Ambassador Aegean Luxury Suites - Akrotiri, Santorini

If you ever visit beautiful Santorini, try to book a stay at the Ambassador Hotel, located on the Southern part of the island.  Staying down South worked out perfectly for us because we were away from all the traffic and tourists.  This side of the island is a lot more chill - it actually would've been perfect for the kids had we brought them with us.  This property is built into the cliff-side in the Southern town of Akrotiri.  From here, you can see Oia in the distance (this is pronounced EE-YUH, and the town you most likely see in all the postcards around the world).  You can also see Fira (the capitol of the island) to the middle part of the island.

The view of the Ambassador from next door

Upon arrival, you see a small white structure on the side of the street with gates flanking each side.  It may not look like much but, walking down further in, you start to see various-sized white buildings sprawled out with undeniable views in the backdrop in addition to the simple yet beautiful landscaping throughout the property.    

The entry to the hotel (hidden away in the cliff-side)

Upon Check-in

We had a bellhop escort us to reception then proceeded to take care of bringing down our luggage.  We were then greeted by two soft-spoken women, offering us each a glass of white wine native to the island. 

One of the women had us sit down for a mini orientation where she went over the property details and its amenities, excursions around the island, as well as information on where we could pick up my "thank you" gift for choosing to stay with them.  Hubs didn't get one as it was something special for their lady guests.   

Hubs enjoying his glass of wine

Orientation took about 20 minutes and, afterwards, one of the hostesses proceeded to show us to our suite.  We were led to our room by walking down a tunnel built underground.  Our hostess pretty much flew down the pathway.  We were walking a bit behind...okay, waaaaay behind because it took some time for our eyes to adjust in the dimly lit pathway.  This might not fly in the U.S. as it may not be the safest way to get to and from your hotel room but this feature was one of the more memorable features of the hotel.

Meanwhile, our bellhop was on his way to meet us right outside our private pool with our things.  ​   

Around the Property

Fruit and MORE wine brought to us by one of the waiters from the hotel restaurant, Cabo Rosso

There's no doubt this property is very well-cared for.  Not one moment did we not see anyone working. The staff was very helpful and accommodated our every need.  

One of the maintenance guys on staff bears a striking resemblance to the late Robin Williams and he was a favorite of ours...he had a permanent smile on his face and was just the sweetest guy.  We waved to each other every time we saw one another and he'd offer us a ride on one of the hotel carts anytime he saw us walking up the hill.  He and I exchanged some words and he even taught me some Greek.  I spoke to him with the words I learned whenever we'd see one another. 

Also, I can't forget to mention Pepi.  She's the nice blonde lady at the front desk - she played a big part during our stay - she was so helpful and very thorough explaining things around the island...where to go as well as where to stay away from.  We relied on her when we needed to set things up - she booked our catamaran tour, hooked it up with a beach bag, as well as directed us to select restaurants around the island.  All we needed to tell the other places were "we're guests at the Ambassador" or "the Ambassador sent us" to get a deal.  The other places would have to verify it, of course.  Sounds pretty cool and mysterious when you say it out loud, right?!     

Our Suite

Each suite and villa is equipped with their own private pool in addition to the community pool located right outside their restaurant, Cabo Rosso (see below).  We used our pool a couple times the whole week we were there because it was so cold!  Temps start to cool down in the Fall.  Still, very nice touch!  

The view from our room

The style of our suite was very minimalistic and organic in style.  Black, white, and gray make up the room's color scheme with minimal pops of color.  The neutral colors made it feel even more spacious than it already was while the bits of color brought in some warmth so it didn't feel too stark.  Although the room was open, it felt cozy just the same.  

The room's curves were apparent throughout and played up its cave-like vibe.  

Breakfast with a view? YES!

Soaking in that vitamin D - wearing SPF, of course!

Cabo Rosso Restaurant

The entry to Cabo Rosso

This place was one of the fancier restaurants we've been to on the Southern part of the island and it just happened to be within walking distance from our suite.  Part of our deal with the room was a free multi-course dinner - appetizer, entree, and dessert for each of us. (check out my review on the place and the food in a previous post, yummy-eats-in-santorini-greece.html). 

My only regret is that we didn't dine there one more night while we were there.  There was a young man that looked like a young Johnny Depp who waited on us (think of his "Nightmare on Elm Street" days)...although, hubs thought he looked more like a young Emilio Estevez in the "Breakfast Club").   

Evening view of the property from in front of the restaurant

Much to our delight, we noticed hookahs just outside their restaurant.  We never tried it before so we decided to go for it!  Yes, we are social smokers and since the kids weren't with us, we thought, "why not?!"  They had a bunch of different flavors to choose from and we chose peach.  The filled the tub with what I assume is tobacco with flavor and gave us a new tube to attach.  It tasted so good and we were so relaxed. It cost us 40 euros (approximately $45.87) - honestly, I'm not sure if that's expensive but we had such a good time.     

Hookah special

We had breakfast here everyday and really loved their fresh-squeezed orange juice.  It was honestly the best we've ever had.  Fredducinos (these are everywhere on the island and are similar to iced coffee) were part of my meal most days.  Food was ordered on a slip of paper where we could choose a la carte.  

Wellness Spa

Every time we go on vacation, I book a massage at whatever hotel we stay at (if there's a spa available, otherwise, I go somewhere close by).  It's one of my guilty pleasures and I try to play up the relaxation part as much as possible because Lord knows I'm going to be all over the place when I'm back to my normal schedule.  

Jacuzzi and waterfall pool at the spa

It was the middle of the week and I think I was the only client at their spa.  I loved it, though, because I had the jacuzzi all to myself.  Oh and, by the way, there's a separate fee to use the pool as it's not incorporated into the price of the massage.  I think it costs 15 euros per pool (I only used one).  It was kinda nice...I basically sat there alone and sang to myself, taking advantage of the awesome acoustics in the room.  LOL! 

Cavernous pathway to the spa

Artwork at the spa

The massage I got was nice (however, I would've preferred it just a tad bit stronger) - my therapist was really sweet and I'm not sure if she understood me when I'd tell her something.  I noticed there was kind of a disconnect between us so I tried to speak a little simpler so that I could relay my thoughts a bit better.  That seemed to work.  

GIFTS

During our stay, we (or shall I say primarily me) were gifted with several things.  Not only were we hooked up with a bottle of white wine at our suite as well as a multi-course meal at their restaurant but I got a really pretty necklace (which, we picked up in Fira, the capitol of Santorini), a WHOLE fancy-looking chocolate cake for my birthday (whereas we would only get 1 slice of cake elsewhere), and some olive oil lightly scented soaps during checkout.  

My "thank you" gift - kissing sparrows

Delivered personally by our "Johnny Depp" waiter, of course.

Another thank you gift at checkout - we were spoiled!

This place was completely perfect and the views were magical in every sense...sunsets were some of the prettiest we've seen in person, the cerulean blue of the ocean was vibrant and absolutely serene, and the view of the white buildings in the distance were so beautiful (especially at dusk when the lights would come on around them).  "Robin" asked me, "why you go?!...You come back again?"  So I told him, "I truly hope so...hopefully sooner rather than later."

Check out www.ambassadorhotelsantorini.com/ should you plan to book a stay there!

~XOXO, Mari