Greece › Santorini › Hotels › West East Suites Review
Updated: January 24, 2022
By Santorini Dave
Essentials
• Location: On the caldera, just north of Imerovigli
• Map
• Hotel website: westeastsuites.com
• Hotel phone: +30 22860 27915, +30 22860 25765
• Check prices for West East Suites
West East Suites in Imerovigli, Santorini.
Hotel Review
West East Suites – Contemporary, all-suite hotel on the caldera with a heated infinity pool, creative Mediterranean restaurant, and private pools or jacuzzis for all suites.
West East Suites is a striking hotel featuring artistic, Cycladic design and crisp, minimalistic decor with views to the western caldera and eastern sea throughout the property. Fourteen suites face the caldera with sweeping sunset views; the remaining two face east with sunrise views over the Aegean Sea. Most rooms boast private, outdoor pools, while some feature indoor jacuzzis; the Infinity Suite has both. The onsite restaurant serves elevated Mediterranean fine dining for dinner, and light Greek fare for lunch by the pool, always with a focus on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. The hotel’s talented sommelier has collected an enviable wine list, and sunset wine tastings are on offer. Well-situated high on the caldera’s edge just north of Imerovigli in a tranquil environment just a short stroll from the romantic village’s dining and sights.
See Also
West East Suites – Location
• Area: Heavenly location at the top of the caldera at the north end of Imerovigli, the highest elevated village on the caldera’s edge with panoramic views from Akrotiri to Oia in the west and the Aegean in the east. About a 20-minute walk to the heart of the village – easy to access yet removed from the crowds.
• How to Get There:
West East Suites sits above the caldera, just off the main road connecting Fira and Oia, making it easy to get to by bus, taxi, or rental car. It is approximately 9 km from the airport to West East Suites, and 12 km from the ferry port.There are always buses waiting at the ferry port for every ferry arrival, as well as buses departing hourly from Santorini Airport. There are no direct buses from the port or airport to Imerovigli. Buses from both locations go to Fira, where you must then board a different bus to Imerovigli – the entire trip from the port or airport to Imerovigli will take around an hour and cost about €5 in total. Tickets are purchased on the bus, in cash only. There are bus stops 3 minutes north and 5 minutes south walking from the hotel.
Taxis are also available from the port or airport, though there are only about 25 taxis in total serving the whole island, so there can be a long wait; if you don’t arrange transfer through the hotel, schedule a private car service in advance (I use and recommend Welcome Pickups). Taxis on Santorini are not metered, so be sure to agree on a price with the driver before setting out. A taxi from the airport to West East Suites should be about €25 to €30, and a taxi from the ferry port to West East Suites around €30.
For those who prefer to drive themselves, we recommend renting a car either at the airport on arrival, or in Fira. The road from the ferry port is steep and narrow, with many tricky switchbacks, large trucks, and buses. Leave that for the locals to navigate. We strongly recommend reserving a vehicle in advance, especially if you require automatic transmission. Upon arrival, West East Suites offers free parking onsite.
• Handy to: The Oia-Fira Hiking Trail (it’s right on the trail), Santorini Princess and Cavo Tagoo (neighboring hotels with the closest restaurants and bars, about 5 minutes to either).
Map of West East Suites
West East Suites – The Basics
- Ages: Guests over 13 years are welcome. The hotel has no facilities or amenities for children. Guests tend to be couples in their mid-20s to mid-40s on romantic getaways.
- Beach: The nearest beach is Koloumpos Beach, 6 km northeast, but Exo Gialos is a better beach and not much farther, just 5 km to its north end or 7 km to the south end with its impressive wind-sculpted cliffs. The best beach bar and restaurant is East Breeze, just a few meters from the cliffs. The north end has a small harbor and another great beach bar and restaurant called Yalos.
- View: Panoramic, sunset, caldera views from most rooms. Two suites with beautiful sunrise, Aegean Sea views.
