Oh, Santorini.  A picturesque little island in the Aegean Sea littered with Cliffside villas, and amazing views.  We stayed in a well known hotel called Dana Villas.  I made this impulsive decision months before we travelled, because I saw the viral video where the guy walks through the room, and directly into the pool, and thought, “I’ve GOTTA go there.”

Now let me tell you the low down on Dana Villas so you can make a more informed decision than I did.

First of all, when you make the reservation for your room, you can also pay to have a private transfer to the hotel, which I suggest. They will likely be transporting several guests to nearby hotels, so expect to make several stops to drop them off at their hotels prior to arriving at your location.

Dana Villas is in Firostefani, and isn’t visible from the street, so they will drop you off in what seems like an alley off the main street, where the hotel staff will meet you to grab your luggage, and lead you down the steps to reception.  This will be your first challenge should you choose to accept it.  All the reviews I’ve read say it’s about 100 steps down from the main road to the reception area.  I’ll be honest, I didn’t count, but it felt like 100 AT LEAST.  Be careful on the way down, these steps are uneven, and if you’re clumsy like me, you can easily take a tumble and end up in the mouth of the volcano below (that’s obviously an exaggeration, but you can definitely hurt yourself… there really is a volcano, though…and yes, it’s active).  I do not recommend this Dana Villas for anyone who has difficulty with stairs.  There is no railing to hold on to while you’re going up or down the steps, so my husband always walked close enough to help me up when my face inevitably hit the floor, which it never did (a Christmas miracle)!!

The reception area has a nice seating space outside where you can take a seat for perfect sunset viewing.  Staff was very friendly, and got us checked in, and to our suite in just a few minutes.

The Room

We stayed in the famous honeymoon suite, Suite 103, which is the one from the video that went viral.  A few things about this room.  First of all, it’s small.  You likely won’t spend a ton of time in the room, but if you are the type to travel with a month’s worth of luggage, and like to spread it all out, you will be very tight on space.  Me and hubby always travel with one carry on sized bag for the both of us, and we each take a back pack so we were just fine.  The shower is amazing, and it leads directly into the plunge pool.

The majority of the pool is indoors, and leads to the outdoor area where you have a PERFECT sunset view.

We went in December, and it was warm enough at some point each day for us to take a dip.  It is heated, but never really hot… I’d say lukewarm is a better description.  The outdoor terrace has plenty of space for sunbathing, but we weren’t able to use it, because it was WAY too cold outside.

If you are shy about pooping in the same vicinity as the person you are traveling with, the toilet situation can be very uncomfortable.  It’s a separate tiny room with the toilet in it.  The door is a frosted glass door that doesn’t really close all the way shut, or lock (think of a shower door with space between the hinges and the wall), so smells and sounds will travel out of that little toilet room, and fill the actual room.  Hey, I’m just trying to give you guys an honest review here LOL.

The hotel has a restaurant, pool, and bar, but they were all closed for remodeling while we were there, and we weren’t able to use them.  If you plan on going anytime soon, try calling to find out whether or not you will have access to those amenities during your planned travel time.  With that being said, they very kindly served us our breakfast to our room every morning to make up for the inconvenience of the closed restaurant.   Thing is, the breakfast was always cold when it got to us, and there weren’t many options.  We got scrambled eggs, 4 slices of bread, coffee, cold cuts (ham and cheese), 2 croissants, and fruits (an orange, and a banana) every day.  We always got some combination of those things, but they were never warm (except the coffee… the coffee was hot).  Me and Brandon aren’t really high maintenance, so we didn’t mind.  It was enough of a little snack to get our day started, but if you’re picky, you won’t be happy with the breakfast situation.

If you plan on having any other meals during your stay (assuming the restaurant is still closed for renovations when you’re there), you will only have 2 options from the hotel – pizza, or tortilla.  The good news Is that you are walking distance to a ton of places.  First, however, you’ve gotta battle the stairs back up to the main road.  Below is the video up the steps from our room, which is one of the rooms closest to the main road.  If you are staying in any of the rooms further down the cliff, consider doubling the number of steps seen in this video. (P.S. forgive the poor video, I’m still learning how to use the stabilizer!!! Also…. listen to how winded I get as we go LOL)

As if you couldn’t tell from that video…..

Since we went in the wintertime, most of the places in the immediately area (within a 5 minute walk) were closed for the season, but the Fira Main Square was about 15 minutes walking, and there were several restaurant, bars, and shops to keep us busy.  The hotel will also call any of the restaurants nearby, and order for delivery to your room if you don’t feel like walking, but you must have cash to take advantage of that option (there are ATMs everywhere).

One of the places worth checking out if you are in the area is definitely The Pure Bar.  The vibe is great, they are always playing music, the staff is wonderful, they’ve got some bites (sandwiches, salads, burgers), and shisha if you feel like getting your smoke on.  As soon as the waitress found out it was my birthday, she brought a round of shots, free of charge, and took the shot with us!

The hotel will set up a number of tours for you upon your request.  You can do a day tour of the island which is only available on certain days of the week so make sure to find out their availability upon arrival.  There are helicopter tours, volcano and hot springs tours, snorkeling, wine tasting, and many other options available.  We took a wine tour/scenic tour of the island with a company called Skyline Travel, and our guide Vasiliki was absolutely wonderful.  She told us all about the island as we were driving, and even offered to help us with future travel plans if needed.  Our plan had to change, because the wineries they were going to take us to were closed, but they were very accommodating, and quickly resolved the issue by taking us to Santo Wines at the top of the mountain where we enjoyed 18 wines, amazing olives, and breathtaking views.

As part of our tour, they took us to Oia, where we were able to stroll around taking pictures, and do a little shopping (very limited, as everything here is also closed for the winter).  I can imagine that Oia is amazing in the Spring or Summertime, and we definitely have plans to come back.

So here are some takeaways from my experience:

• Do not go to Santorini in the wintertime unless you are ok with limited things to do, and limited food options.  Your photos will be clear of crowds, but your stay will be very quiet.
• Dana Villas is not ideal if you are extremely out of shape or disabled, but it has absolutely stunning views, and is great if you and your travel buddy aren’t going to be all bah humbug about every little inconvenience.
• If you’re ever in a fitbit competition with your friends, go to Santorini, and you will be victorious!
• Bring a hat, or additional hair reinforcements; Santorini is WINDY (all year round).

• Bring comfy shoes, and leave your red bottoms at home.
• If you like IPAs, try the Red Donkey (and you’re free to roam the streets while sipping on your beer!).

Santorini is breathtaking.  The people were very friendly, and we will absolutely be back in the spring, or summer.  I did like the area we stayed in, but I will definitely shop around for different accommodations for the next trip!

#LauratheeExplora over and out.  OPA!!!