Oia Mare Villas

Posititon away from the cruise ship crowds who throng Oia in the day so it was quiet. Nice views over the caldera and the harbour below. Spacious room with own patio was a bonus.

The hotel was very good but not perfect because you have to climb down 160 steps from the village on top of the caldera . There is no restaurant so if you visit the centre during the day and return for a meal at night you will have climbed 320 steps and those on the mule route the hotel leads off also have fairly steep uneven step - not a handrail in sight so not suitable AT ALL unless you are VERY fit and active. One day we visited the village and in the evening walked down the steep ,terraced route to the harbour . Exhausting as the steps are broken up in parts and in total we walked / climbed nearly 800 steps that day. The location ,the number of unequal steps and lack of any handrailing needs to be made very clear in brochures as it is an important if not critical issue for the infirm ,less able , or if you are of advanced age.