Santorini… another marvelous spot you guys have to check out!

White and blue architecture, clean villages, towns constructed on cliff faces across the island. Magnificent views from every angle and the caldera.

Romance just oozes from the island. And don’t get me started on what it looks like all lit up at night.

UNREAL.

What other city in the world could compare?

 

Traveling To Santorini

There are two ways to travel to Santorini: plane or ferry. For those of us with strong stomachs who never get sea sick, I recommend travel by ferry (I still say bring your anti-nausea ginger remedy incase).  I feel it’s the best way to island hop in Greece. Not only do you get to travel through the Aegean Sea, but you get a view of every island you pass on your way! Better yet, if you do not have any set plans, you can hop on and off as you choose and buy tickets last minute (be careful during high season July-August however, as ferries can book up fast).

On our trip, I booked all of our ferries in advance because there were 6 of us traveling and I did not want to take any chances. (I let my OCD planning skills get the best of me… check out Greek Ferries or similar sites for ferry bookings.)

We left Athens and headed to Santorini on a smaller, high speed ferry. Note to self: when planning ferry travel, book a slightly larger vessel that is considered high speed so you don’t die of fright when the seas get rough and you think you’re going to capsize!

This was me, incase you were wondering! I popped a xanax my doctor had prescribed me for the flight. YES, I’m one of those high anxiety flyers I hate to admit. Well, forget the plane, I needed it on the freaking boat!

THANKFULLY, Poseidon was nice to us and we survived, arriving a little worse for the wear and white faced LOL.

Imerovigli & Our Hotel:

Thankfully our hotel sent their driver to pick us up at the port because driving around Santorini is INSANE. Seriously guys, the cars have such a tiny lane to drive in and oftentimes, it’s only ONE lane. More times than not, a cliff is just off to the side of that one lane!

Luckily once we got to the hotel, we could walk or take an ATV almost anywhere on the island.

The Sophia Suites hotel is located in Imerovigli, the best part of the island to see the caldera. The views are incredible here as you can see! I found the hotel by luck when I was making our last minute reservations.

Less than a year old, the Sophia Suites is a beautiful luxury hotel where all rooms are suites built into the sides of the cliffs which is why they are called “cave” style hotel rooms.

We enjoyed complimentary breakfast every day on our balcony. The staff at the Sophia are so kind- they went out of their way for us in every way.

Dining In Oia

Did I mention I’m really OCD and made all of our reservations before we arrived in Greece? I even earned the nickname “Tator Timms” on our trip. HA, my friends think they are so funny. Lucky us, however, because I found some really yummy spots like this one.

We arrived just in time to sip wine and snack on freshly baked pita bread while watching the sunset. Such a divine place. Ammoudi has my vote for best spot on the island! We had to force ourselves away from the table by the time a complimentary dessert arrived. I was definitely feeling the need to get active and stat!

Our Hike

So far, I’ve been talking a lot about delicious Greek food, wine and fun. But what about finding something active to do? After another gourmet breakfast, I totally needed to get out and do something!

Anton was also chomping at the bit so we got up early and took a short walk to a hike overlooking the caldera. The views are unreal. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the hike and the views, BUT WAY TOO HIGH FOR ME. It’s not like in America where we have a guard rail at every steep edge and a lawyer on the other side- this is the real deal. Did I mention I cannot handle heights? I cried ascending the Seattle Needle when I was 9 years old. Since then I can assure you I have not become any braver. Anton just laughs at me- he’s the expert sky diver and rock climber in the family.

I cheered Anton on when we reached a point where we could only go further if we freestyle climbed another 100 feet. I do mean climb! People of all ages were doing it… I quite admired them in fact as I waited safely at the bottom. I even did a few pushups off of the baby boulders surrounding me. There, my workout was nearly complete!

Santorini’s Black Sand: Perissa Beach

The great thing about traveling in mixed company is that sometimes us girls can be girls and do girly things like sleep in, get massages and relax without having to keep our men entertained 24/7!

(LOL, we’ve all been there, right ladies?)

The guys, on the other hand, get to hang out and experience some male bonding time.

Well, in Santorini the guys bonded driving ATV’s. Us girls slept in, hiked and just “hung out” while the boys ventured around the island for a few hours on their ATV’s. Quite honestly, renting ATV’s is the best way to see the island. Our guys drove all over Santorini from one end to the other, swam in ten different beaches and made it back to pick us up all before noon! They even found us the perfect beach to soak up some sun, swim and have lunch at.

Perissa beach is Santorini’s “black sand” beach. The sand is dark, beautiful and oh-so-hot! It’s quite possible those black pebbles can melt your flip flops! The beach is safe for swimming and they have large, super comfy lounges and tables you can rent for the day. Lunch options included everything from sushi to Greek dolmas and salads. (I recommend staying away from sushi while in the sun- it gets too hot and mushy right away, yuck!)

We even enjoyed an hour foot and back massage by one of their massage therapists. These therapists work for the beach club and don’t charge much. You can hire them for a variety of beauty services all while snoozing under the shade of your umbrella. Um, hello ladies, anyone else love this idea?

 

A Santorini Recap:

Would I recommend Santorini to you guys?

ABSOLUTELY!

If you’re only in Greece once, choose Santorini for a two or three night stay. Is it mushy and romantic and sexy? YES! But that’s part of the charm. Santorini has something for everyone. We even enjoyed the romance and charm of Santorini while traveling with friends.

The beauty of the island is that it can accommodate a wide range of mode de vie “fits”.

• If you want to party check out the main town of Fira, a more touristic spot with beautiful sunset views.
• If you want to site see, hike and rent an ATV.
• Want to sit by the beach and take a swim? Perissa beach and its unique black sand make it a great place to start.
• Ammoudi is my favorite quaint little spot for dining but there are so many others I have yet to discover.
• Trying to eat clean? Santorini has that covered by just about every menu!
• Don’t sweat the cost… there are so many hotels on the island, there’s something for every budget. The range is crazy huge! Check out trip advisor like I did to help you choose the best options right for you.
• And remember, their high season starts mid July and runs through the end of August. So if you want to avoid massive crowds, try traveling here May through the beginning of July like we did.

Wishing you luck as you dream big and begin to plan your very own Santorini adventure!

xx Shanna

 

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