Stay here if you want to appreciate the amazing caldera views in Santorini, but also want your own space, and don't want to break the bank. This is a fabulous location with several good restaurants on its door step and an easy walk into the capital. You will need good knees however as the steps down to the hotel are a killer, but help you stop piling on too much holiday weight!
The hotel is set up more as studios/apartments as there isn't an evening restaurant and other than breakfast you are left to your own devices. Suited us as we had a little kitchenette area and they have no issues with you bringing in food and drinks from the local shop or takeaways. We had a traditional room which mean't we had our bed up a step ladder on a mezzanine level - meant we had a lot of room and a lounge area but the steps were a little bit hairy if you had had a few glasses of wine!
We normally always eat out on holidays but because the view from the balcony is so amazing from agali houses on a couple of occasions we got takeaway pizza's from Il Cantuccio the Italian (just above the hotel) and enjoyed with a bottle of wine whilst watching the sunset.
We loved all of the different little seating areas/day beds around the pool, and breakfast although functional (ham, cheese, pastries and bread, hard boiled eggs, yoghurts and melon brought out to you on a tray) was lovely up on the patio area, again looking out on that view.
Location really is great as in Fira we thought the restaurants were very touristy i.e. average food over priced because of the view and in Firastefani you get more cost effective places with much better food. Also walked up to Imerovigli and the hotels looked really cramped with little space around the pool area compared with Agali Houses.
In Firastefani just above Agali is Mylos Cafe which is an old windmill renovated to be a cool contemporary bar, pricey but excellent mojito's. Below it is Il Cantuccio the Italian that although small we loved because it served good pizza, gnocci and pasta and great house wine for around 12 euros for a litre. This place has no view but gets packed so book or be prepared to wait especially for an outside seat which had the best atmosphere.
Would definitely return to Agali Houses, as the team there were really friendly the location is amazing and I think although expensive because it is Santorini! you get good value for money (having seen what other hotels looked like and knowing what they were charging)
If travelling from the UK book direct with the hotel and get your flights from Easyjet - we booked through an agent and paid way over the odds - having seen what we could have paid direct and still had to pay for luggage with Easyjet and arrange our own transfers (just email Agali Houses and they will meet you and pick you up for a very reasonable price!)
- Agali Hotel Firostefani
