It's an excellent place to stay if you don't need frills, and we didn't! The ability to communicate with someone at the hotel through hotels.com is a big asset that I utilized to get ready for this stay. Eleni was very responsive and personally was there to pick us up from the ferry port (10 euro/person/trip- well worth it, I thought) and she informed us of a volcano/hotsprings/Oia tour that we took advantage of. I was traveling with my daughter and had requested two twin beds, so we needed to do an adjustment when we arrived and were shown a room with a double bed, but that was quick and painless. Just to avoid a problem if the hotel were full, I would recommend reiterating that special need just one or two days before arriving. It was a very hot two days, and the a.c. Didn't reach my sleeping area very well, so that is why I didn't give a perfect mark on the comfort. I would estimate less than 100 yards to the black sand beach, and 1/4-1/2 mile to the start of the ancient Thira trail (350 m up! Bring lots of water!) Location was great.