Name: Villa Happening
Address: Imerovigli, Vourvoulos, Vourvoulos, Vourvoulos, 84700, Greece
Rating: 9

Air conditioning

Smoke-free property

Ticket assistance

Express check-in/check-out

Terrace

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Rooms

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Car rental

Airport transportation

Transfer services

Transfer

English

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking

Free parking nearby

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Business

Doctor

First Aid Kit

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the villa

Santorini Old Harbor

Athinios Port Santorini

Santorini International Airport

Villa Happening

Vourvoulos

The room was magnificent (No.1) but not enough convenient wall capture and a tiny TV. We paid for the jacuzzi and the water was cold most of the time. Despite this, the villa is well located and quiet. There is a good restaurant right across the street (Gefsis) and there is a sea view which is very nice and relaxing. For the tour, I do not recommend taking it from the villa, because they show you the photo with the different excursions, you select the ones that interest you and say you will return with your final choice, and the next morning, your tickets are in your own room with your already paid tickets to the villa. It is a bit disappointing, because we asked if we could get the boat to our hotel before the hotel was opened, because they said they were not looking for the same price, and they said they would not pay more than 15 euros. We always find that when we get back to the hotel, we can not pay the price of the ticket, and we are not always able to find a lot of money.

Notice of approval

We stayed 4 days in February at this hotel and we have an extremely positive opinion. To welcome us there was Maria, a super kind and caring lady, showing us also the other parts of the villa besides our room. The villa is very central, two steps from the center of Imerovigli where it is full of restaurants and souvenir shops and what is very important also behind the corner compared to the caldera where we saw the best sunset of Santorini! It is located about 2 km from the bus station where all buses depart to various locations but there is also a bus stop 300 meters from the property where you can then take the changeover to Fira and head to Oia, Kamines, Red Beach, Santo Wining. The room was also very small but the trains are also entered with two wings, the bathroom is accompanied by the window (the only thing we have here is the hotel) but we have a lot of facilities that we recommend to take apart from the hotel.

Two steps from Santorini's most beautiful sunset, full of Imerovigli town centre and very kind staff!

Lovely hotel in the beautiful village of Imerovigli.

My trip was flawless from start to finish.  The Manager Hara was super helpful with local information even before I had arrived.  They arranged the airport transfer for us, which made our trip a lot easier from the beginning.  I advised them I was visiting for a special occasion, and it felt like they added an extra personal touch to our stay. 

We arrived to a spotlessly clean, spacious room with a breathtaking view.  The building has a traditional Cycladic look that automatically gives it character.   The room is air-conditioned although the climate in June when we visited was perfect.  A small fridge is in the room, which is great for the hotter months.  The jacuzzi is great to relax in and enjoy the view. 

So many extra services are available that will help you throughout your stay, depending on what you are looking for.  Laundry service, room service, car or motorbike hire, and lots more.   You can contact the manager prior to your arrival, and they will be super helpful in making your trip perfect. 

Considering the service, the location, and the facilities, you will find this hotel great value for money. 

I highly recommend this hotel if visiting this unique and picturesque Island. 

Cycladic perfection 

Great location for the proximity to the boiler and the possibility of seeing the sunset. A lavish breakfast for 10€ per person. The suite with hot tub was spacious and clean, unique on the terrace overlooking the parking lot on the street.

It's a great stay.

Spent 3 nights at this cozy hotel and got a nice, clean and well-equipped room. The location was perfect, close to "central" Imerovigli yet quiet. Somewhat set back from the cliffs on the west coast the view to the west is limited. However, we got a ground floor room with a private patio facing north/east where we got a fantastic sea view to the north/west. The receptionist was friendly and helpful from the moment we booked the hotel online, throughout arrival, stay and finally check-out. We were looking for a moderately priced hotel in Imerovigli and got a hotel that exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend this hotel to other travellers.

Nice and cozy hotel with helpful and friendly staff, at an excellent location

The real problem was that having booked a room with a sea view and a furnished balcony, we received a room with a door that literally gave access to the entrance and parking area, with only one window that clearly did NOT have a sea view, and two separate beds that we asked for a double bed. The balcony, despite arriving before 5 pm, made us wait at the reception until the receptionist returned. The real problem was that having booked a room with a sea view and a furnished balcony, we received a room with a door that gave us a literal entrance and parking space, with only one window that clearly did NOT have a sea view, and two separate beds that we asked for a double bed.

