Aeon Suites - Adults Only by Mr and Mrs White

The Aeon Suites is in Pyrgos Kallistis, the highest village on Santorini, about five hundred metres from the main square and resting on the edge of the Kasteli, the medieval Venetian castle around which the village grew in concentric rings. It is the inland side of the island, the one facing east: from the terraces you see the Aegean towards Kamari and Perissa and you catch the sunrise, not the sunset over the caldera. The airport is five kilometres away, the black beaches four, Oia fifteen.

The property has fourteen suites, all for two people. There are four types: the Honeymoon Suite of about fifty square metres with a private veranda and a heated pool, and three Junior Suites of about thirty square metres, one with an indoor whirlpool tub, one with an outdoor whirlpool tub and one with a whirlpool tub and a sea view. The operator writes that the rooms include private pools or outdoor whirlpool tubs: the water, here, is a feature of the suite and not a shared space. Read list by list, the picture is this: the heated pool appears only among the features of the Honeymoon Suite, on its private veranda, while the three Junior Suites have a heated whirlpool tub, indoors in one case and on the veranda in the other two. A shared pool is not described anywhere. Under Facilities and Comfort the website lists only the traditional café and the word Pool, which is a list label and does not refer to any shared tub. This listing previously stated that there was a shared outdoor pool: that statement does not stand up to a reading of the website and has been removed.

The furnishing is Cycladic in substance, warm tones and natural materials, with air conditioning and free wifi in every unit. There are a reception and front desk, a transfer service to and from the airport and port, and a traditional café working with local produce. On reception hours the two official pages do not agree: the Mr and Mrs White brand page gives it as open twenty-four hours a day, the HotelBrain operator page gives it as limited, so anyone arriving late at night must arrange arrival in advance. On the same brand page a baby sitting service on request also appears, which contradicts what the page states a few lines further down, namely that children are not allowed: it looks like an item from a standard chain list, and this listing does not take it up. Massages and beauty treatments are booked on request: this is not an equipped spa, and there is no water and steam circuit, nor a sauna, steam room or gym. Wellness at the Aeon Suites coincides with the private tub on your own terrace and with any treatment taken privately in the room.

On admission the property is clear: children are not allowed, the hotel welcomes adults only and every suite sleeps a maximum of two. Pets, on the other hand, are allowed, one animal per room up to fifteen kilos with no supplement, and assistance animals are always accepted. Check-in from 15, check-out by 11.

It suits the couple who want Santorini without the crush of the caldera and accept the trade-off: you give up the postcard sunset and gain a real village, with the tavernas of the square a few steps away, more humane prices and the central position that makes both coasts easy to reach. It suits less anyone expecting a resort with a shared pool, a wellness area and an in-house restaurant: here the service is that of a small village hotel. Also to be reckoned with is the lie of Pyrgos, all climbs, staircases and narrow alleys around the castle, and the access road, which in its last stretch does not reach the door: anyone who has difficulty walking on a slope should ask in advance how to reach the suite assigned.