to welcome and talk to all guests and genuinely cares if people are happy and having a great stay. The breakfast is epic. The quality, choice and the team make it a lovely start to every day. The pool and private beach are the best place to wind away the day in a relaxed environment. The hotel is like a quiet sanctuary amongst a little beachside area of bars and restaurants which are all great to try and some lovely walks I would 100% return and recommend anyone who is considering to go!…
This hotel was like a little piece of paradise. All of the staff could not have been more welcoming, friendly and helpful. The pool is every bit as amazing as it looks. The breakfast is very enjoyable and the private beach is well maintained. I have never stayed in a hotel where the rooms have been cleaned so well - this may sound like a strange comment, but the lady who cleaned our room was so thorough. When we booked, we were a little unsure of staying on this side of the island but on reflection it was perfect. We had a couple of days out on excursions to Fira / Oia so we watched the sunset, experienced the white buildings but enjoyed heading back to and having a beach available every day. Thankyou for such an enjoyable trip.
This boutique Hotel is awesome! The staff at Istoria were remarkable. They acquainted us with the island and insisted they make all our dinner reservations as well as taxi service. They also phoned and confirmed with our airport driver all the details. We were able to get the best seat at a very popular restaurant that otherwise would not have happened. The location is perfect for a beach destination. We have never had such personal attention and hands on planning from a Hotel. The rooms were lovely as well.
We just returned from a wonderful holiday at the Istoria. We wanted somewhere by the beach to relax in Santorini and it was perfect. Although Perivolos beach has a lot going on just up/down the road, the Istoria is quiet. The pool is amazing and the food is fantastic. But the people make it such a special place . From the moment you walk in to the moment you leave, everyone says hello, knows who you are, are helpful and friendly. For Santorini, it’s perfect. Oia and Fira are just so busy and there are no beaches there. You can get to Oia and Fira by car (20-40mins) or to the caldera by boat (hire one from outside the hotel). So you can see these places easily from Istoria, and taxis that the hotel organise can bring you back late after a meal etc. Then, when you don’t want to travel, you can sit by the beach or the pool. Small tip- the walk to Ancient Thira is great but do it early before it gets hot. And not when it’s closed (I think this was Wednesday…when we went!). Finally- thank you to all the staff there for making such an enjoyable holiday. And thanks to greg, the Manager, who nearly drove us to the airport after our transfer let us down. See you again.…
Beautiful hotel, stunning location and the place is peaceful and calm. Food was excellent in the restaurant. The beach area was clean with towels and large comfortable beds and waiter service providing drinks and food. The pool area is exceptionally well designed with views to the mountain, soft music and excellent bar. .
We first visited Istoria in September 2020, during the height of the Pandemic. The hotel was amazing and the staff did everything they could to ensure we were happy, hence our return! On returning we were pleased to see a couple of staff members still working at Istoria, who were just as friendly and helpful. Our room was just as beautiful and the location on Perivolos Beach just the same, however some funding has gone in to improving some of the restaurants. Bonus! However, we did have some gripes on this occasion. The pool was unusable for the last two days of our stay. It was green and had items floating in it. (Images attached) this wouldnt have been a huge issue, these things happen! However, not one member of staff approached us to apologise for the pool being in a dire state and unusable (the didn’t say it was unusable, but it looked like a pond) - considering the large pool is the main reason we book this hotel, it was a big deal to us. On approaching Alex, one of the managers , to ask if it was to be improved, he laughed at me and told me ‘it has got a bit green hasn’t it. Maintenance have been called.’ Now Alex is only the Manager for Food and Beverage, so it’s not really his issue, however, an apology at this stage would have been nice. It wasn’t until the following lunch time that a lady who worked in the reception area came to apologise and offered us a free drink and snack. She told us that the manager for the hotel wanted to speak to us, however that never happened, and still no contact has been made to apologise. Alex did give us a free cocktail (also exceptionally overpriced) and we were also told we could have a free snack for the inconvenience. On one of the days we had a booking in Oia so had to get up and out, only to discover we had no water to our room. We could not shower, could not go to the toilet or clean our teeth. We called reception who chased it and called us back half an hour later to advise the water was now back on. Again, no notification (we would have got