Villa Dakoronia is an amazing place to stay in Fira on Santorini. Seated right on pathway at the top of the cliff overlooking the caldera, the location is perfect and the views are absolutely amazing - some of the most beautiful we've ever seen. We've all been to places that don't live up to the pictures in the postcards, but this is not the case here - the reality is better than any photo could be. Valentini was a very nice person and highly useful, and met us upon arrival and gave a full rundown of the villa and the island. She is useful in setting up excursions if you like, but is not pushy about it. The villa itself if very well taken care of, which is facilitated by the fact that the housekeeper has a small apartment right below the villa. The pool is small but very useful and our kids loved playing in it. If you decide to eat in, it's hard to decide where to sit, as there are two tables outside near the pool (one in shade, one upon to the sun), one inside in the dining/living room, and then even more seating on the upstairs deck. When we come back to Fira we'll definitely look to stay at Villa Dakoronia again.
While we didn't have any issues with the villa and really loved our stay here, we thought we'd share a few words of wisdom about our overall experience at Santorini to help others prepare. First, like all the Cyclade islands we visited, the roads are small, cramped and crammed full of scooters and ATVs and parking is very difficult to come by. Don't rent a car or other form of transportation unless you are an experienced driver/rider and used to very tight and chaotic locations. We had Valentini set up van transfers for us anywhere we wanted to go, and that worked well. Second, the van that brings you to the villa stops at the end of an alley about 100m away from the villa, and you then descend two sets of stairways down to the entrance. A porter meets you and carries your bags for you, so have some money ready for a nice tip. Third, this is not a place for those with mobility issues, both due to the many steps and pathways around the island, and the steep stairs to the upstairs bedroom and deck in the villa. Fourth, bring good water shoes as many of the beaches in Santorini have pebbles or black sand. Fifth, watch out for all of the cruise ship tourists. The villa is about a block from the cable car entrance where the people on the ship arrive/leave and it can get quite crowded at peak times.
Highly recommend Villa Dakoronia!
