Santorini blew my mind! It is so so beautiful. A volcanic island, the main towns are all perched high up on the cliffs and the views out to sea are something else. The sunsets are incredible and the towns full of blue and white buildings are just beautiful. This is a great island to relax and is popular for a romantic getaway.
How did we get there?
We flew from London direct to Santorini. We read some blogs before we went and they recommended pre-booking a taxi from the airport to your hotel as there aren’t many taxis on the island and you could end up waiting for ages in the queue. This was good advice and we met our taxi driver straight away and were out of the airport and on our way super quickly – would recommend doing this!
Where did we stay and for how long?
We had 4 magical days/nights in Santorini. The island is pretty small and you can drive from one end to the other in about half an hour. There are 3 main towns in Santorini that are popular to stay in:
Oia is in the North of the island and is the most fancy. It has beautiful marble streets, lots of boutique shops and is the most popular for sunsets. Next along the coast going South is Imerovigli, a small town, very beautiful, most popular for honeymoons with lots of boutique accommodation.
The next town is the largest on the island called Thira – this is where we stayed at a place called Ifeztos Villa which I couldn’t recommend enough! Just as beautiful, there are cobbled streets and an amazing array of bars and restaurants all open air and looking out to sea with sunset views. It is more affordable to stay here and you get more for your money. It is also in the centre of the island so is a good base to explore the South coast where the beaches are.
Others opt to stay in the South of the island where there are beach resorts and more secluded villages so this is also an option.
What did we do whilst we were there?
Explore Oia
We went to Oia twice during our 4 days, once early morning to explore the streets whilst they were quiet and the second time for dinner and to watch the sunset. I would recommend seeing it at both times – although the sunset is beautiful it gets super busy and the tiny streets are very crowded. Going early morning allowed us to stop and take photos and check out all the little side streets without getting in people’s way.
This town is stunning and so well kept. There are so many pretty little shops, winding streets and viewpoints. It is fun just to mooch around and explore. For the sunset, people tend to head right to the end of town out to the cliff or the castle ruins. The streets turn really small and you come across hidden little bars with the most amazing views! Everyone seems to have the same idea so I would book ahead if you want a sunset table at a bar.
You can take the steps all the way down to Amoudi Bay which has lots of nice fish restaurants right on the water. Alternatively there are lots of nice restaurants in the main town.
Explore Imerovigli
We stopped off at Imerovigli after our morning walk around Oia, the towns are only 15 minutes apart. It is a small town with a few restaurants and tiny little streets – easy to get lost! It is mostly accommodation here but it is the highest point on the island so has the best views. There is a headland called Skaros Rock which pokes out and you can take the steps down and walk right out to the peninsula to look back at the island. A steep walk but there is a beautiful church and the views are amazing.
Explore Thira
This is the biggest town on the island and has plenty of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, many of which have amazing views! The streets are lovely to walk around and if you walk up the hill you will come to the end of the town and it turns into a cliff path with beautiful churches and blue domes. Further on from here it turns into a rocky trail – you can walk this to Oia, I think it takes about 2 hours if you can manage the heat!
I would totally recommend ‘Restaurante Argo’ for dinner. It was a popular spot and tables are set underneath beautiful trailing flowers and it has amazing sunset views. The Greek food was great and the staff were so friendly.
Perivolos Beach
The beaches in Santorini all have black sand as it is a volcanic island. The best beaches are Perivolos and Perissa on the South East coast. They are pretty relaxed with beach clubs all the way along. If you want to have some shade it’s best to get a sunbed for the day – some are free you just have to order a drink and others might be about 20 euros for the day for 2 people so not too expensive compared to Mykonos!
Wine Tasting
There are quite a lot of vineyards and wineries on the island and it is well known for making its own local wine. Lots of people recommended us to do wine tasting whilst we were there and we loved it! We went to Santo Wines which is a big winery and they do wine tasting on their terrace which looks right out to sea, it’s beautiful. They do food too – we ordered a sharing platter with meats and cheese and a selection of wines and it wasn’t too expensive either. Book ahead by a couple of days for this.
Megalochori and Pyrgos
If you fancy exploring some of the less touristy areas on the island then head to the small villages of Megalochori and Pyrgos. Megalochori is a tiny village with a couple of cafes and restaurants and some very pretty streets. Here you will find a beautiful clocktower over the street – good picture spot! Pyrgos has slightly more to offer with some great cafes in the centre. You can follow the signs up through the back streets to discover the castle perched up high above the town. There are some amazing views up there and some tiny hidden restaurants in the streets on the way up.
Adventures with H 