Carpe Diem Santorini

We came here for our honeymoon and loved our stay! The hotel was stunning and the staff were always polite and helpful. We did go towards the end of season so it was a little cooler and didn’t use our plunge pool but that is to be expected. The hotel itself doesn’t have much going on in an evening as the bar and restaurant is shut but there is plenty of nice restaurants a short walk away.

Yes the hill is steep but not as bad as people made it sound in the reviews, I was really nervous after what I had read previously but managed fine! It also gave access to some amazing views!

My only issue was I would have preferred some more breakfast options that weren't on a set menu that then repeated after 5 days, loved everything else though!

TIP: hire a buggy to explore the island, it was so much easier than the bus

Arrived on Jet 2 from Newcastle late 23:00 on 29/9 and was shown to our room by Lucas.

We had our own little plunge pool and although on the lower level we felt very private compared with some of the bigger rooms who you walk by to go to from the room.

Going late in the year meant lower suns and we didn’t get much of it on our small terrace but there are communal beds which can be used.

Room was very clean but there is lack of storage, no drawers so we needed to rearrange things to ensure we weren’t living out of a suitcase for the week.

Mini bar was emptied as stated by others it’s pricey (as are most things on the island) and we used this for our own bought water Coke and beer.

Staff are excellent especially Mary serving breakfast every morning and offering advice of things to do.

The hill ..yip it’s there and needs climbing daily but ensured my “rings” were closed everyday.

Breakfast was good and set us up for the day.

We used buses 3 days once to Fira …then onto OIA the next day and finally to PERISSA which was good fun but I can imagine this could be stressful in July / August when it’s packed.

Summary.

Lovely clean accommodation won’t suit those with mobility issues.

Good Hotel in Pyrgos but needs to help create some atmosphere. There is no meeting point for guests other than breakfast which is excellent and always served by Mary. Who gives excellent service and is pleasant and helpful to the guests. Why not have a meeting for staff and guests something like a cocktail party as a way of communicating.Zoe the receptionist is helpful, but the road connecting the hotel to the street is appalling the gradient is taxing you need to be fairly fit to climb up it and careful too coming down as it is vertually an unmade road .We would recommend the Mythos restaurant and taverna along with Penelope’s as places to eat. If booking trips beware locations being changed or dropped whilst out on the bus this occurred to us and we managed quite rightly to get a partial refund.

This hotel has left me quite disappointed in some ways. Upon arrival we were not told where the gym or any other facilities were. When asked we were told we had to book the gym a day before atleast and so we did, however when we reached the gym the lady at reception said it was not ready and so we had to go back to the room to wait. When we did go inside their was only one treadmill and 2 pedal bikes with a few weights. The sauna was not working, the music stereo was not working and the air conditioning was poor. Their was a phone in the gym so I thought we could contact the reception, however that was not working too. After leaving the gym I mentioned all of this to the lady at reception and she said the sauna was not working as it required additional payment. Again, this was not told to us.

The rooms were adequately clean, however I felt it required some refurbishment on the floor and bathroom. The shower worked well. The sink taps could have been more powerful. We were not told prior that toilet paper was not allowed to be put in the toilet due to drainage so that was uncomfortable for the stay.

We decided to have breakfast in our room all four days but that had an additional 16 euro charge and although it did arrive quickly everytime we ordered the lady was quite adamant to come to collect it quickly each tume so would keep asking if she can come to collect it. We felt that as quite an unnecessary stress to hurry to eat each time.

Our room was the VIP largest room in the hotel and was with a heated private pool, however all the four days the pool was cold. We spoke to the man at reception about this and he said it was due to the high winds, however even when the winds had died down the pool was still cold. When asked if the heating element of the pool could be increased we were told that was the highest it would be. A huge disappointment as it led to one of us getting a temperature and cold for the last two days there.

The hotel staff for cleaning were kind and helpful in changing the bedsheets daily.

