Our Stay at Andronis Luxury Suites

In October, Drew and I went back to Santorini for our 5-year anniversary trip! We went to Oia, Santorini for a portion of our honeymoon and loved it so much that we wanted to return for our first milestone anniversary. During our original trip, we stayed at Atrina Canava 1894 and had a great time! For our second visit back to the island, we wanted to try somewhere new and picked Andronis Luxury Suites.

You can’t really go wrong with any resort on the island, but I had a few criteria in mind when picking our resort. From location to amenities to price, I tried to think of anything and everything we enjoyed or didn’t enjoy from our first trip to make our second trip unforgettable. So I wanted to review our most recent stay in Oia, Santorini, Greece at the Andronis Luxury Suites!

Check-In: 3:00 pm

Check-Out: 11:00 am, with the possibility to do late check-out

Seasonal Availability: Late March to Mid-November

Location

Located in Oia, Santorini, the hotel was in a central location on the main path of the city. When walking into the city from the main “entrance”, it’s about a 7-10 minute walk to the hotel. It’s located right before you enter the denser parts of the city with narrower paths and more shops and restaurants. I really enjoyed this location because it was close enough to the restaurants and shops, but far enough so you didn’t feel over-crowded and had space to breathe. We picked this hotel because wanted the following:

• Caldera views (best views in our opinion)
• Be located on the caldera cliff side so our views wouldn’t be blocked and people weren’t passing our room
• A private veranda and hot tub (see Room and Amenities sections below)
• Transportation to/from the airport

The reception is the main building where you check in. There are private, guest-only paths that give you access to the guest suites, pool, spa, and restaurant. There are quite a few steps that take you up and down (but mostly down) to your room, but the rooms were very private and separated enough from each other that you still felt like you had your space. You can’t see the sunset from this hotel, but the views are just as breathtaking. Some rooms are definitely more “public”, but nothing that would interrupt the overall private nature of the suites.

Guest Suites

Room

We stayed in the Poseidon room which was a Deluxe Suite with an outdoor hot tub and was about a 3-4 minute walk down from the main Oia path. This room was right next to the spa and around the corner from the pool and restaurant (so very central to the hotel). We didn’t get to pick the room, but we loved it! The room had a private gate and entry area where you could either go into the room itself or take the steps up to your own private veranda and hot tub.

The room was spacious and felt like a cave (likely because it was). It was dim but had windows that allowed natural light in. We were greeted by a fresh bouquet of flowers and some pastries upon entering the room. There was a desk, a living room area with a TV, a bedroom with a dresser and closet, and a massive bathroom. Everything felt very inviting yet crisp. The bathroom looked like it was made with concrete in the most glamorous way with a smooth and natural finish. There was only one sink but that was perfectly fine for the two of us.

Private Veranda and Hot Tub

When you exit the room and immediately turn left to go the stairs, you will see your private hot tub. To the left of that, you have a private veranda that had two lounge chairs, an umbrella, a side table, and a separate seating area (where we ate breakfast every morning) with a table and two chairs. The views from the hot tub and veranda were STUNNING yet also felt very private. The hotel did a great job placing the flowers to help make you feel secluded and private when in reality, there are other rooms quite literally on top of you. When we weren’t exploring the island and chilling at the hotel, Drew and I spent most of our days on the loungers looking out on the caldera and/or reading.

Food and Drinks

Breakfast

As part of the Amenities, you get a daily a la carte breakfast and let me tell you, it was amazing! Based on our last trip to Santorini, we knew we needed toast, jam, and feta at a minimum for breakfast. But this hotel had an extensive, customizable menu where you could curate your daily breakfast via the hotel’s app (see Communication section below). Anything from toast, eggs, oatmeal, smoothies, to grain bowls! There were “main dishes” but you could also add sides including but not limited to feta cheese, mushrooms, bacon, and olives. They also provided coffee, tea, and juices as part of your breakfast and your meal always came with a fresh bread basket.

You place your order for the next morning via the app or via the paper menu provided and select a delivery time. At your desired breakfast time, the hotel staff will bring it to your room and set it up wherever you like. We always chose to eat our breakfast out on the veranda with a view! Once done with your meal, you can message the concierge and hotel staff will retrieve the dishes.

Room Service and Pool Food

We also ordered room service on our first night and food from the pool. These were all cooked meals and were made fresh to order. For our room service, we had a greek salad and gnocchi. They were presented luxuriously but were on the smaller portion side. For our pool meal, we ordered a bruschetta sandwich with fries, cocktails, AND mocktails! The meal portion was great for one but also enough to split. The mocktails were AMAZING and very large portions and handcrafted, but I ended up ordering three anyway. The pool menu actually had many mock options to choose from which I appreciated.

The ingredients for all of our meals felt very fresh, especially breakfast. It wasn’t the best food we had on the island, and certainly not the cheapest, but it was very good food for a hotel. Service was very quick as well, with set up and clean up provided.

Lycabettus Restaurant

The hotel also had its Lycabettus RestaurantLycabettus RestaurantLycabettus Restaurant which had amazing views. We even witnessed a wedding! It has a set price per person for their menu which was kind of pricey, but I don’t doubt that the food was amazing as well. If you’re interested in dining there, make sure to make a reservation beforehand!

