Caldera's Dolphin Suites

“Peaceful, serene setting; great room and service; close to Megalochori in centre of the island.”

Excellent hotel for couples who are not on a tight budget. We had a great stay and would definitely come back. Located a 5 min walk from Megalochori village and centrally located about 10-15 min drive from Fira or the airport. They use a driver service which is generally 20-30€ each way to various … more

Excellent hotel for couples who are not on a tight budget. We had a great stay and would definitely come back. Located a 5 min walk from Megalochori village and centrally located about 10-15 min drive from Fira or the airport. They use a driver service which is generally 20-30€ each way to various destinations. Renting a car would be cheaper if you are making multiple trips per day. The hotel is immaculate and well maintained. It is located on the cliff edge of the Caldera and the sunsets are spectacular (we didn't bother going to Oia to see them). The location is very safe and quiet. The room was very spacious and bed was comfortable. As with all locations in Santorini, the tap water is salty and hard overall so soap and shampoo don't go very far. They provide some bottled water but you would be best to get a few 1.5 L bottles and keep one in the room fridge at all times. The housekeeping was thorough, usually done while we were at breakfast. There is a pool and lounge area, which are nice but we were out and about too much to use them. Breakfast is included, but is à la carte and ordered the night before with a time that you specify. This allows the kitchen to prepare things for you without delays. The food was excellent, a typical range of things you might see at a European hotel breakfast buffet, but prepared individually and served to you at table or in your room if you prefer. Other meals can be arranged but we didn't try them. Staff are friendly and helpful. They offered recommendations for restaurants within walking distance that were reliable. It is a small hotel, and over 4 nights we got to know almost everyone. Sebastian at the desk and the chef (name forgotten, sorry!) in particular were great to deal with. A very minor suggestion: although walking to Megalochori is possible via a foot path that avoids the main road entirely, there are several paths or back roads that could be taken. It was not clear to us at first which one to take and we ended up going much further than we needed to. The correct path comes off the driveway to the hotel right next to where you turn from the main road. Although this was described to us, having a small printed map would have avoided some confusion. This issue did not detract at all from our experience.

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“A Slice of Paradise”

This hotel will always have a special place in my heart. We loved staying here. It was a 10-minute walk to Megalochori, which is a great little town with a few shops and restaurants that felt like home by the time we left. There are no cruisers in Megalochori, which, in my opinion, has saved the… more

This hotel will always have a special place in my heart. We loved staying here. It was a 10-minute walk to Megalochori, which is a great little town with a few shops and restaurants that felt like home by the time we left. There are no cruisers in Megalochori, which, in my opinion, has saved the town. There is a grocery store nearby that the hotel will provide a ride to if you don't have a car. The room itself was perfect for our family of three. Kyriakos is the front desk manager, and he is so helpful and kind. Before our trip, he answered all of my questions and provided us with every detail during our stay. If you are a reader, check out the book, The Santorini Writing Retreat (Bookish Escapes, Book 2) by Eva Glyn. To my surprise, as I was finishing the book at this lovely hotel, I read that the author had stayed at Caldera's Dolphin Suites while writing and researching the book. Kyriakos was her Greek mentor for the book. What a fun surprise when I read this at the hotel and had the opportunity to speak with Kyriakos about his fame (which, of course, he was very modest about). Wonderful hotel - hope to be back!

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“The excellence continues”

Returning to this hotel for another extended stay after 6 years, we found things to be very much as they were on our first visit, which is to say: very positive. This is no small feat given the ravages of the Covid years on the hotel and gastronomy industries. My previous review from 2019 therefore… more

Returning to this hotel for another extended stay after 6 years, we found things to be very much as they were on our first visit, which is to say: very positive. This is no small feat given the ravages of the Covid years on the hotel and gastronomy industries. My previous review from 2019 therefore continues, for the most part, to describe our experience. I’ll summarized a few points here again. The staff were all exceptionally friendly. Especially Kyriakos, the lead manager, who sometimes appears to be at the property 24 hours a day, seems to almost anticipate our wishes. Kyriakos was the only member of the team from 6 years ago still working at Caldera Dolphin Suites. The rooms are nicely designed with all modern facilities including a separate little nook for preparing drinks or small snacks—this includes the coffee maker, refrigerator, sink, and so on. All of the technical elements of the room were in perfect working order (TV, shower, refrigerator, lighting, etc.). The beds are very comfortable. The room was kept immaculately clean by housekeeping each day. The breakfast service: fantastic, as it was last time. You can choose each day what you would like to have served the next morning. Excellent mix of traditional and Greek dishes to choose from and very good coffee (cappuccino, expresso, or whatever) and fresh orange juice. It’s easy to get carried away and order way more than you can eat! And now, to the views; this is the aspect of the hotel which is hard to beat. The hotel is located on a precipice way up on the ancient caldera wall, with panoramic views of the Aegean Sea, the entire volcano circumference and some of the other towns in the distance, with their all-white structures speckled atop the caldera rim like on a snow-capped mountain or a chain of pearls. This is the view both from the balcony of the rooms as well as from the pool area with glass walls toward the caldera side. Breathtaking. Dreamy. One can stare at it for hours. It can be very windy in this location which in some cases means that even the shade sails cannot be mounted around the pool area, so the availability of shade around the pool is limited. So, except for a few very small points, this stay was very much like the last one. Exceptional. I will note a few of the minor differences for completeness: The restaurant (next to the pool area) does still offer a menu for lunch and dinner, but due to personnel issues and changes in guest behavior since Covid, it is only open until 7:30 p.m. for ordering food (longer for drinks). We had dinner and a lunch there which were both good, but due to the aforementioned reasons, the kitchen does not offer quite the depth and complexity of dishes as during our previous visit. Everything was very fresh and well-presented, however. On the positive side, a new outdoor fitness area as been constructed which we used a number of times. This workout area also has the same spectacular views as from the pool or room balconies. Our rating for this hotel continues to be a very hearty “thumbs-up”. Highly recommended.

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“Fabulous hotel with outstanding staff”

This is our 5th stay at Calderas Dolphin Suites since first coming on honeymoon in 2017 Once again our stay was outstanding with Kyriakos and his team as welcoming, friendly and amazing as always The staff are helpful, friendly and always have a smile Kyriakos ‘ knowledge of the best places for c… more

This is our 5th stay at Calderas Dolphin Suites since first coming on honeymoon in 2017 Once again our stay was outstanding with Kyriakos and his team as welcoming, friendly and amazing as always The staff are helpful, friendly and always have a smile Kyriakos ‘ knowledge of the best places for cocktails and food on the island once again did not disappoint with a balcony table booked at Franco’s in Pyrgos a highlight Thanks once again for making our holiday so special were we also celebrated our wedding anniversary and my husbands birthday once again We will hopefully see you again next year

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