Irene City Villas

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin? My boyfriend and I recently arrived in Santorini with no specific plans other than to wander and soak up the local culture. After visiting two other Greek islands, our expectations were modest; we weren't quite sure what to expect from Santorini beyond the snippets we had seen on social media and various travel websites. It’s often challenging to determine what truly stands out based on online reviews alone. Upon our arrival at Irene City Villas, we were warmly welcomed by you, Liza, one of the hotel receptionists. Right from the start, your friendliness and sense of humor made us feel completely at home. While we waited for our room, we chatted about our plans for our time in Santorini. When you learned that we didn’t have many arrangements in place, you jumped right in to help! You went above and beyond—making dinner reservations, booking us a fantastic boat tour to explore the island, and sharing countless insider tips about local attractions. Remarkably, none of the restaurants you recommended were on my original list, but I was thrilled to follow your advice. Having lived on the island for 19 years, your knowledge and passion truly shone through. One of your suggestions, Salt and Pepper, was an absolute gem! This charming, authentic restaurant is run by a husband-and-wife team—the husband in the kitchen and the wife serving. We had such a delightful experience there; just a note for future visitors: definitely call ahead to make a reservation! In short, I believe Liza deserves all the accolades. If anyone at Irene City Villas is reading this, please consider giving her a well-deserved promotion, raise, or bonus. She played a pivotal role in making our trip to Greece unforgettable, and we can’t stop talking about how she was one of our highlights during our visit. That speaks volumes! Liza, we miss you and can’t thank you enough for everything!

This is an amazing smaller hotel in Fira. We were welcomed despite arriving a bit late and our room was stunning. We had SO much room (we were just two) and enjoyed the spacious shower but the best part was certainly the hot tub which was great to use as we had a few rainy days during our visit. The breakfast comes to your door each day, it was filling but we’d recommend sticking to some of the non-hot food items. Liza was wonderful and gave us MANY recommendations of things to do. This place is the best place to stay in Santorini and staying in Fira over Oia was a great choice.

Super lovely hotel near Fira central. Very helpful staff, they gave us good recommends about restaurants near the hotel. The best part was breakfast which was served in our room - self made pancakes and waffles and even orange juice was fresh pressed. Every day we got to decide of many options what we want to eat next morning.