The hotel reception staff was mainly a young lady and man. The lady was quite polite, however the man was mostly abrupt and rude. He would speak as though he just was not interested.

A special mention must be made to the night staff called Antonis (I apologise if the name is spelt incorrectly.) He was absolutely wonderful. One of the lights in our room would not switch off and was too bright to sleep with. When I called to ask for help luckily he was the one who answered (the other man was too moody.) Antonis guided me on the phone and said if it still does not switch off I can call back. I did call back and he came immediately and went to find someone to ask for help. He came back quickly and sorted out the problem. He was a diamond.

Overall the hotel was ok. The location was very close to the airport but their was a very steep hill outside and so some of the taxis would park at the top of the hill and we would have to walk up. It felt dangerous (especially at night) as going down it felt like we could slide down if wearing the wrong footwear. Luckily our footwear was ok so you must keep that in mind. Also the steepness going uphill was almost 160 degrees. Very exhausting. That is why I gave location a 3/5.

I probably would not recommend this hotel in all honesty, except for the distance from the airport and Antonis (the night staff.)

We wanted somewhere chilled and slightly out of the way, this does exactly what it says on the tin, superb rooms, fantastic staff and a lovely chilled vibe...

Avoid avoid avoid. We stayed here for 4 nights in early September 25. There is an extreme staffing shortage; after 4pm there is no meal service at all. Nothing. The only bar is also closed at 4pm. (A night porter would serve drinks if you could find him). Consequently, the hotel was like the Marie Celeste by 4pm.

So, if you want to have dinner, you must leave the hotel. Your choice then is either a steep 15 minute walk up paths & tracks to the lovely village of Pyrgos to find a restaurant, or pay 40€ to go anywhere else on the island. So if you want to go to Fira (3 miles away) that’s 80€ on taxis before you spend another cent. What a disappointing rip-off. What a shame, because the hotel itself is beautiful

The Carpe Diem is a very tranquil peacefull hotel. It is a small hotel with 10 rooms set on a hill side. We had one of the smaller rooms with a terrace and a plunge pool, the other rooms were quite a bit larger with small pools on their terraces. Most people stopped on their own terraces most of the day basically making the main swiming pool my own private pool. The rooms are well presented and kept very clean. Being 5 star slippers and robes were supplied. The mini bar was very expensive so we asked for it to be cleared which was not a problem then we used it to keep our own drinks in.
Breakfast was superb with a good range to choose from. This was always served by Mary who is such a lovely person always smilling.
The down sides to the hotel
Drinks are very expensive so it is rare to see any one at the bar. One thing lm not sure the brochure mentions is the access. This is down a 1 in 3 slope about 150 yds long. If you have any walking disabilities etc it is a slog to walk up it. Im reasonably fit and it was still hard work and the surface is very un even.
If you cant walk up or down this slope u need to use a taxi which are very expensive approx 20 euros each way to cover approx half a mile. Pyrgos is a beatifull village with a maze of winding alleys and fantastic restaurants. The best ones we found included Penelopes, Rosemery, Pyrgos Restaurant and the one at the start of the town by the bus stop not sure of the name. In all we had a very relaxing week.

Beautiful hotel in Pyrgos. Gorgeous hotel and facilities. A perfect couples getaway within walking distance of the town

We had a great 2 night stay to start our 1 year anniversary.

They started with a welcome drink, upgraded our room from a Senior to a Master. It was at the top of the property so we had no one overlooking our pool. Our room 203 had a sunset view, although we did have to sit on the edge of the patio to see it.

There is a new breakfast every morning you can choose dishes like yoghurt, eggs, pastry, salad and a cake. We had a selection of everything. It was all delicious.

For our anniversary we were given a complimentary bottle of prosecco, and fruits to have in our room while we were relaxing by the pool.

