Just returned after a wonderful four nights at Mystique. Has to be the most friendly staff ever encountered. Quiet spot with outstanding views - but do not expect great sunsets from this location. You'll have to climb 63 steps and walk 1-2 miles into Oia for that.

R & C from CT

Mystique probably has one of the most naturally beautiful views of any hotel in the world. Carved into the rock on the side of the Santorini caldera cliff, the 18-room hotel is 75 steps down a rugged set of steps off the road leading into the town of Oia on the north end of the island.

As others have commented, this hotel is definitely not handicapped accessible: it’s a steep walk down and there’s no way to get there but by your own two feet. However, we think the view is so incredible that it’s worth it.

The hotel opened this year as part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection. The suites are wonderful – they are the traditional Santorini cave style, but they have all the modern conveniences. They are a good size and with the exception of the too-short wall mirror in the bathroom, they did a good job of overcoming the limitations of carving into rock. The amenities are wonderful as well and we enjoyed the flat-screen TV and the CD stereo system with speakers throughout the room. You haven’t lived until you’ve had a glass of Vin Santo sitting in a chaise lounge looking out at the caldera with Anita Baker singing in the background.

We experienced wonderful, friendly, helpful service throughout our stay and particularly appreciated the warm welcome we received at check-in and the friendly ladies in the bar and restaurant. No one seemed to bat an eye about the fact that we are a male couple, which is as it should be (but often isn’t) in a luxury hotel (or any hotel for that matter).

Mystique is small, private and quiet and it provides a unique boutique hotel stay that must be experienced to be understood. It’s definitely expensive, but we thought it was worth it, and we’d stay here again.

A few tips:

--We were told by hotel staff that the town of Oia has strict zoning laws about what is allowed in terms of construction. We didn’t understand why until we visited Fira. After seeing Fira’s maze of streets and the hordes of tourists, we understood why Oia’s leaders are so insistent on preserving the charm of their town.

--We wouldn’t recommend staying anywhere else in Santorini other than Oia. We drove by the exterior of Starwood’s other property, Vedema, and found it only after turning onto a small street in the middle of a non-descript town inland on the island. We heard from several people that the hotel is beautiful inside, but the location definitely leaves something to be desired.

--You can rent a car in Oia if you want to drive around the island, and you don’t have to plan that until you arrive if you’re not sure what you want to do before you get there.

--The restaurant is only open to hotel guests (zoning laws again), so it’s often empty. Don’t let that keep you from trying it though: we had a delicious light meal before our departure and the breakfasts were great.

--Mystique’s view is great, but it is not a view directly toward the sunset as there is a hill that blocks that view. If you want to watch the sunset over the water (recommended at least once), walk to the end of the pedestrian road in Oia to one of the many little bars or restaurants with the best views (about 10 minutes from the hotel).

Have a great time – we did!

My friend and I (both Platinum SPG memebers) decided to take a week vacation in Satorini and stay at Mystique in Oia. The caldera and view from this hotel is definitely amazing, but many hotels have beautiful views in this area as well.

Everyone is writing about the steps - indeed, if you have trouble climbing steep stairs, I would caution against staying here as it is tiring (even for a young fit couple in their 20s) to climb this w/o running out of breath. I would not recommend my parents stay here for this reason.

I did read that the breakfast was included in many people's prices, however it was not included in mine. I didn't eat at this hotel once seeing all the other better and more economical choices about a 5 min. walk into town.

What does this hotel need - a little internet room with at least 2 computers set up. I didn't want to lug my laptop on vacation yet needed to check my email daily to make sure nothing urgent was awaiting me. The laptop they offer to guests to take for up to an hour was occupied by some inconsiderate guest for 4.5 days out of the 5 days I was staying there!! The hotel felt they could not do anything about it so offered their own computers for my use. Very nice of them, however was still a major inconvenience to ALL parties. This situation could quickly be fixed with a computer room that all category 6 hotels I have stayed in feature.

Aside from this, enjoy the privacy, quietness, view, spacious shower and tub. Make sure you go into town and esp. check ou the cafe called "ezkida" they do breakfast, lunch, and dinner for great prices and excellent quality. Ask for Martina who is the most fun waitress ever.

My son and i stayed here because I am a Starwood member and like their hotels. We are Greek -Americans. This was my third trip to Santorini and I knew I wanted to stay in Oia this time as I hate the crowds and tacky shoppes in Fira.

The pluses are:
The decor is modern, minimalist, like a W, but with a Cycladic flavor.
The bed was comfortable.
The included breakfast was not a buffet, but, rather, you order anything off the menu.
The ladies in Reception were very helpful and accommodating.
They have adequate parking across and slightly down the street.
The van picked us up and dropped us off promptly at the port.
The view into the Caldera is very nice.
It is a short walk to the shoppes in Oia.

The minuses are:
Our room was toward the bottom, so the view is better up toward the top.
The cobblestone steps down to the resort are uneven and a bit treacherous, especially going down. The hotel said they will be modifying them for next year. But, most hotels have many steps as most are built into the cliffs of the caldera. I was disappointed in the lack of a sunset view in this part of Oia. Last year I stayed in Imerovigli and, because of its position on the caldera, Imerovigli looks into the sunset as well as the caldera.

The bathroom is interesting, but the cave like ceiling had our mirrors very low and I had to duck down to look in, and I'm only 5'3"! The tub was a little treacherous getting in and out as it is built of stucco and quite deep, but also quite interesting with good water pressure. Also, the drawers under the sinks are very shallow and don't leave much room for your toiletries.

Reception told me that I needed to let them know if i were using the bathroom jacuzzi so they could ground it. That was a little scary! what if you forget!

The first two days the espresso machine was broken. The a/c never quite really cooled the room. The concierge couldn't get through to 1800, a top restaurant, so we made our own reservations. She said they always got a fax machine. But when I was at the restaurant making the reservation in person, many people were calling in to make reservations, so go figure!

We didn't use the pool. We opted for the Red and Black (Kamari, not Perissa) beaches, which are quite exotic.

I would still recommend the hotel. This was the first year for the Mystique and some kinks need to be worked out. Knowing the quality of
the Starwood Group, I am certain things will improve here.