AreaStays
Kamari's black sand beach with sun loungers, straw umbrellas, and a beachfront taverna beneath a rocky cliff

Jan M / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Santorini

Where to Stay in Kamari, Santorini

Kamari sits on Santorini's east coast, a flat beach town with none of the caldera-village cliffs and stairs. Its long, pedestrian beachfront promenade is lined with tavernas, cafés, and shops behind a wide stretch of black volcanic sand and pebble. Ancient Thera, a ruined hilltop city with Hellenistic and Roman remains, sits on the mountain (Mesa Vouno) directly above the town and is reachable by a signed walking trail. Kamari's flat layout is a genuine change of pace from the caldera villages — easy for wheeled luggage, strollers, or anyone who doesn't want to manage stairs on holiday.

What it's actually like to stay here

Relaxed and holiday-paced, with a beachfront promenade of restaurants and bars that stays lively into the evening without the density or price level of Fira. It leans family-friendly and beach-focused rather than romantic-getaway — a genuinely different mood from the caldera side of the island.

Stay here if

Best for families and budget-conscious travelers who want direct beach access, flat and easy walking, and lower prices than the caldera villages, without giving up real restaurant choice.

Stay elsewhere if

Consider Fira, Oia, or Imerovigli instead if the caldera view is the reason you're visiting Santorini — Kamari faces the open Aegean, not the caldera, and it's a 20–30 minute drive from the cliffside villages.

Walkability
Very walkable — Kamari's streets are flat, unlike the stepped caldera villages, and its beachfront promenade runs the length of the town on foot.
Noise at night
Lively along the beachfront restaurants and bars into the evening in high season; quieter on residential side streets a block or two back from the water.

Best Hotels in Kamari, Santorini

Costa Grand Resort & Spa

★★★★★
  • 🏖️ Best for beach access

Our take The most complete beach-resort stay on this list — full spa, multiple pools, and a beachfront position that puts the sand steps from the pool deck.

Good for

  • Luxury travelers
  • Beach time
  • Families

Travelers wanting a full resort experience directly on Kamari's beach, with pools, spa, and dining on site.

Why we like it

  • Positioned directly on Kamari's black-sand beach, with a private beach area guests can reach without crossing a public road
  • Multiple pools and a full-service spa on site
  • A genuine resort scale, with more on-site dining and facilities than Kamari's smaller hotels
  • Family-friendly layout alongside its beach-resort features

What to know

  • Its resort scale means a different atmosphere from Kamari's smaller family-run hotels — expect more guests and more organized facilities
  • Confirm room category when booking if a specific pool or beach view matters, since not every room faces the water
Check availability on Booking.com

La Bellezza Eco Boutique Hotel

★★★★

Our take A well-executed boutique alternative to Kamari's larger resorts — solar-powered, small in scale, and close enough to the beach to walk there in under a minute.

Good for

  • Couples
  • Beach time

Couples wanting a quiet, design-led boutique stay near the beach, with a lower environmental footprint than most resort-style options.

Why we like it

  • About 30 meters from Kamari beach, closer than most of the town's larger hotels
  • Solar power and other eco-conscious building choices, unusual among Santorini's hotel stock
  • Private pools or jacuzzis in most of its 11 suites and apartments
  • Small enough to keep the atmosphere calm rather than resort-busy

What to know

  • Opened in 2017, so it's newer than most of Kamari's hotel stock
  • Its small scale means fewer on-site facilities (restaurant, spa) than Kamari's larger beachfront resorts
Check availability on Booking.com

Sigalas Beach Hotel

★★★
  • 💰 Best value

Our take The most straightforward beach stay on this list — a small, family-run hotel right on Kamari's black sand, at a fraction of what a caldera-view room costs.

Good for

  • Budget travelers
  • Beach time
  • Families

Budget-conscious travelers and families who want to be steps from the beach without paying caldera-village prices.

Why we like it

  • Directly on Kamari's black-sand beach, with a private beach area for guests
  • Kitchenettes in most units, useful for families or longer stays
  • Family-run with a genuinely personal level of service
  • A short walk from Kamari's beachfront restaurants and shops

What to know

  • Rooms are simple rather than design-forward — the draw here is the beach location and price, not the interiors
  • Sits toward the outskirts of Kamari, a short walk rather than steps from the village's central square
Check availability on Booking.com

Transportation & practical information

Kamari has its own bus connection to Fira's central station, roughly a 20-minute ride; Santorini Airport is about 10 minutes away by taxi, making Kamari one of the more convenient bases for a late arrival or early flight.

Skip a rental car if you're staying in one caldera village and mostly walking, bus-hopping, or taxiing to a couple of others. Consider one if you want to reach Akrotiri, Ancient Thera, wineries, or multiple beaches on your own schedule — buses run the main routes but not always frequently, and taxis can be hard to flag down in peak season.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kamari worth staying in instead of the caldera villages?
If beach time, flat walking, and lower prices matter more than the caldera view, yes — Kamari trades the cliffside postcard setting for a real, easy beach-town stay. Many visitors split a trip between a caldera village and a beach town like Kamari rather than choosing only one.

Related areas

The Three Bells of Fira bell tower and a blue dome overlooking the caldera, with a boat passing below

Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fira

Best for: First-time visitors, Couples, Nightlife

Skaros Rock, a rocky promontory jutting into the caldera below Imerovigli, with a stepped path leading to its ruined castle

Zde / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Imerovigli

Best for: Couples, Luxury travelers

A blue-domed church with a coral-pink bell tower overlooking the caldera in Oia, Santorini

George M. Groutas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Oia

Best for: Couples, Luxury travelers, Architecture lovers

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