Fomithea Studios

Reviewing this hotel is quite difficult as there were some good aspects but some not so good. First thing to note is that there are two different businesses on the same premises - Fomithea Studios (2*) and Fomithea Hotel (3*). Fomithea Studios are let to TUI clients and are not refurbished and definitely very 'tired', but you do get to use the 3* facilities of the rest of the hotel. Good points: * very nice reception and breakfast room. Very contemporary and clean. * lovely pool area, spotlessly clean with a nice pool bar. Not quite enough sunbeds for the number of clients but that is due to lack of space. Like another reviewer we also experienced the 'saving' of sunbeds but this situation seemed to improve after a certain contingent of returning visitors had left. The pool gets the sun all day and is a good size for a proper swim * nice breakfast with choice of hot and cold dishes, meats, cheeses, breads, fruit, juices, pastries. A choice of indoor eating or an outside terrace. * bed linen and towels changed every three days * the young girls doing the cleaning were always smiley and pleasant * great location, just 10 minutes walk to Kamari Beach and within a few minutes walk of amazing bars and restaurants * luggage storage and shower facilities available for use on the last day if you have a late pick up for your flight so you can make the most of the day * air conditioning and Wi-fi Not so good points: * as said previously the studios are not refurbished and very tired (we were travelling with TUI) * room cleaned (ie floors mopped and bathrooms cleaned) only every 3 days when the bed linen and towels were changed * hit and miss on the plumbing (shower could go from a power shower to a trickle or from hot to cold without touching the tap) but I think this is a Santorini problem rather than the hotels * self catering facilities are VERY limited. It is difficult to have tea and toast for breakfast when there isn't even a toaster (minimum requirement in self catering accommodation in my opinion). There was no surface to prepare food in our studio and the bare minimum of crockery, cutlery etc. (no dishes for cereal, just two plates, two cups, two saucers and two glasses). With such inadequate facilities we found it necessary to either pay for breakfast in the hotel (not included in the price of our holiday) or go out for breakfast, which put quite a chunk of money onto our spending * never before have I seen a notice threatening extra charges for laundry if make-up, sun cream, blood etc. were seen on bed linen or towels, and not just a nominal charge - 20€ for a large towel or sheet, 10€ for pillow slip or small towel. I don't put make-up on my towels and sheets at home but just about exfoliated my face every night to make sure no trace was left before I went to bed. The charge would also be levied if you put towels or bed linen on the floor!! * we did not find the staff as friendly and accommodating as some other reviewers and one member of the management in particular (the lady with blonde hair) would walk past and not even look at us never mind say "hello". There was obvious favouritism shown to returning guests so perhaps we need to go back to get the best service! Would we go back to this hotel and can we recommend it?? If we did go back it would definitely not be through TUI. The TUI rep told us that there are no plans to refurbish the studios so if we did want to go back we would book on a third party site that only offers the 3* hotel rooms or direct with the hotel. While we were disappointed with the standard of our accommodation it did not spoil the holiday and we were happy with the rest of the hotel so would recommend but just take care with what you book.

Stayed here last year after booking through Tui. Really liked the hotel. Small, spotlessly clean, lovely staff so decided to go back this year. Booked flights and room through BA had one of the refurbished rooms with breakfast included for less than last years price so worth checking around. Nice pool and pool bar with good food. Lots of restaurants in easy walking distance and asy access to local buses. Definitely good value for money.

We've spent many years visiting Kamari and this is the perfect place to stay. All the staff look after us very well and are always warm and friendly. It's like home from home but much more. Can't thank them enough for their care and friendship. I will come here for the rest of my life!