- Private Pools/Jacuzzis: All suites have a private jacuzzi or pool. Junior Suites have outdoor, heated, plunge pools. Deluxe Suites have outdoor jacuzzis. Executive Lofts have indoor or outdoor jacuzzis. Superior Pool Suites have unheated, outdoor infinity pools. Royal Suites have heated indoor or outdoor plunge pools. The Infinity Suite has an unheated, outdoor, wraparound, infinity pool and an indoor jacuzzi.
- Parking: Free parking onsite.
- Extras: Free shuttle to Fira. Concierge team can charter sailboats, helicopters, private tours, and more. Wine tastings on site. Wedding planning and romance packages with special perks.
- When to Book: The hotel operates from April through late October. Reserve at least 5 months in advance (6 months is better) for travel during the high season from June through September. Reserve at least 3 months in advance for stays during low or shoulder season.
- How to Book: Booking.com will have the best rates.
- Phone: +30 22860 27915, +30 22860 25765
- Email: reservations@westeastsuites.com
- Website: westeastsuites.com
West East Suites – Amenities
- Pool: Heated infinity pool on the caldera direct sunset views, a sun terrace, and poolside bar service.
- Spa: No spa onsite, but in-suite massages for individuals or couples can be arranged.
- Fitness Center: No gym.
- For Disabled Guests: This hotel sits above the caldera and has no elevator, though it doesn’t have nearly as many stairs as most caldera properties. West East Suites is not wheelchair accessible and does not nave roll-in showers. But for those with moderate mobility concerns who don’t require wheels, the Superior Pool Suites and Infinity Suite are great options.
- For Families: West East Suites is open to guests over age 13. There are no amenities or facilities for children. Families of up to four can be accommodated in the Junior, Executive, Royal, and Infinity Suites, though all suites are open-plan, so there is not much privacy when sharing a suite.
- Activities: The hotel offers a wonderful wine tasting experience on-site, featuring Santorinian wines and a well-versed sommelier. The talented concierge team can arrange a range of activities, including sunset sailing cruises, helicopter tours of the island, wine tours, excursions to the Akrotiri ruins, and much more.
West East Suites – Food and Drink
- Restaurant: The award-winning Fly Away Restaurant serves an inspired, Mediterranen menu focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients and paired with a thoughtfully selected wine list with an emphasis on Santorinian boutique labels. Vegetarians be advised that most food here has meat or seafood as a main ingredient. Lunch is served from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and dinner from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. • $$$$
- Lounge/Bar: The pool is served by Fly Away Restaurant throughout the day and the bar stays open until midnight. Santorinian wine is the main focus, though refreshing cocktails, beer, and juices are also available.
- Breakfast: Complimentary a la carte breakfast is served daily either at the restaurant or on your private terrace at the time of your choosing from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Exceptional variety and quality.
- Room Service: Available daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
West East Suites – Rooms
- Room Types: Junior Suite • Deluxe Suite • Executive Loft • Superior Pool Suite • Royal Suite • Infinity Suite
- Smoking Rooms: The hotel does not allow smoking in any of its rooms. Smoking is allowed on the private terraces and in the outdoor common areas.
- Best Room: The Infinity Suite is the best suite on the property and features a wraparound infinity pool with a private sun terrace and an indoor jacuzzi, a spacious bedroom with a king bed, a separate living room, and 2 bathrooms with showers.
- For Families: Guests ages 13 and older are welcome here. There are no amenities or facilities for children. Many suites can accommodate up to 4 guests; larger families will need to book an additional suite. The Infinity Suite, described above, is the best option for families, with 70 square meters of living space, 2 bathrooms with showers, and the largest of the hotel’s private pools. Unlike other suites at the hotel, which are open-plan, this one separates the living room and bedroom by a wall, though there is not a door to close them off from one another.
West East Suites – Local Transport
- Walking: The hotel is located on the Oia-Fira trail at the northern end of Imerovigli. The nearest restaurants are at the nearby hotels, Cavo Tagoo and Santorini Princess, just 5 minutes away on foot. Walk south to reach central Imerovigli village; all of the restaurants, shops, and sights in the village are within a 17 to 25-minute walk of the hotel.