Disappointing, very bad.

This hotel with an intriguing name is a good choice if you just want to stay for a day, or maybe 2 - 3 days  in Santorini.  It’s located in Imerovigli which is about 15 minutes from the Port of Athinios (or, about 10 minutes from the capital, Fira).  We booked for 2 rooms (Superior Balcony rooms) and paid about $75 per room.  Here’s what to expect:

Upon confirmation of our reservation, the front desk lady (her name is Hara) e-mailed us if wanted to have the transfers booked thru them as well.  We agreed and the transfers (for a party of 4) came to about Euros 45 (about $48).  The guy who picked us up was from LTS (Luxury Transport Services) Transfer (which has an office at the port of Athinios – if you happen to not to see your name of any of the many drivers holding up placards with name(s) on them -- waiting for their guests to arrive from their ferry rides.  We used Sea-Jets Ferry and it took over 6 hours from the Port of Piraeus to the Port of Athinios (finally, Santorini). You’ll be amazed by the magnificent cliffs upon arrival at the Athinios port.  We arrived the port just about noon and we were at the hotel in about 25 minutes – in spite of the many vehicles going up the cliff – going to their respective destinations. 

Villa Happening Hotel sits atop a hill and right at a corner of a small road, immediately after a restaurant, The White Lounge, and you’ll be greeted by Hara immediately after you get off your hotel transfer vehicle. The hotel was a vacation house turned hotel whose owner, Mariana, lives on the big room in the 2nd level/roof deck. She’s from Athens and comes to Santorini only during the spring and summer months. I met her when I was creating some e-mails at the roof deck.  I believe, our stay during the first week of May 2022, we were the only guests at the hotel.

After making copies of our passports, Hara gave us 2 keys (for the room itself and for the very small safe located at the bottom of the closet – that’s good enough to safely store all your important travel documents) along with card that operates all the lights & AC outlets. Hara also informed us if we wanted breakfast (Euro 9 extra per person) and that it would be served at 9 AM (it consisted of boiled egg, a thin ham & cheese sandwich, a small chocolate croissant, a piece of cake along with a cup of coffee & glass of orange juice). She served them personally inside our rooms the following morning. 

She also gave us a photocopy of a crude map/guide of the area: where are the bus stops going to Fira and Oia, the restaurants, pharmacy and convenience stores (mini-marts).  The bus stop (on the crude map) going to Oia was incorrect - it was about 200 meters away after you went pass the gas station (95 Economy) along the narrow highway.  Sidewalks are non-existent in a lot of spots, so be very wary of incoming as well as vehicles coming from behind you. I mentioned the incorrect bus stop to Hara on her crude guide on the day we left so that she could modify it for the benefit of future guests.

The room felt cold as it was just in late spring and that the hotel have tiled floors but the hotel provided blankets aside from the clean linens and pillows.  We tried to set the room temperature higher via the remote (it has ‘split-type’ AC/heating) control to no avail – it was already in the hottest setting. We had to use the overhead lamps in the bed to heat us up a bit more when it was time to call it a night after our long day in Oia – which we went to immediately after our late lunch at the White Lounge restaurant.

Our rooms with balconies had majestic views of the Mediterranean Sea and the surroundings -mostly empty fields, a few nearby houses, parking lot and if you looked closely below, the road going to Oia. 

Excluding the small balcony, the rooms aren’t big enough for 2 persons who have big luggage so, you may have to sort out all your stuff on top of the beds.  Since our main hotel is in Athens and just did a side trip to Santorini, we just brought with us just our backpacks and duffel bags – so, moving about was no issue at all.  

The small bathrooms have modern fixtures.  Hara informed us that the water is non-potable so we made sure to drink and to make instant coffees using bottled water only.  

There’s also a water percolator inside each room but no free instant coffee mixes nor condiments.  We bought our supplies from the nearby mini-mart just after the White Lounge restaurant.  Note that prices all over Santorini are about 3x or more than in Athens. 

