The summer of 2016 saw us booking our holiday based around the marriage on one of our friends. They had decided to get married on the beautiful island of Santorini, so of course we wanted to go out to see their special day and to explore a new (to us) bit of Europe. I think it's safe to say we weren't disappointed!
This trip would also mark the first time we'd flown anywhere together. Confined space with other people for 4 hours rather than just the 2 of us in the car on our own timescale!
We arrived late on the Monday evening so headed straight to our hotel in Kamari. It was up a steep hill and offered some pretty stunning views out to sea which we discovered the next day. For the evening, it was just about getting food and drink and then sleeping.
The next day we were out to enjoy the island, we were just a 5 minute walk from the beach and there was stunning restaurants and lots of little shops selling all sorts of things for the length of the beach front.
We spent our first full day walking around lots, and retreated back to the hotel as it hotted up half way through the day, had the obligatory holiday midday nap and then carried on exploring. We had been recommended by our hotel to take a boat trip out to explore more of the island, so we booked to do this on Wednesday. All I can say about this trip: if you are going to Santorini you have to do the boat trip. It is incredible.
These pictures really do not do the boat trip justice. From Kamari we took a coach to the port we would be leaving from in Órmos. The boat then takes you out to the volcano - the whole of Santorini used to be one massive volcano, but hundred of years ago it exploded so violent that the middle collapsed in on itself creating a giant crater. The boat takes you to what is left of the actual volcano and you are invited to leave the boat to walk across the beautiful sparse landscape.
From there you then transported Thirasia, via a beautiful warm swimming spot (I didn't swim as I hadn't worn any swimwear, but many people did and looked to be really enjoying it). Lunch is has on the island of Thirasia and you can also walk up to the higher parts of the island to admire the views. We chose to stay down by the shore as we had booked to go up to Oia for the last part of the trip and wanted to save ourselves for the last big walk.
Once lunch is finished, the boat travels to Oia - the area where pretty much all the famous photos of Santorini are taken - the houses travelling up the hills with the blue domed tops and a stuning sunset. At this point you can either take the boat back to Órmos or you can make the long climb up the cliff to watch the sunset in Oia and come back later via coach. The latter option is what we chose to do.
When you are dropped at Oia, you have to find your way up to the actual village. The only way up is a huge set of steep stairs; of which I think there is around 300 steps. To get up you can take a donkey or you can walk. I was not sure of the conditions that the donkeys were kept in, so we chose to walk up rather than potentially be paying towards abuse of lovely animals. It was a hard long walk up, but when you reach the top, the views are absolutely stunning and completely worth the effort you've endured to get there.
At the top, the main event is the sunset. It is deemed one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world, and therefore spaces and restaurants and bars is at a premium to watch the sun going down. Expect to book in advance, or be waiting at your table for hours. Once there you tend to pay a slight premium for the food and drink in the establishments that enjoy the view. Alternatively, you can wander to a far corner of Oia village and watch the sunset free from a collection of buildings. Again, it pays to get to this location, as the best viewing spots of grabbed early. We got there probably 45-60 minutes before the actual sunset and had to climb up onto a roof top.
It really was an incredible view, although you can see how busy it was where we were watching from.
Thursday was spent chilling at our hotel. We treated ourselves to massages and some time in the spa, and then lazed around by the pool as that evening we would be going off to another part of the island to watch our friends get married and the celebrate with them. It was nice to have a relaxing day for us in the middle. We're normally on-the-go people who don't sit by the pool or the beach even when on holiday. We like to constantly be exploring. But every so often, even we can appreciate a rest day.
Friday was our last day on the island. We would be flying out late that night so we decided to make the most of our day and hire a quad bike to see as much as we could before we left. It was ridiculously easy to hire a quad bike on the island - loads of places rent them out, and it's definitely an easy way to see the island as the roads are very narrow, winding and steep so manoeuvring a car could have been difficult in some places.
On the quad bike we drove to the top of the hill that we were staying on the edge of to admire the views of the island. We then drove round the hill to Perissa where the bride and groom were staying to have lunch with them and some of their other friends. The rest of the afternoon was spent hoping on and off the quad exploring as much as we could before we returned it and had a leisurely dinner by the sea.
Overall, this is my favourite "beach" holiday I have ever taken - we don't take many as we're not beach people generally but this was awesome. The only word of advise I have for Santorini is be prepared for disorganisation and a bit of madness when it comes to leaving the airport. All I can say is read the Facebook views for the only airport on the island. It's not clear where you're going and when. It's chaotic, the loos are a bit grim and there's often lots of delays and not a lot of space to go whilst you wait. But hey never mind!
One of my biggest positives about this stunning island? I felt fantastically safe the whole time I was there. I never felt at risk of pick pockets (in Oia I kept a slightly closer eye on my bag but that was it). The street vendors and such like do not harass you at all. The restaurant staff initiate conversations with you as you walk along the beach front but if you tell them you've already eaten or that you've booked a table somewhere else, they just wish you a good evening. There is not the pressurisation sales tactics that are used in so many other European countries in popular tourist areas, which is such a wonderful feeling to not be on edge about who might approach you when you just want to relax and wander the island.