up earlier) this was happening and no apology. We had to do our day trip without showering. My other concern was with Alex (F&B manager). He is American and mentioned several times that the hotel is run by an American company. He appears to want to be everyone’s friend and several times he told us how he would never work for the company again and planned to leave in August, despite only joining the company when it opened in May. He told us how the food in the restaurant is supposed to be rated highly, but isn’t very good, and various other negative comments about the hotel and how badly it’s run were made, including ‘if only you guys new, this hotel is run so badly’ As friendly as he was, you could tell he was only 23, because that is not a way to act when you’re a manager. It put a dampener on our stay because we started identifying negative things that perhaps we didn’t realise before. The last thing that got me, was when coming to pay our bill for the week, where you also tip as you go, they had the cheek to ask for a further tip (this was shortly after poolgate also!) We wouldn’t stay at Istoria for a third time. I am unsure if that’s because we have seen enough of Santorini as a whole or because our experience wasn’t as special this time, despite paying more. We don’t feel like any apology was genuine and it was just being done because we’d made a slight fuss along with some other guests. I sound like I am moaning about minor issues, however, we paid a lot of money to stay at Istoria.…
I loved the hotel room! I didn't like how the hotel was on a main road and I wasn't a massive fan of the town. The room was clean and big and I liked the interiors but not sure it was worth the price.
Staying at Istoria for the end of our honeymoon was the best possible way to end our two-week vacation. The staff is incredible: over-accommodating, thoughtful, kind, and helpful to one another. Since I used to work in the service industry, my expectations are very high when it comes to customer service, and they knocked it out of the park. A few important notes: 1. They're on the opposite side of the island from the very touristy locales such as Fira and Oia. This was a HUGE positive for us, since we really like peaceful surroundings and not a city-like hustle and bustle. They set up shuttles for you to go anywhere at any time, so we got to experience Fira, Oia and the Caldera areas without a headache. Side note -- the shuttles aren't cheap, so just plan to work that into your vaca budget :) That being said, they are always on time, very fast, and luxurious. 2. The manager sets expectations with his actions. He is ALWAYS offering to help other staff members, and we saw him jump in to help out several times from afar. There's no task too big or too small for him, and that's the sign of a true leader. We were really impressed by the attitude and willingness to help the staff do their best work -- it truly affects your stay and will make it even better! 3. The WHOLE team is thoughtful, kind and engaging, and they will 100% go the extra mile to make sure your stay is perfect. Everyone we encountered gave off a warm and inviting vibe. 4. The food and drinks are fantatstic, although the mixed cocktails are fairly pricy (so plan for that too!). We were really impressed by every meal. 5. Last but certainly not least, the decor, ambiance and design are just amazing. I have high expectations for this as well (my husband is much less picky - ha!) but wow. Just wow. Five stars all around. Needless to say, we will be back! Thank you Istoria team for an incredible stay.…
Our stay at Istoria was truly memorable for various reasons. Anastasia at the front desk was amazing! She knew who we were before we even arrived and that made us feel truly special! She was always happy to help and we appreciated that. The location is perfect, right across from Perivolos Beach and guests of Istoria got to have the first row of beach chairs complete with beach service! The black sand was hot but the beach was great! Our room was so cute and modern but with a old stable twist. The amenities was top notch and turn down service was also included. The hotel was also on the main drag in Perivolos but not noisy at all and walking distance to restaurants. It had a very bohemian chill vibe that we appreciated after our first night in Santorini, in Fira which was wayyyy too noisy. You don't have the caldera views but it was also nice to see this part of the island.…
The Istoria is a charming little, modern hotel situated in a quiet part of a long tourist beach. Our room, Saga suite, was wonderful, looking out onto both sides of the hotel, one drawback being it looked onto the next door hotel where there were children playing in the pool. The staff were wonderful, so friendly and helpful. Alexandra and Peter were especially helpful recommending good places to eat and the best areas to visit during our short visit. If you are interested in the history of the island book a tour of the Minoan town with Eugenia. She gives a fascinating history of the island and this huge ruined town, though it is an expensive tour. We cannot recommend this hotel highly enough and would definitely go back.
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