Amenities and Services

Room Amenities

This hotel had a long list of amenities that we made sure to use to the fullest extent. Some of the favorites of our room were:

• Wi-Fi internet for your specific room
• Bathrobes and slippers
• Safe deposit box for our passports/cash
• Daily housekeeping and turndown service
• Hairdryer (which is essential for me on trips)
• Private veranda and hot tub
• Complimentary breakfast
• Stocked mini-fridge (you have to pay for the beverages)
• Natural sea sponges

I spoke about many of these above but one of the unique amenities of this hotel was the Wi-Fi for your specific room! As soon as you arrive in your room during check-in, the hotel staff will help you connect to your room’s Wi-Fi either via your phone’s settings or a QR code. It was great to know that you didn’t have to “compete” with other guests’ usage and had your own. The hotel had general Wi-Fi for public areas, but having your own private internet connection was a nice perk.

One of the amenities that was slightly disappointing was the hot tub. While the views were amazing, the temperature of the hot tub maxed at 32°C which is around 90°F. This normally wouldn’t be too cold during peak summer season, but when it’s October and 50°F at night, it was too cold to be comfortable. We tried to ask the concierge to turn up the temperature, but they weren’t able to. Unfortunately we didn’t spend as much time in the hot tub as we hoped.

Hotel Services

The hotel itself had wonderful services that we also used frequently throughout our stay, including the following, a few of which I will elaborate on:

• 24-hour room service
• Luggage assistance
• Pool + towels
• Mare Sanus Spa
• Andronis phone application (see Communication section below)
• WhatsApp chat (see Communication section below)

There were also some experiences that the hotel offers that we did not participate in, but are worth mentioning and looking into if you’re interested (there may be fees associated):

• Andronis Ferretti Experience (yacht excursion)
• Wine Tasting at Lycabettus Restaurant
• Mykonos shopping spree via private helicopter
• Scuba diving
• Catamaran sailing
• Wine tours at three wineries around the island
• Yoga sessions
• The Caldera Hike (we did this on our own)

Luggage Assistance

One of the best services at Andronis (and other hotels) is the luggage assistance. There are many steps that vary in height that you have to take to 1) get to the hotel and 2) get to your room. As soon as we stepped out of our car upon our arrival in Oia, there was a staff person that immediately hoisted our luggage on his shoulders and carried them to the lobby of our hotel. Once we checked in, another staff person did the same thing and carried our luggage to our room. The same was done when we checked out of our hotel!

The staff at this hotel are AMAZING and arguably one of the best parts of the hotel. We could hardly walk up and down the steps without luggage, but to have 70+ pounds of luggage on your shoulders as you’re doing it is unbelievable.

Mare Sanus Spa

Going to the spa was a must-have for our honeymoon! Luckily we were right next door to the hotel’s Mare Sanus Spa. You need to make an appointment at the spa, which can be done via email prior to your arrival. It was a smaller space with a lobby area and 1-2 rooms. Drew and I did a 60-minute holistic full-body couples massage. You book and pay per 30-minutes and you’re able to customize your experience (ie. you could do a 30-minute full body massage and a 30-minute head-to-toe scrub). We really enjoyed our experience but it was a quick in-and-out experience.

Transportation

Transport To/From Airport

The hotel provides private transportation options to and from the airport. Once you book your stay, the concierge will reach out asking for your flight details and if you need transportation. They have dedicated staff drivers that will pick you up from the airport upon your arrival and take you to the airport upon your departure. The cost was €80 per way, so €160 total + any tip. We opted for this as Uber and Lyft were not as popular on the island and we wanted a stress-free experience.

Around the Island

As for transportation around the hotel, it is centrally located in Oia so you can walk to many shops and restaurants. Except for when we did the hike from Fira to Oia, we walked everyone around our hotel. You are also a 5-minute walk away from Oia’s bus station to other cities, including Fira. The buses are air-conditioned and the fares start at €1.60 per person (cash only). I used this website for scheduling but the buses seemed pretty frequent and you pay the driver directly!

Communication

Pre-Arrival

As mentioned in the Transportation section, as soon as we booked our hotel, the concierge sent us an email asking about our flight information and if we were in need of transportation arrangements. A few days prior to our arrival, they emailed to confirm our travel details and verify our transportation was set up.

I also reached out to the concierge to inquire about hotel experiences and book spa services. They responded within 24 hours to all of our emails and were able to connect us with the spa to finalize our booking.

During Stay

Another unique service of the hotel relates to communication during our stay. Andronis Luxury Suites has its own app where you can pre-order your breakfast and request room service. You download the app and set it up as part of your check-in process and it’s so easy to use!

One of the other services the hotel offers is the ability to chat with reception via WhatsApp. This was incredibly helpful when we had questions, including the hotel, asking for housekeeping services, amending our breakfast order, and arranging late checkout. It was a unique and very efficient way of communicating with the front desk!

Overall Impressions

Our overall impressions of the hotel were great! It’s definitely on the pricier side (probably $$$$) but worth the splurge if you want a luxurious and relaxing experience and/or if you’re celebrating a milestone. The pros (views, level of service, location) outweigh the cons (lack of a hot hot tub) in our book but is definitely something to consider.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Hopefully, this was all helpful information if you’re considering visiting Santorini in the fall! We were looking for a restful and relaxing vacation and Andronis Luxury Suites provided us with just that and made our anniversary trip one to remember.

Happy traveling!

Vivian