A really lovely hotel which is clean and spacious but a few notes for improvement. We stayed in the superior suite which was spacious and very clean. The towels, bathrobes and bedding were really comfortable. The view is good and the plunge pool is cold but refreshing. It’s is a very quiet hotel. In our 4 night stay we only saw 3 employers, 2 on reception and one serving breakfast. There is a lovely outside pool. Breakfast is very nice, with some different options each day. The hotels location is ok, we wanted to avoid the crowds but it does feel a little remote and although Prygos is close and has some nice restaurants, it doesn’t have the same vibes as the bigger towns. Leaving the hotel there is a very steep 100m walk to the main road. Having a car would be useful here. We spent a fortune on taxis which start at €35 euros one way to almost anywhere. Drinks and minibar prices are ridiculous. €32 euros for 2 glasses of Prosecco. Also for an indulgent escape hotel I was surprised on our last day we had to be out of the room at 11. Although they stored our bags the only place to shower and change before our 8:30pm pick up was the poolside showers and poolside toilets!

We have just returned after a weeks holiday at this lovely resort on the outskirts of Pyrgos in Santorini.
The setting is beautiful and first impressions were really good.
We travelled on a Tui package and arrived at around 12.30pm We were greeted and shown to a table for welcome drinks.
On reflection, there is no doubt we were expected to begin our spending with Carpe Diem immediately. The drinks might have been "Welcome drinks" but we paid for them and more drinks, including water, and lunch too. There was no offer to store our luggage and go off exploring as our room would not be ready until 3pm.
We were captives at this mountain view resort and that is where we would stay. And that set the tone for the week. The steep incline driveway (if you can call it that) to the resort is not for the weak and once you are in you are in. If you go out and forget something you have to manage as you are not going back.
We downloaded a very limited menu for the restaurant and there was no doubt we wouldn't choose to eat here again. It was the A la Carte menu with only 4 ridiculously expensive main courses and little else.
Earlier reviews suggested staff were amazing but our experience didn't leave us feeling like the reception staff went above and beyond. We never saw a Manager and we were never given any resort information. I couldn't tell you anything about the spa or gym as we were never told about it. The restaurant on site may have been permanently closed at night as we never saw anybody in there or any sort of promotion for it? Having seen the limited menu on day one it was never an option for us.
Breakfast was lovely and Mary who served us was delightful and recalled our drinks orders from previous days.
We made the hike out of the place twice daily for the first 5 days and then I hit a wall.
We had carried supplies back from the village a couple of times as there was no way I was paying 5 euro for a bottle of water in the hotel.
I truly felt like a captive and this isn't what holidays are supposed to be like. So we made the decision to rent a car for the last 2 days and decided our sanity meant more than a glass of wine with our meal. I was still on edge going up and down that slope....so steep is the incline you felt as though the car might flip with too much acceleration.

Things to note:
This hotel is supposedly 5 star. I would dispute that.
There is no turndown service
There is no full length mirror - not that it matters - don't take any fancy sandals as you need Walking boots/walking sandals/trainers for that hill! .
There is no free water. In a country where the tap water cannot be consumed this is particularly poor. We drank the first bottle of water in the room and soon realised it was chargeable. In an isolated spot this is dreadful and inexcusable.
The hotel entrance is NOT 5* by any means. I don't know any other 5* hotel that would expect you to have to climb in and out. We saw golf buggies/concierge in Fira assisting guests up and down the hill. That is not the case here,
If you book a taxi at reception - double check the time. There was a little mix-up with our booking but we still made our ferry to Ios. That's the only thing we asked for help with and they got it wrong!
Taxis are expensive. A trip to Fira or the Port (Ferry) is 30 euro. Worth it to leave captivity without a climb!!

On a positive:
We were lucky with our room - we had a huge balcony and lots of outdoor space but many beneath us looked like they could barely move so limited was the space.
Views are outstanding, especially the sunsets.
Pyrgos is a lovely town but it has its limitations. Fortunately the local buses are good and you can get to Fira and Perissa easily. Surprisingly we enjoyed using the buses....quite an education!
Rooms and pools are well cleaned and maintained.

