Perissa Main Road, Perissa, Greece
Eight-minute walk to Perissa Beach's black sand and restaurants
Grocery store and delicious bakery across the street; six minute-walk to Santorini Water Park
Outdoor swimming pool and sun loungers
Range of room types; all with outdoor spaces, TVs, and air-conditioning
Daily breakfast buffet with hardboiled eggs and coffee
Free and easy parking in paved lot
Free Wi-Fi throughout (spotty signal)
Cold drinks for sale in lobby
Outdoor playground behind the hotel
Noticeable sewage smell in some rooms
Old-fashioned tube-style TVs and complaints of maintenance issues
Interior noise and street noise are bothersome
Spotty Wi-Fi signal
Breakfast is simple and not included in rates
Petra Nera Hotel is a budget option with one major selling point: it's less than a 10-minute walk to the ultra popular and picturesque Perissa Beach and the Santorini Water Park. The hotel's exterior and public areas are nicely maintained, but the rooms are outdated and we detected a sewage smell and saw tiny showers. Breakfast isn't included in rates -- the bakery across the street is a better option anyway. The outdoor pool provides a reprieve from hanging out in the room, and Wi-Fi is strongest in the lobby. For slightly higher rates, but much more comfortable rooms and a free gourmet breakfast, the nearby Bella Santorini is an excellent choice.
Scene
A budget hotel that empties out during the day
The hotel has a lovely two-story exterior that consists of arched whitewashed walls with blue accents. Wooden balcony railings add interest to the design and palm trees are planted near the parking lot. Stairs and a ramp lead to the small lobby. Inside, the hotel is clean but definitely dated. The reception desk has a stone-front panel and stairs lead up to the rooms; a skylight brings some much needed natural light. The back of the lobby holds a breakfast area with black chairs and glass-topped tables. Guests are a mix of families and couples on vacation, drawn by the low rates. Most of them leave shortly after breakfast to explore the nearby beach and return only to shower and sleep. There were a few people by the pool during our visits, but the hotel stayed quiet.
Location
Easy walk to Perissa Beach and the Santorini Water Park
Petra Nora doesn't have the most picturesque location in Santorini, but it's an easy walk to the beach and the hotel does have a large, free parking lot (uncommon on the island). There are a grocery store and a good bakery just across the street, and a handful of restaurants down the road.
Rooms
Bland decor and private outdoor spaces
Rooms come in Single, Double, Triple, Quadruple, and Studio configurations. Decor is simple with white walls, brown plaid curtains, and maybe a purple coverlet on the beds. Built-in closets and small desks provide space for storing items or setting up a laptop. All the rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, a mini-fridge, tube-style or flat-screen TV, and a telephone. Some rooms have a sink and bunk beds. Technically, the Wi-Fi is free, but we couldn't get a reliable signal in the room on our visit. Bathrooms are a bit dismal. We detected a sewage odor in a few of the rooms, and tiny showers are covered with clingy curtains. Towels, soap, and shampoo are provided.
Most of the rooms have a private furnished balcony or terrace, but the rooms overlooking the parking lot experience a lot of street and traffic noise. Rooms in the back of the hotel are quieter and have nice mountain views.
Features
Outdoor swimming pool, breakfast buffet, and free parking
Features here mostly miss the mark. The highlight is definitely the outdoor swimming pool, with wide steps leading into the water. A few sun loungers and umbrellas line the deck, and there's a pool bar -- but it was shuttered during both of our visits. Just behind the hotel is a kids' playground with slides and swings. Ample free parking is provided in front of the hotel, which is a generous perk for the area. Breakfast can be added to room rates, but the meager spread consists of store bought cake, hardboiled eggs, sliced cheese and ham, canned peaches, and cold cereal. Many guests choose to visit the bakery and grocery store across the street instead of eating the meal at the hotel. Wi-Fi is free, but the signal was spotty in our room and seemed strongest near the reception desk. Cold drinks are for sale in the lobby and there's an ancient desktop computer.