- Bus: The nearest bus stops are on the main Fira-Oia road, a short 3-minute walk north or 5-minute walk south from the hotel with routes heading to up to Oia or down to Imerovigli village, Firostefani, and Fira. Once in Fira you can change buses to reach all other major villages and beaches on the island. Tickets are bought on board and range from €1.80 to €2.50 per person in the daytime, depending on the route. Night buses (12:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.) run less frequently and cost a little more, from €2.30 to €3.10. Buses can get very crowded, especially during the high season, so much so that they often fill to capacity and are unable to take on more passengers. There are only 23 public buses serving the island.
- Taxis: The nearest taxi stand is at Stathmos Taxi, all the way down in Fira, so it’s not very practical to walk or bus to. Plus there is often a wait here as there are only 25 taxis serving the entire island (with guests from about 1,000 hotels, villas, and Airbnbs). Book ahead to avoid the wait, and have the taxi meet you directly at the hotel. There will be a small surcharge for advanced reservations and for carrying luggage, usually just a couple of Euros. The average rate from Imerovigli to Fira is roughly €10, to the airport is €25 to €30, and to the ferry port is around €30.
- Scooters/Motorcycles: Scooters are the main mode of transportation for the locals, but if you’re unfamiliar with the terrain, it can be very dangerous. The roads here are zigzagging, hilly, narrow, and have sheer drop-offs with no guardrails and no street lights in most areas. Lots of dirt roads and potholes.
- ATVs/Quads: ATVs are a fun and popular mode of transportation with tourists, but for the locals stuck driving behind them, they move too slowly and hold up traffic in an area where getting around is already a hassle. For those who don’t ride quads regularly (i.e. most people), they can be dangerous at high speeds and on turns. Crashing your ATV is a sure-fire way to ruin your vacation.
West East Suites – What’s Nearby?
Best Nearby Restaurants
- Vezené: Mediterranean-Asian fusion with spectacular sunset views and a romantic ambiance at nearby Cavo Tagoo Hotel. Stupidly expensive, but everything on the menu is absolute perfection.
- Santorini Princess: The restaurant at nearby Santorini Princess Hotel is open all day, serving modern Greek fare, and solid signature and standard cocktails. Gorgeous caldera sunset views, especially from the lounge area.
- Le Moustache: Elevated Greek and Mediterranean dining, and excellent cocktails with panoramic sunset views over the caldera.
- Avocado: Traditional Greek menu, charming space, super friendly staff. Cycladic recipes and a fantastic selection of Santorinian wines.
- Anogi: Al fresco dining with local specialties and classic Greek dishes. Rich flavors and large portions, so come hungry.
- The Athenian House: Elegant fine dining with spectacular sunset views. Contemporary and imaginative Greek dishes incorporate modern gastronomic techniques and locally-sourced ingredients. Most of all, they’re delicious.
- La Maison: Contemporary, Greek fine dining with sweeping caldera views. Food, wine, and service are all phenomenal.
Best Nearby Bar
- Buddha Bar Beach: Upscale cocktail bar, restaurant, and shisha lounge with views over Skaros Rock to the caldera. Pricey but on point.
Best Nearby Cafe
- Hlios Bakery: Good coffee, basic pastries, and deli sandwiches. Not exceptional, but the bakery’s cheap, and delivers (cash only for deliveries).
Nearby Shopping & Cool Shops
- Pegasus Boutique: Next to the hotel of the same name, this little boutique offers clothing, shoes, swimwear, and accessories by Greek designers.
- Under a Fig Tree: Upscale boutique featuring Greek-designed fashion, accessories, and swimwear right on the Oia-Fira trail.
Nearby Attractions
- Oia-Fira Hiking Trail: One of the top attractions on the island is this scenic 10.5 km hiking trail connecting Oia and Fira. A mix of sidewalk, cobblestones, and dirt trail, this route boasts gorgeous vistas the entire way. Hiking northwest, the full length of the path from the hotel to Oia Castle takes from 2 to 4 hours; heading south to the trail’s end in Fira, near Keti Hotel, takes about an hour – add another hour for a detour at Skaros Rock. 1-minute walk from the hotel.
