Vedema, a Luxury Collection Resort, Santorini

This is such a beautiful resort, sadly we didn’t appreciate it immediately because some of the pictures shown on the BA website gave you the impression you were overlooking the Caldera and as this couldn’t be further from the truth our initial reaction was one of disappointment. Also the pictures online of an Ionian suite differ quite dramatically from the room we were in so again our expectations were dashed. We made our concerns known to the front of house staff and they said they would do everything possible to improve our situation but asked us to bare with them as this particular day they were incredibly busy. After two nights we were given another room - much nicer location, view and decor. Konstantinos the hotel manager was so charming and apologetic, really cared about us and our enjoyment which was such a reassuring feeling after our initial disappointment. Now the good bits!! ………. Staff are incredible, so friendly, helpful and attentive. The tranquility of the property you do not initially appreciate until you spend an evening in Fira or Oia, both have stunningly beautiful vistas and definitely worth a visit but are so very overcrowded so quite honestly was a relief to get back to the Vedema which gives you the impression you are in your own little Greek village. In the village itself - seconds away - are some lovey tavernas and a very nice Italian. Our favourite was a small tavern called Avlogyros. Quite rustic with true home style cooking on the traditional dishes and also very reasonably priced. We did hire a little car for the 8 days we were here which we do recommend as you are quite tucked away in Magalochori and managed to visit the three beautiful black beaches, our favourite was Kamari and spent the day on the sunbeds provided by Ammos Cafe another beautiful gem, looks unassuming but quality of food, drink and service were wonderful. We went into Fira and Oia, also visited the Monastery at Profit Elias which offered incredible views over the whole of the island. We did a catamaran trip which took you to the Red and White beaches then on to the volcano where we dropped anchor and had the most delicious lunch cooked on board by the captain! But everyday coming back from our trips out it was to a lovely warm welcome and the calm of the Vedema. Yes the food and drinks are expensive as mentioned by other reviews but this is a 5* hotel so not as shocking as you could be led to believe and it is worth noting Sanotorini is overall an expensive place to visit. We didn’t eat at the main restaurant in the evening but the quality of the breakfasts and food in the pool bar at lunchtime made the cost less painful 😂. Yes there are lots of cats there - very common in Greece - but no more than any place we visited this week and certainly none eating from tables etc as stated in a previous review I read. We are not prone to going back to the same place twice but should we ever find ourselves back in Santorini would we revis

We recently stayed 3 nights at the Vedema. Overall check-in went smoothly, and the hotel property was nicely maintained. Hotel staff during our stay were attentive and helpful. Our room was nice - although I would say don’t expect stunning views from any of the rooms. The hotel is like a little collection of villa style buildings in the village of Megalochori. The pools were nice, although the water is quite chilly. Breakfast service was good - but the breakfasts were probably the least interesting of any hotel breakfasts during our trip to Greece. We would actually have preferred a nice buffet over the made to order selections. There are some nice restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, so I would skip the hotel restaurants as they are a bit overpriced. The only negative on service was a recommendation to visit their sister resort beach club using the free shuttle. That beach club was awful - dull beach; dirty loungers; terrible food; inattentive service. Avoid it at all costs and visit Seaside Santorini beach club if you want a nice beach visit. By the way, we were very happy to stay in this area vs. staying in Oia- which was too “disneyfied” for us.