In summary: We got a late deal here and paid a fair price. I wouldn't have wanted to pay more. We enjoyed our holiday and made some lovely memories, but we won't make a return trip to this place.

Hmmm where to start….not sure how others got the amazing experience here, maybe rose tinted glasses as there are some things amiss.
Yes the hotel looks amazing, like a futuristic Greek boutique hotel, I loved it as soon as I stepped onto the property. The morning ladies hosting reception and breakfast were both lovely.
We booked the honeymoon suite which has its own private pool but it’s not heated so my fiancée never used it. You’d think being in Santorini in late July would be hot but for some reason, the biggest secret about a well known island is it’s windy and it’s not always a warm wind. Maybe the sun does heat the pool but it’s blown cool by the wind.
The view from the rooms veranda is stunning, highly recommended. The rooms face north over the island so you look directly at Fira on the hill and Oia on the headland in the background to the West of Fira. Sunsets are lovely on the veranda despite the wind.
When you look at the honeymoon suite on their website, then click “view photos” you assume you’re looking at the photos of the room but you’re not, it’s all suites. So we were sucked in thinking the room has a separate living room area but it doesn’t, the honeymoon suite is just one large bedroom, there is a chair and bench seat/sofa are at one end though. According to the site the honeymoon suite pool isn’t heated which is a let down if you wanted cosy evening dips with your beloved.
The location is a little awkward with it being halfway up a hill below Pyrgos Kallistis village. As others have said, the driveway to the hotel is very steep so walking back up it twice a day to go for lunch and evening dinner gets tiring. The walk back to the hotel is less steep though and mostly downhill.
Breakfast was lovely but at times odd in that it’s a mixture of Greek and other food types but overall very tasty. Scrambled egg served in a bowl on top of a dry bagel was interesting. More on food. Previous 5 star reviews going back to 2017 and 2018 seem to suggest evening food is available, it isn’t. I enquired before I left about evening options for food, there was a menu showing overpriced food, ie €24 for basic spaghetti. Upon arrival we were told evening dining is for private dining only. As part of my enquiry, I was sent the private dining options, circa €148 per head for a 3 course meal! Champagne sir? Certainly that’ll be over €700 per bottle! Rosé? That’ll be €83 for a bottle that I found to be up to €12 online. If you want candles on your veranda for a romantic evening, €7 per candle with a minimum of 10 recommended. Yikes! So here’s the rub, if you want to market yourself as a swanky hotel with expensive food and drink options then everything else has to match. You have to drag your own cases back up to the main road behind the hotel for pick up, buy a golf cart and take the cases for your guests instead. The veranda gets dusty due to the wind, wasn’t cleaned once while we were there so the chairs, sunloungers and coffee table were covered in a layer of dust during the week. This is then walked into the room making the floor a bit dirty which also didn’t seem to get mopped during the week. Your feet will get dirty. The fit and finish in the bathroom is not €700 a bottle of champagne standard either with the tap fittings standing proud from the wall. The mirror in the bathroom was never wiped so was dusty with the odd toothpaste fleck on it. Neither were the toilet flush buttons so they had greasy sun cream fingerprints on them all week.
Mini bar charges were ridiculous, €22 for a small bottle of vodka or whiskey, I think they were 50ml size. Nothing free in the mini bar fridge and no ice either…€6 for a single packet of crisps!
I would suggest if the hotel want to be that swanky and exclusive they step up to the mark, or better yet revert back to how it seems it used to be a few years back where you could have more than just breakfast on site and the bed was made with a heart shape on it.
The location is great for the fact Pyrgos village is a mini Oia with some hidden gems, like a rooftop restaurant with sunset views, I felt like royalty up there! The village is also on tour operatives excursion lists so it must be worth visiting. Lots of great places to eat there and fairly quiet and classy, think nice bars and restaurants without music blasting out and no Brits abroad type people getting drunk. Sensible prices too.
Overall a lovely place but needs to work out its identity or revert to previous standards.