- Imerovigli Basketball Court: Not an attraction, but good to know. This is the main parking area in Imerovigli.
- Anastasi Church: The most picturesque, blue-domed church in Imerovigli offers gorgeous caldera views overlooking Skaros Rock. Popular for weddings and photo shoots.
- Skaros Rock: Impressive volcanic rock formation housing the ruins of a medieval castle and town, dating to 1207. The monastery at its base, Panagia Theoskepasti, is the only part of Skaros that is still active. 20-minute walk to the trailhead; 10 minutes from there to reach Skaros.
- Agios Georgios Church: Small white church on a platform over the caldera, marking the start of the trail to Skaros Rock. Gorgeous, panoramic views from here.
Nearby Markets or Grocery Stores
- Supermarket Nissi: The friendliest market in the area, and usually the best prices in Imerovigli.
- Jimmy’s Market Cava: Market and deli with a great selection (especially the wines), plus great coffee and breakfast sandwiches (more consistent and better quality breakfasts than Hlios, but they don’t deliver).
West East Suites – The Hotel
Exterior view of West East Suites, lit up at night. Unlike most hotels on the caldera, this property has only two floors, making it easy to get around from the suites to the hotel facilities.
The hotel’s main infinity pool overlooks the caldera facing directly toward Thirassia Island. The volcanoes are visible in the left background.
The Fly Away Restaurant sits next to the pool, serving light fare and drinks all day.
The bar at Fly Away is open throughout the day until midnight. Local wine is the focus here, though cold beer and craft cocktails are readily available.
A table with a caldera view at Fly Away Restaurant. The restaurant serves creative Mediterranean fare all day, with a casually elegant presentation in the day…
and a refined, fine-dining atmosphere at night. The lit-up village in the distance here is Oia.
A table set up at sunset. The hotel faces due west with views of the sun setting behind Thirassia Island in the caldera from throughout the property.
Though the caldera-view tables are the most popular, Fly Away also has a cave-style private dining room for special occasions.
View of the restaurant behind the pool at night.
Though considered the entry-level room, Junior Suites are light and breezy with sophisticated decor and plenty of space. These suites are larger than the next few room categories, but face east toward the Aegean rather than the caldera.
Junior Suite bathrooms are roomy and feature classic Cycladic design with an open-style shower and streamlined look.
Junior Suites boast outdoor, heated plunge pools. A little bit of the caldera can be seen from here, but the main view from the room is to the Aegean side.
Deluxe Suites are the next highest category. Slightly smaller than the Junior Suites but with magnificent caldera views from their rooms and outdoor jacuzzis.
Inside a Deluxe Suite, showcasing Cycladic architecture and contemporary furnishings.
There are 2 Executive Lofts at the hotel, both with the main room amenities and caldera-view terrace on the ground floor. Steps lead up to a small catwalk with one window facing the caldera and the other window with a seating area facing east toward the sunrise and the Aegean Sea. This Executive Loft has an indoor jacuzzi.
The other Executive Loft, seen here, has an outdoor jacuzzi on its private terrace.
Superior Pool Suites feature modern, minimalistic style with plenty of sun from the caldera-facing windows and glass doors.
These suites feature infinity edge pools separated from each other by an underwater, glass partition. The double-sized sunbeds seem to float above the water. The Oia-Fira trail sits right in front along the caldera edge.
Nighttime view of the Superior Pool Suites. The glass partitions between each suite’s infinity pool are a little easier to see here.
There are 2 Royal Suites on the property, both about 55 square meters with a spacious living room.
One of the Royal Suites offers a large, heated, outdoor plunge pool with jacuzzi jets. The main pool is directly ahead.
The other Royal Suite offers a small, heated, outdoor plunge pool with the same caldera view and situated behind the main pool.
This version of a Royal Suite adds a small, indoor jacuzzi in the bedroom with windows to the east side of the island.
The top tier room is the Infinity Suite, with a wraparound, infinity pool and with panoramic caldera views and a floating sunbed. This is the largest and most secluded suite at the hotel. Check prices and availability: West East Suites
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