Suggestions on where to stay in Santorini

Danielle, please provide more information: -Do you plan on staying at the beach or on the other side of the island with a view into the caldera? -If you prefer the caldera view do you want to be within easy walking distance to youth-oriented nightlife or do you prefer beauty over the nightlife? -How many of you will there be? -What will be your combined maximum daily room budget, expressed in Euro? Italy to Greece Ferries: http://www.greekferries.gr -To reach Santorini by ferry you have to go from Italy to Patras or Igoumenitsa in Greece, then take a bus to Athens/Piraeus to catch the ferry to Santorini. There are NO ferries from Italy to Santorini. Some of the ferry companies offer a bus for the transfer. Greece Inter-island Ferries: http://www.gtp.gr (Use Piraeus for Athens) (Ferry Schedules for next year won't be available until a couple of months before the travel dates. You should know that the trip from Italy to Santorini by ferry will take a very long time, as long as 24-36 hours by the time you get there depending on the route you take, and the trip won't necessarily be inexpensive. I suggest you put yourselves on the email newsletter lists for Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air so you can keep an eye out for their 'saver' fares, which are as little as €59 per person one-way to Athens, all taxes included, from Rome, Venice or Milan. These fares are usually offered sometime in February or March, so be patient. Be prepared to buy your tickets as soon as you see them listed, as the go quickly. These two airlines also offer the saver fares for domestic flights from Athens to some islands, including Santorini.

Wow, Thank you for all of that info! There will be 3 of us. We don't mind staying at the beach or on the other side of the island with a view into the caldera... we aren't too picky and we don't really need to be too close to the nightlife.
We are hoping to keep our budget under 150 euros a night. Thanks again for all of your help! I will definitely sign up for those newsletters!

Without knowing which village you will stay in there are just too many options available to mention. You really need to do some research and narrow down your choices to a manageable level. In the meantime here are a couple of links that will help you find something affordable: http://tinyurl.com/3w5hfkl http://www.santorini.com/hotels The names of the villages are Oia, Imerovigli, Firostefani, Fira, Kamari Beach, Perissa Beach, Akrotiri, Pyrgos, Karterados, Messaria, Monolithos and Megalochori.

Lee, of course, has given you excellent questions to help you narrow down your choices. But here's a specific regarding lodging. The first week of this month we stayed at Loizos Apartments (http://www.loizos.gr) in Fira. We were two couples and stayed in a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment with kitchen (but no table) for 100 euros per night. Breakfast wasn't included but is available, rooms don't have a view of the caldera, but its just around the corner. They picked us up from the ferry at 1:40AM(!!) and took us to the port for our ferry to Pireaus/Athens without charge. Loizos is a short walk to the bus station for inexpensive transportation to Oia or beach villages. Enjoy your trip.

Thank Lee and Galen, you both gave great advice! My friends and I now have some great options :)

If you're looking for beaches I question selecting Santorini. The view of the caldera is spectacular; the beaches are so-so. Why pay 150 euros a night to pass up the opportunity to drink wine and watch the ships pass through the caldera to lie around on a gritty beach? My suggestion would be to grab a place in Oia for a couple of nights, enjoy the view, take a quick tour of the island, then shuffle off to Naxos for beachtime, or a ferry to Chania and the beaches of Crete. How much time are you intending to spend in the islands?

We were there last month. Stayed in Oia. Loved it. Cute little town with tons of shops and restaurants. Swarmed by day though with cruise ship crowds. Beaches were a bus ride away, connecting through Fira. Enjoyed the novelty of the black sand beach one day but I felt other islands had nicer beaches. In Oia, we stayed at Alexander's Boutique hotel. It was good and would stay there again. Agree with Jim....head over to Naxos if time allows for BEAUTIFUL beaches!

You will love Santorini. The key attraction is the caldra and the colorful villages stepping up/down the sides of it. It is stunning. Oia is ideal for a view of the caldra. For beach time I agree with the poster above - Naxos is a great choice. Early May will most likely be a little early for the beaches. You can grab some rays but the water will still be cool. May places - even popularly priced ones - have a beautiful pool. For both islands be sure to have your camera ready to take wonderful sunset photos. Enjoy.

Danielle, I stayed in Fira when I was in Santorini last year, and thought that was a great location as it's somewhat "central" to both ends of the island. There are also lots of good shops there, and it's convenient to the airport. I rented a car while there and toured around various parts of the island. Many of the beaches seemed to be absolutely packed so if I wanted to swim I would have opted for the pool at the Hotel. I'm not sure anywhere in Santorini could be categorized as "not too expensive". It tends to be "pricey" at the best of times. Cheers!

Well, Ken, it really depends on your definition of 'pricey'. There are many hotel rooms available in May for €50/night or less. I know of one that even has a view of the caldera. Some that don't have a view go for as little as €25/night. A good way to find inexpensive rooms there is to use www.booking.com and use the filters provided.

@Lee, Yes, I agree. There are a range of Hotels on the island, from good value to VERY expensive. I was speaking more of the overall expense of staying there, not just for Hotels. The cost of restaurant meals seemed to be "high" even for basic items (those with a view of the Caldera seem to be MORE expensive). However, if the OP is going to cook in an apartment, perhaps that won't be an issue. Cheers!

Danielle, I realize that you specifically asked about ferries, but I'm wondering if you might want to take a low-cost airline from Italy to Athens and then take a ferry to Santorini? It might save you a long boat ride (unless, of course, that's what you are looking for). You could check out Easy Jet as one option. Perhaps (you'd have to check the specificss) it would be less $$$ too. :)
Just another thought!