Maria & Maria were amazing. The service was amazing. From the second we arrived everythng was well take n care of.

Not in a busy are a of Santorini are so it was so quiet and peaceful. It felt like we were the only people at the resort even though we were not. Amazing

Absolutely lovely place. The hotel is spotless and the rooms are so nice. Beds comfy. Food delicious. Staff amazing. Would definitely recommend if you want a relaxing holiday.

Pyrgos is a beautiful traditional Greek village with excellent restaurants. We hired a buggy and went round the whole island. We went to Oia and Thira on a day when there were only 2 small cruise ships in. They are beautiful places but far too busy with tourists for us. Pyrgos has the same charm and is just so much better.

It’s all very hilly and lots of steps so if you don’t like a bit of a work out it’s not for you.

If we were the sort of people that like to go to the same place we would defo go back.

Wow! What a place!! The hotel was just beautiful. Very peaceful, relaxing and facilities were exceptional. Hotel was very clean and the staff were all superb. They went out their way to make sure I had the best birthday whilst I was there and it was a lovely touch. They all work very hard and were always on hand to help or answer any questions we had about the town.

Drinks and food could be ordered to your room and breakfast was varied and delicious!

Pyrgos itself is beautiful, lots of nice restaurants and bars and all walking distance.

We will most definitely return and if you are thinking of booking - you won’t regret it!!

Amazing place with the best view of the island, everything was fantastic including the breakfasts, service, room and location. Nice quiet location away from the chaos in oia, will be going here again in the future. Perfect place for couples

Superb boutique hotel with a lovely relaxed feel and excellent staff who went out of their way to make the stay a joy. The hotel itself is spotlessly clean and well maintained. The food was all high quality, well presented and delicious. The rooms are beautiful with a balcony area offering great views and both a shady area as well as an area to sunbathe and take a dip in the small private pool. Highly recommended.

We booked a 4 night break away for our 10 year anniversary to Santorini Greece after picking that as our ideal destination to celebrate such a special occasion.

We booked with Expedia a packaged holiday at Carpe Diem Santorini and did extensive research in to all their suits and identified a particular suite we wanted and even altered our dates of travel to select this specific suite.

We landed at 9pm and got to the hotel about 10pm where we were kindly welcomed with drinks and someone to show us to our room. As we were walking to the room we noticed this was not the suite we booked and asked the staff member what has happened with our original booked room. He said he had no idea and would find out for us but unfortunately the hotel was fully booked and no rooms weee available. The reason we booked the Astra suite was because of the privacy, we knew it was not the best and most expensive suite in the hotel but the one we selected was perfect for us and our wants. We were then told that we had been upgraded to another suite which in the hotels opinion was the best but in our opinion it was not private has it had a walkway right outside so anyone who walked past could see in. This is why we selected the less expensive and more private suite right at the end of the hotel. We kindly said we had not been notified of the upgrade at any point before and if this was expaokend we would have kindly declined and stuck with our original booking. To not offer an alternative suite and give our original one to someone else was a big disappointment. There was nothing we could do and we stayed in the suite they provided for the night with the hope of sorting and resolving this the following day as it was very late and there was no manager at the hotel to speak with directly.

The following day we went to see the assistant manager and explained our disappointment and request the original suite we booked. What they class as an upgrade might not be the same for everyone and privacy was the upmost importance to us and the suite they offered was not. We were met with the response there is no manager to talk to and they do not know when they will be in the hotel. There was no manager present at the hotel during our 4 night stay even though we requested this multiple times. We were frustrated as anyone could imagine and did make our frustration known. Later that day the assistant manager approached us and said there is another suite available upstairs similar to our original one we booked so we decided to take it even though it was a downgrade from our original booking but had the privacy we required and booked the holiday for.

