Santorini is a flooded caldera with a long, steep, multicoloured arc of cliffs. The unique view of white buildings sitting on top on of the cliff like a layer of snow makes it one of Greece’s most scenic island.
Santorini National Airport is located north of the village of Kamari. Flying in from Athens was the way I chose to arrive Santorini through Aegean Airline. It is faster as compared to ferries but I’d to book half year in advance as the air tickets got sold out fast.
Another mode of arriving the island is by taking ferry, cruise ships or speedboat.
Most of these ships dock on Old Port of Fira.
Getting around the island wasn’t hard. There’s a public bus service that runs on the island. But it’s usually very crowded during high season.
Another option is to rent a car or bike. The four-wheeled ATV (all-terrain-vehicle) is quite popular among tourist.
There are three ways to come to and from the Old Port of Fira to Fira. You can either ride a mule to go up the long steps.
Or choose to walk the steps.
The most convenient way would be taking the cable car. Most tourists opt for this option. But be prepared for long queues.
There are a few towns on Santorini where you can consider to stay overnight. Kamari is very near to the Santorini National Airport. If you need to get to the airport early morning on the next day or arrive late at night, then I would definitely recommend staying overnight at Kamari. It also has a beautiful black pebble and sand beach.
And of course, Fira town is a popular choice for accommodation and great food.
Located between Fira and Imerovigli, there’s Firostefani. It has one of the best view of the island. It is ideal for anyone who wants a quieter place to stay on the island and yet near to Fira town.
Imerovigli is another upscale accommodation choice for those with deep pockets and just want to laze around the swimming pool overlooking the cliff. The village is known for its scenic view of the sea where you can laze around at the hotel. Other than that, there is nothing much to do at this small village. Took this photo of Kasimatis Studio while I was at Imerovigli.
Last but not least, Oia town is another popular choice for its fantastic sunset view and beautiful white wash building with blue dome.
Chez Sophie Villa is the villa I stayed at Kamari. It’s quite affordable too, only EUR 72 per room for a twin room during summer. It has its own swimming pool.
The room is clean and comfortable. The owner also picked us up from the airport and prepared a crib for my son. That’s definitely a bonus.
For another 3 nights, I stayed at the Honeymoon Cave at Marizan Caves & Villas. It’s more expensive, of course, around EUR 200 per night. It has a few types of room and suites, depending on number of people staying. It’s very near to a carpark lot too, perfect if you’re renting a car to get around.
But it was really worth it. The suite, the view, the location… You can visit their official website for more information: http://www.marizan.gr/
This is where I enjoyed my breakfast every morning at Oia. Breakfast is included. Every morning the staff would replenish the drinks (juice, milk), fresh bread, ham, cheese and yogurt.
The honeymoon suite has a couch outdoor.
The living room area.
The dining area.
It has a double bed and single bed in the master bedroom.
It also has another double bed on the mezzanine floor with a window that overlooks the beautiful view outside.
If you decide to stay in Oia, be prepared to walk up and down lots of steps!
Santorini has a lot more to offer other than beautiful town and view. There are several interesting places to visit on the island. If you’re into wine, then you’ll be delighted. There’s plenty of winery and good wine on the island. If you’re interested in the wine history of Santorini, then a visit to the Wine Museum is a must.
Santo Wines Winery is a popular place for tourist to enjoy wine and beautiful view of Santorini.
Vinsanto is a very sweet wine. You can get to taste it at the Wine Museum.
Well, my husband bought a bottle of wine on the island.
There’re several beaches on the island. Due to its volcanic island nature, black pebble and sand beach is common. In fact, I visited Kamari Beach. Perissa Beach is another popular black sand beach on the island.
There’s a Red Beach. Its name comes from the dramatic red rock formation behind the beach. The beach can be reached by walking down from harbour of Akrotiri or by boat.
And there’s even a White Beach. Its sand is actually black. But the rocks are white. It can only be reached by boat. I would recommend this beach if you like sandy beach, the sand is really fine here.
Ammoundi Beach is a small beach with crystal clear water. But it’s all rock though.
The lighthouse offers a great view of the caldera looking north.
You can also see the Indian Rock from the lighthouse.
The archeological site of Akrotiri is one of the most important pre-historic settlements of the Aegean. It is protected under a roof and pleasant to walk. It is open from 8am to 8pm and the entrance fee is EUR 5. Plus it’s very near to the Red Beach within walking distance.
One of the ‘must do’ while in Santorini is non other than watching the sunset. I won’t say that Oia offers the best sunset view but Oia is definitely where most people will head to view the sunset while in Santorini. Everyday when the sunset time approaches, you’ll see people thronging the town of Oia. There will be massive traffic jams for vehicles heading to Oia.
The supposedly best place to view the sunset is from the Castle of Oia.
People will wait here for hours to reserve the best spot.
The sunset view from the Castle of Oia.
In my opinion, the Santorini sunset view is overrated.
Yes, it’s nice to view the sunset. After the sun sets, the people will actually applause on the nice sunset view. Literally clap their hands on the nice performance by the sun.
The viewing of Santorini’s sunset is beautiful in the sense that the orange colour fills up the sky and the golden orange rays from the sunset reflects on the white buildings.
I say, the best place to view the sunset is from the comfort of my hotel, Marizan Caves and Villa.
I sat there sipping on my white wine while enjoying the sunset.
Yes, the sunset is still on the ‘must do’ list but I would highly recommend the Santorini night view. The view of Santorini at night is just amazing.
You can literally spend hours chatting while enjoying the beautiful view.
Oia is a tourist spot, so the souvenirs sold here tend to be priced higher.
Another good option is Fira.
But where I really found bargain souvenirs was in Kamari.
Cute windmills and miniature white building with blue dome/door are a symbol of Santorini.
Ammoundi port which is a small charming port at the bottom of Oia. It has a few fish taverns which offer great seafood.
If you’re adventurous and want to get away from the usual tourist spot, then you can opt for diving which my beau did.
Or you can go hiking at Nea Kameni volcano.
And swim in the hot spring near the sea.
Santorini is a surreal and unforgettable place. Most tourist who came here would fall in love with it, myself included. Hopefully I’ll get to come back here again someday.
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