The bathrooms’ small shower stalls have good water pressure from both hot (using electricity) and cold using the hand-held sprayer but water flow slowed down when using the overhead spouts. In one of the rooms, one of us heard clicking sounds that came off the electrical panel as the water heater is powered by electricity.  

Towels were clean and very small plastic bottles of shower gels and shampoo were provided. Overall, the bathrooms, the main rooms along with the balconies were very clean. 

The rooms were sparsely furnished, small table & 2 chairs inside plus a vanity mirror above a small dresser-table. There was a small fridge, a small closet & with a few hangers inside.  

Wi-Fi was OK (Hara will provide you with the password) and there’s a small (bet. 25 to 28”) flat-panel TV but, sadly, had only 2 channels one of which was an infomercial channel. Oh well, you didn’t come to Santorini to watch TV.  But the other channel (local government discussions) lulled me to sleep!

We also noticed that’s there’s a suite room with a hot tub just below one of the balconies of the room we stayed at and another one on the roof deck for all the rest of the hotel guests to use.  The one on the roof deck wasn’t filled with water either so we’re unable to use it. 

The balconies were OK in size relative to the room size. There are 2 plastic chairs plus a small round table so that you can have your breakfast here while admiring the majestic blue skies and tranquil sea. You had longed to see Santorini, had been to Oia for your photo-ops of the blue-domed houses and churches that seemingly jut out towards the caldera and the sea, mingled with the throng of tourists all waiting for that majestic sunset as well as shop in both the trendy and typical souvenir shops that line up the walkways going to the edges of that part of the island.

But in Imerovigli -where hotel Villa Happening is located- there’s a walkway as you go down past the restaurants and cafes that will also give you spectacular views of the caldera & the Mediterranean Sea – all without the crowds in Oia.  There you can have your quiet moment and, seemingly, Santorini all to yourself.  Here, you can have your communion with the gods like the ancient Greeks did.

Santorini can be cost-prohibitive for the budget travelers.  You must be hardy enough to endure the long up & down walks on steep hills and very narrow (or none at all) sidewalks in order to go to the bus stops (either to Fira or to the more popular Oia) via the buses (Euro 1.80 per).  Best way to see the island’s sights is thru car or ATV rental (about Euro 40 a day).  Just make sure you have an international DL. Otherwise, taxis charge about Euro 25 to 35 per ride – whether or not you use the Uber app. 

There’s a bit of spat among taxi drivers and Uber drivers using their personal / private vehicles.  We were waiting for our Uber ride when a taxi driver stopped on the side of the road going to Oia and said that Uber doesn’t work in Santorini and that he’ll take us to Oia for less. I informed him I don’t have cash, so that’s why I use the Uber app.  He took a photo of the guy's plate # (he drove his own Toyota  Corolla) who picked us up a few minutes later. 

The short Uber ride of about 4 kilometers to Oia set us back for Euros 36 while the ride back to our hotel from Oia (at about 10:00 pm) aboard a free-lancer’s company car – a VW ID.4 electric car- (as there were no more Uber drivers on their personal cars at that time) cost Euro 35. 

Overall, for $75 a night (plus $10 for breakfast) for a room with balcony at Villa Happening is not a bad deal considering it’s located in an area away from the distractions of today’s over-tourism of trendy places like Santorini.

On a clear day, so can see forever at Villa Happening --not just the spectacular sunsets.

Professionalism and hospitality are something else...We stayed for a few days in this place. We were 3 families plus a couple of friends...it's not suitable for families in my opinion, the owner kept harassing us saying don't make any noise because her customers had to relax...until lunchtime she doesn't have to fly a fly...and with children making babies it's not easy, we often found ourselves arguing with the lady who also tried to monkey my son when I saw that he tried to run... make her laugh! but you hear her scream like a crazy woman against the cleaning lady because I didn't like it late.

It's not a family facility.

I can only make positive notes about my living room, Mr. Nice and comfortable structure, the girl at reception Hara has been very kind and available to all our requests.

Experience to Repeat

Marias guest house welcomed us as nearly first guests in Summer 2021. She was very helpful to all our wishes and gave us useful hints to explore Santorini. The fantastic crater edge walk is at 100m from her Villa. She has reasonable prices, a rather rare fact on that island ...

Villa Happening

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