We considered this to be satisfactory and to try and enjoy our time here and accept the room. We moved our stuff and manages to settle in the room by unpacking our suitcase. Later that day we received an email from the reservations team who accused us of creating a commotion by threatening there staff and guests (we had no interaction with other guests and only spoke to 2 staff members who we apologised to as we knew it was not them personally but they totally understood our frustration). They also accused us of blackmail as we said we would leave a bad review if we didn’t get the original room we booked but we thought reviews are a freedom of speech and the only way to voice our frustration as no manager would speak to us and the reservations team only accept emails ( even though we were on holiday with limited access to our email). They proceeded to threaten to kick us out of the hotel and report us to the police if we did not remove the review. We contacted Expedia who assured us it is well within our right to leave a review and we explained everything that happened. We knew we showed no aggression towards the staff and definitely did not do any of the things they accused us of. We thought nothing of it and would sort it when we return to the UK. Later that evening at 10:30 pm when we returned from a lovely meal outside the hotel we were met with an email sent at 8pm asking us to remove the review by 9pm if they will remove us from the hotel. This was crazy and again contacted Expedia for help. We even contacted the British embassy and tried to seek legal advise however as it was 11/12 at night nothing was available to us. They continued to harass us by calling our room every 10 minutes for an hour until we answered and then told us as we did not remove the review they have decided to remove us from the hotel and asked us to leave by 11pm. By this point my wife was in absolute tears and feared we would be on the streets in a foreign country with no where to stay.

We had to remove the review out of fear and was physically scared for our wellbeing which we told to hotel staff who was unaware of what the reservations team had been saying or doing. They also treated us with legal action if we do not remove the review. From 11pm until 1am we were scared and unsure of what would happen and if they will kick us out for the false claims they have made and for leaving negative review. They wanted us to send them an email apologising for blackmailing them and theatening their staff and guest which were all untrue. As we knew none of this had happened we stuck to our guns and asked them to call the police and if we could actually call the police ourselves. The police was not called on our behalf but after the hotel spoke to them they decided there is no reason for them to attend as nothing has actually happened and it’s a civil matter.

We have travelled many time to many top hotels around the workd and as we paid over £2000 for this one we were completely shocked for the service we received. To top it all off the air con was not working fully and the heated pool was not working at all as advertised but as they claimed we were threatening their staff so we tried our upmost to avoid any conversations with staff encase they claim more lies and as we are in a foreign country we were scared for our selves and decided we wanted to deal with this in the comfort of the UK and where we can speak to Expedia in more depth to understand our situation as the hotel had already written to Expedia with the false claims.

The threats we received and the false allegations against us made the holiday the worst in our history and we are still unsure if leaving a review after we took down the first would lead to legal action and possible criminal proceeding as the claims they were making. The worst part is the staff at the hotel (all 3 of them) were not scared of us and actually was very polite but as they had no authority to decide or say anything they always told us to email the reservation team directly.

When we got back to UK we immediately contacted Expedia who we was updating while we were out there as they had no luck contacting staff at hotel while we were there. Expedia refunded us 50% of the trip as gesture of goodwill after they recorded all our evidence and experience.

We also contacted Rip off Britain and have an open investigation with them who are planning to air our experience in the show in 2025.

The most amazing place, amazing view, amazingly attentive staff and the best holiday! From start to finish our holiday was spectacular. Breakfast was served from the terrace with a 270 view of the island. Food and wine were delivered to our pool terrace and our housekeeper looked after our room immaculately.

From the moment we stepped into Carpe Diem it was an atmosphere of calm and an oasis of tranquillity. The room was nothing short of spectacular. It was very spacious, spotlessly clean the pillows and linen felt like a dream. The staff were hands on always happy to help with anything we needed. The breakfast was excellent too, serves outside over looking the excellent mountain view.

My daughter got married there. Our guests couldn't stop commenting on how gorgeous the venue was and it looked like a fairy tale setting. The wedding planner Sophia was excellent and her attention to details was flawless.