We booked our stay in Santorini quite late and many of the higher class hotels were already booked. Zannos Melathron was available and when we looked into it, we found that it was written up in Conde Nast publications and thought that we couldn't go wrong.
We're in agreement with the other reviewers in that the hotel, its welcoming tradition, its grounds, and the view are all beautiful. The service is impeccable, the food is outstanding as breakfast was a pleasure each day. We did however take the bad with the good.
We are also in agreement with other reviewers in that the rooms are overpriced and "raw". Having just stayed at the Grand Bretagne in Athens (gorgeous hotel) we were disappointed by our accomodations at Zannos. We stayed in the Nickolaus room and found it to be very musty, dirty, and the bathroom left much to be desired - including an overflowing drain on the bathroom floor - hence the need to wear slippers all the time in the room. The bed was uninviting with lumpy pillows and a simple (not cozy at all) bedspread. The air conditioning did work well however.
Since there are only 9 rooms at the hotel and we were told they were booked the entire week, we didn't complain until we left. They told us that we should have said something to them earlier because they could have moved us...but how could they have moved us if the hotel was booked? They blamed our discomforts in the room on the resoration of the hotel to the Neoclassical genre in which it was found. For over 500 Euros a night, Relais and Chateau should be ashamed. The hotel grounds and service are lovely, but if you like coming home to a clean, luxurious haven at the end of each day, this hotel is not for you.
Also note that Pyrgos is about a 20-35 minute drive from Fira and Oia, the central spots on the island. We rented a car and really enjoyed discovering the island that way. Cabs are difficult to attain, although the hotel will supply you with a cell phone which calls the hotel so that they can call transportation for you.
We investigated other properties on the island and recommend the other Relais and Chateau hotel Katikies in Oia. If we travel to Santorini again, we will most certainly stay there.
Tripadvisor.com helped us in planning this trip so we want to give back by writing this review and posting our photos. We hope it is helpful.
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