GREECE – Santorini (Oia)

15:51 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Oia is the most famous town on Santorini, known for its breathtaking sunset and its charming white wash buildings and blue domed churches. The town extends for almost 2 km along the northern edge of the caldera. Built on the steep cliff overlooking the Aegean sea, its romantic ambience, especially during the sunset time made it a honeymoon destination too.

I was staying at Marizan Cave Hotel, near the windmills area.

The morning view of Oia.

The view of Thirasia island greeted me right in front of my villa suite.

It’s nice to enjoy breakfast in such a beautiful setting.

Private sunbeds for Marizan Cave Hotel guests.

Near Oia bus station, is Lolita’s Gelato. Highly recommended by the locals, I decided to try it out.

Best Gelato in Greece? Not sure if the claim was true until I try it. Haha.

Well, my son sure liked it. Two thumbs up!

After the gelato break, time to explore Oia town until sunset.

Plenty of souvenir shops in Oia.

This is Church of Panagia Platsani at the main square. It’s open to public for free.

In Oia, there are 2 types of dwellings, the cave houses which used to be the homes of ship crews, and the Captains houses.

Many of the churches in Oia were dedicated to sailors. Most of them were privately owned and inherited.

People also come to Oia for wedding shoots. Not an easy task under the hot sun.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the view of Oia town.

Oia Castle is where I planned to view the sunset. The time was still early, so I’m heading to the Ammoudi port first.

View of Oia near the windmill area. From here, I walked down the donkey path towards Ammoudi port.

It’s 235 steps to be exact. You can either walk the steps or catch a ride on the back of a donkey.

The steps are broad and the path is much further than I first thought.

The buildings on top of cliff was getting smaller.

The donkeys were waiting at the bottom.

Finally, I reached Ammoudi port. It’s a small fishing harbour with waterfront taverns and restaurants.

A rocky trail leads to a small beach.

I think it's known as Armeni Beach. Well, it's all rock and no sand.

Two ladies posing for a shot.

We’re now at the bottom of Oia.

After all that walking, we decided to have our late lunch in one of the restaurant named Sunset in Ammoudi.

All the restaurants in Ammoudi offers a beautiful view of the sea.

A refreshing Greek salad for starter.

Grilled squid as main dish.

I’m Captain Davy Jones! Haha.

Grilled pork rib.

My son enjoyed an afternoon nap in the restaurant and he just woke up in time to join us for lunch.

A string of fresh octopus.

Ammoudi port can also be reached by car through the old pumice stone mines.

It’s time to head back for the sunset view. We decided to ride the donkeys this time.

My hubby and son shared a ride.

It was a bumpy, uncomfortable ride but it beats having to walk all the way up. The ride cost around 5 euros.

Piracy used to be real threat for the islander during medieval ages. The Castle of Saint Nikolas and its fortification serves as a lookout point with 360-degree view. Today, it’s packed with tourists who wants to get the best shot of Oia sunset.

Look at the crowd waiting for the sun to set.

We didn’t really see the sun sets into the sea that day due to weather.

In my opinion, the sun set view might be overrated but it’s still one of the must-do things in Oia.

Let’s toast for Oia sunset!

Back to Marizan Caves for a brief rest.

My husband offered to babysit my son and let me wandered Oia on my own! I was so thrilled.

The crowds who gathered for the sunset view were everywhere.

And I just wanted to get away from the crowds. So I explored off-beaten trails, anywhere the staircase leads and my feet could carry me. I’ll just let the photos do the talking from now, hehe.