Santorini - 10/10 would go back again!
This trip would also mark the first time we'd flown anywhere together. Confined space with other people for 4 hours rather than just the 2 of us in the car on our own timescale!
We arrived late on the Monday evening so headed straight to our hotel in Kamari. It was up a steep hill and offered some pretty stunning views out to sea which we discovered the next day. For the evening, it was just about getting food and drink and then sleeping.
The next day we were out to enjoy the island, we were just a 5 minute walk from the beach and there was stunning restaurants and lots of little shops selling all sorts of things for the length of the beach front.
We spent our first full day walking around lots, and retreated back to the hotel as it hotted up half way through the day, had the obligatory holiday midday nap and then carried on exploring. We had been recommended by our hotel to take a boat trip out to explore more of the island, so we booked to do this on Wednesday. All I can say about this trip: if you are going to Santorini you have to do the boat trip. It is incredible.
These pictures really do not do the boat trip justice. From Kamari we took a coach to the port we would be leaving from in Órmos. The boat then takes you out to the volcano - the whole of Santorini used to be one massive volcano, but hundred of years ago it exploded so violent that the middle collapsed in on itself creating a giant crater. The boat takes you to what is left of the actual volcano and you are invited to leave the boat to walk across the beautiful sparse landscape.
From there you then transported Thirasia, via a beautiful warm swimming spot (I didn't swim as I hadn't worn any swimwear, but many people did and looked to be really enjoying it). Lunch is has on the island of Thirasia and you can also walk up to the higher parts of the island to admire the views. We chose to stay down by the shore as we had booked to go up to Oia for the last part of the trip and wanted to save ourselves for the last big walk.
Once lunch is finished, the boat travels to Oia - the area where pretty much all the famous photos of Santorini are taken - the houses travelling up the hills with the blue domed tops and a stuning sunset. At this point you can either take the boat back to Órmos or you can make the long climb up the cliff to watch the sunset in Oia and come back later via coach. The latter option is what we chose to do.
When you are dropped at Oia, you have to find your way up to the actual village. The only way up is a huge set of steep stairs; of which I think there is around 300 steps. To get up you can take a donkey or you can walk. I was not sure of the conditions that the donkeys were kept in, so we chose to walk up rather than potentially be paying towards abuse of lovely animals. It was a hard long walk up, but when you reach the top, the views are absolutely stunning and completely worth the effort you've endured to get there.
At the top, the main event is the sunset. It is deemed one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world, and therefore spaces and restaurants and bars is at a premium to watch the sun going down. Expect to book in advance, or be waiting at your table for hours. Once there you tend to pay a slight premium for the food and drink in the establishments that enjoy the view. Alternatively, you can wander to a far corner of Oia village and watch the sunset free from a collection of buildings. Again, it pays to get to this location, as the best viewing spots of grabbed early. We got there probably 45-60 minutes before the actual sunset and had to climb up onto a roof top.
It really was an incredible view, although you can see how busy it was where we were watching from.
Thursday was spent chilling at our hotel. We treated ourselves to massages and some time in the spa, and then lazed around by the pool as that evening we would be going off to another part of the island to watch our friends get married and the celebrate with them. It was nice to have a relaxing day for us in the middle. We're normally on-the-go people who don't sit by the pool or the beach even when on holiday. We like to constantly be exploring. But every so often, even we can appreciate a rest day.
Friday was our last day on the island. We would be flying out late that night so we decided to make the most of our day and hire a quad bike to see as much as we could before we left. It was ridiculously easy to hire a quad bike on the island - loads of places rent them out, and it's definitely an easy way to see the island as the roads are very narrow, winding and steep so manoeuvring a car could have been difficult in some places.
On the quad bike we drove to the top of the hill that we were staying on the edge of to admire the views of the island. We then drove round the hill to Perissa where the bride and groom were staying to have lunch with them and some of their other friends. The rest of the afternoon was spent hoping on and off the quad exploring as much as we could before we returned it and had a leisurely dinner by the sea.
Overall, this is my favourite "beach" holiday I have ever taken - we don't take many as we're not beach people generally but this was awesome. The only word of advise I have for Santorini is be prepared for disorganisation and a bit of madness when it comes to leaving the airport. All I can say is read the Facebook views for the only airport on the island. It's not clear where you're going and when. It's chaotic, the loos are a bit grim and there's often lots of delays and not a lot of space to go whilst you wait. But hey never mind!
One of my biggest positives about this stunning island? I felt fantastically safe the whole time I was there. I never felt at risk of pick pockets (in Oia I kept a slightly closer eye on my bag but that was it). The street vendors and such like do not harass you at all. The restaurant staff initiate conversations with you as you walk along the beach front but if you tell them you've already eaten or that you've booked a table somewhere else, they just wish you a good evening. There is not the pressurisation sales tactics that are used in so many other European countries in popular tourist areas, which is such a wonderful feeling to not be on edge about who might approach you when you just want to relax and wander the island.
Santorini - 10/10 would go back again!
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