Ira Studios & Apartments

Just returned from 2 glorious weeks in Perissa, Santorini staying at the Ira Studios.
These studios are basic however have everything one needs for a base to stay at whilst holidaying in Santorini, swimming pool (more about that later in the review), twin beds, bathroom with shower (note, nowhere to hook the shower head so it must be held whilst showering and, as in most Greek Island apartments, no shower curtain so the floor does get wet) air con (35 euros per week), safety deposit box (10 euros per week), TV (though only 3 local channels available - who goes on holiday to watch TV anyway?), 2 cooking rings, basic utensils for self catering eg a couple of pans, a mis-match of plates, cup, glasses, cutlery etc. If you are actually self-catering it is the usual juggle of pans to cook and boil water to prepare a cup of tea/coffee, as no kettle is provided.
Maid service came in every day to empty bins and sheets and towels were changed twice per week.
The Ira is located off the main street along a dimly lit road, whilst we didn’t use ours (torch) there are a number of pot holes and protruding rocks along the way that could trip the unwary, as such a torch may be required, though the entrance road to the Ira studios is well lit.
There are 3 supermarkets within 7-10 minutes walking distance of the Ira and a bakery, which is open 24 hours, selling a range of bread (0.80 euros per uncut ‘loaf’), savouries and cakes (starting at 1.70 euros each). The ATM machine is located next to the Big Discount Co op, which is located the furthest away at 10 minutes walk from the Ira.
Perissa’s main street and beachfront roads offers a wide range of tavernas serving food and drinks and restaurants at a range of prices to suit everyone’s pocket. A large draught Amstel costs between 2-4 euros, cocktails ranged from 3-6 euros (depending on location). Please note the beachfront road is where the higher end pricing is.
Whilst the swimming pool at the Ira is beautiful and a very welcome relief from the heat, there are only 15 sun beds available for use. Even if there were more to acquire from a ‘secret stash’, there is no space around the pool to locate them, therefore expect a little ‘sun bed wars’ to arise. The parasols are fixed and many of the sun beds are located in shady spots therefore the prime located sun beds are definitely in demand. Whilst there is a pool bar selling drinks and minimal snacks, it did close between 16:00 and 18:00, closing for the evening at around 21:00, unless new guests were expected. No entertainment is laid on, not even music.
There is a regular bus service to other parts of the Island (including evenings) with reasonable rates eg 2 euros to Fira (taxi fare is 15 euros to Fira). Note, you will have to change buses to go up to Ia.
Perissa beach, given it is a long beach is between a 15-25 minute walk (depending on what part of the beach you wish to visit). A word of caution about Perissa beach, whilst it is a long stretch of black sand with shale in places, getting into the sea can be a tricky experience. In some places, there is a smooth, wide rock shelf at the water’s edge covered in around 2-6 inches of water that is extremely slippery because of the algae growing on it, which could result in a nasty fall. Also, there is seaweed type plant that grows in places on this shelf that gives a sting similar to a nettle rash, so don’t be tempted to sit or lie down in the shallow water if you can’t get to a depth to enable swimming.
Take a tip from the locals, the best entrance to the water at Perissa beach is located at the far end of the beach next to the mountainous rock that separates Perissa from Kamari, eg no slimy rock shelf to negotiate.
Whilst we booked with Thomas Cook/Manos the only reference to the Ira Studios we stayed at could be found at:
http://www.olympicholidays.com/greece/santorini/perissa/ira-studios/q.sp.8519.q.html?engine=go!HGreece&keyword=ira%20studios%20santorini&utm_source=googleesv&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=HGreece
I tried Googling Ira Studios and the apartments next door called Katrina’s came up purporting to be Ira Studios – strange! (even though the pics look much better than Ira’s). If you see a curvy looking swimming pool with a small bridge, it’s not the Ira Studios we stayed in.