Cocoon Suites

Our stay at Cocoon Suites was unfortunately very disappointing, especially considering we had booked and paid a premium for what is marketed as the flagship Grand Honeymoon Suite.

While the views of Santorini are undeniably beautiful, they could not make up for the number of issues we encountered. These included a blocked shower drain, a leaking bathroom window, dirty cutlery, missing towels and bathrobes for our third registered guest, a suite that had clearly not been properly prepared before our arrival, and a hot breakfast with extremely limited vegetarian and vegan options.

These are not matters of personal preference, they are basic standards of cleanliness, maintenance and guest preparation that should already have been addressed before guests check in. Paying premium rates should not mean having to identify problems that should have been picked up during routine inspections.

Prospective guests should also be aware that this is a small boutique sanctuary rather than a full-service hotel or resort. There is no restaurant, no bar and no shared infinity pool. The plunge pool for our suite was accessed from outside the room rather than directly from inside, and both the balcony and plunge pool area could be overlooked by several neighbouring suites. As a result, we found there was very little privacy, which was particularly disappointing given that this is marketed as a honeymoon suite.

Another important consideration is accessibility. The boutique is built into Santorini's cliffs and involves numerous steep stone steps, many of which have no handrails. In our opinion, this makes it unsuitable for families with young children, many elderly guests, or anyone with mobility issues. Even guests without mobility concerns should exercise caution, particularly after dark, as there was very limited lighting on some of the walkways during our stay. Navigating the steep, uneven steps at night without handrails requires extra care, especially after an evening out when you may be tired or have consumed alcohol.

Following our stay, we raised these concerns with the boutique in detail. Rather than acknowledging the shortcomings or taking ownership of the mistakes, the responses we received consistently suggested that the issues could have been resolved had we reported them during our stay. While that may be true, it overlooks the fact that these problems should never have existed in the first place.

We were also disappointed that, instead of offering a genuine apology, much of the correspondence focused on defending the boutique by referring to the many five-star reviews left by other guests. We have never questioned that others may have had wonderful experiences, but those reviews do not change or invalidate what we experienced ourselves.

During the correspondence, we were informed that Cocoon Suites is not a hotel or resort but a small boutique sanctuary built into Santorini's natural caves. We appreciate that distinction. However, we found this difficult to reconcile with the way the property is promoted on booking platforms and elsewhere as a five-star hotel, which understandably creates expectations of facilities and service that, in our experience, were not met.

Our review is based solely on our own stay and is supported by photographs. It has been written honestly because reviews should reflect genuine guest experiences, both positive and negative, to help future travellers make informed decisions.

Had the limitations regarding the facilities, privacy and accessibility been made clearer before booking, we would likely have chosen different accommodation. We sincerely hope the boutique addresses the maintenance, housekeeping and service issues we encountered, as the setting itself has great potential.

Unfortunately, our experience did not reflect the premium standard we expected from a property marketed at this level.

Our stay at Cocoon greatly exceeded our expectations. From being greeted by one of the most amazing manager, Joane to the great help by the guys that carried our suit cases. Joane was absolutley amazing and mad our trip and every experience perfect. She planned many of our activities including dinners, lunches, and catamaran. All were 5 star experiences. The units were great and our entire family loved the private hot tubs and glasses of wine and shots that they delivered to us. I cant explain how amazing this entire trip was. Joane, you and your team were amazing. Including the best breakfasts brought to us every morning were we can enjoy while looking at the best view in the world. We will be back.