SANTORINI
Santorini is on many people’s bucket list and for very good reason. It’s famous towns, Fira and Oia (pronounced “ear”) are very beautiful, with their pristine white-washed buildings, blue roofs and amazing locations - practically hanging from the cliffs, from where the views are amazing (particularly at sunset).
So I would recommend it as a must-see destination. Let’s get the caveats out of the way – you just have to accept that it is expensive! Apparently a sunbed can cost 400 Euros a day in the height of the season – and a catamaran trip will set you back about 200 Euros per person, whilst you can easily rack up a bill of at least 100 Euros each for dinner.
It’s also busy (but not everywhere). Lots of cruise ships stop here and flood the afore mentioned towns, which I imagine is not very pleasant, particularly on a really hot day.
But that’s it – that’s all you have to navigate around and that doesn’t have to be difficult with some pre-planning. And it is so stunning that its definitely worth it!
My suggestions:
Pick your location carefully. I didn’t stay in Fira or Oia and actually I would not recommend either as a base. They are not near a beach and will be regularly heaving - even in the low season. I stayed in Perivolos, which was right by the sea with 2-3 miles of restaurants, shops, cafes and water sports providers - so lots to do. From there you could get the bus (local intel was that the whole network is a little unreliable – often late or full up), or hire a car or ATV. Taxis are very expensive but the hotel I was staying in had an arrangement with a local hire firm who I highly recommend (AVANTGARDE Santorini Travel) who ran daily trips to Akrotiri, Fira and Oia at very reliable prices. Smartly dressed drivers turned up in new vehicles very punctually. It was a great service.
Study the cruise ship timetable. Plan your visits to beautiful Fira and Oia when there are no (or few) ships in. Be aware that restaurants with the famous sunset view may have a minimum spend eg 75 Euros per person. But you can splash out on a cocktail whilst you enjoy the view in somewhere that does not have that restriction and head elsewhere (or back to base) for food.
Don’t let the prices spook you! Most hotels seem to offer breakfast so start the day with a good meal that is included in the cost of your holiday. Note that all-inclusive hotels do not seem to be a feature in Santorini – it seems to be policy to spread the tourist income around. Sunbeds in low season are usually offered for free when you order a drink or something to eat from one of the beach front cafes. Often the waiters will bring pretty much anything you want to your sunbed, and you can use their facilities, which sometimes include a pool. When things are quiet the restaurants offer deals and discounts - so shop around. There are plenty of small shops (if you don’t have a car to get to the larger supermarkets) so you can make a picnic sometimes rather than eating out all the time and of course alcohol from the shops is pleasantly cheap. (And the local wine is great!) A gyros from a café or takeaway set back from the main drag will always be more affordable than fresh fish from a smart restaurant in a beautiful setting - so you do have choices.
Go at the beginning or end of the season when it will be much quieter. I travelled in May when things were just starting up. A couple of the days were cloudy (perfect for some walking) and the rest were lovely and warm.
Enjoy Local Food and Wine The fish is great but expensive – check if its actually fresh! I recommend you try the local speciality which is a fava bean dip – very tasty. You’ll see plenty of courgettes, tomatoes and herbs being grown locally so recipes using those seem a logical choice. And as mentioned above, the local wine is really good. You’ll notice the low growing vines as you travel around, and many of the wineries are open for tastings (which could be a good day out). Gyros are a great staple. Cocktails seem popular – look out for happy hours when they can become quite reasonable. It seems normal for restaurants to have someone waiting outside to chat to you and entice you in. They were friendly and helpful rather than too pushy, so its worth chatting to a few people and seeing what they have to offer.
Days out
You just must go to Oia and Fira (which I preferred) and might want to plan your visits to be there for the sunsets. They are stunning and beautifully maintained.
For another great day out visit the archeological site at Akrotiri. Like a mini Pompeii! (Tip - once you buy your ticket head straight for the exhibition building as it has a timed entry on it that might run out if you linger over coffee first!...) It’s all under cover so could be a cool refuge on a hot day and you explore via a walkway around the excavations, rather than through the site itself. Very interesting and there is a nice café on the site too. You can then take a walk down to the red beach if you fancy that. (To be honest it didn’t look that special to me.) I walked along the sea in the other direction and had a very expensive (!) Greek coffee in the most beautiful spot. Then I happened across an amazing little gift shop (NOT at all expensive) run by a local artist. I brought some of her hand painted mini houses, jewellery and some postcards and left with extra gifts from her of a pumice stone, a map of the island that she had drawn and some of her lovely line drawings turned into postcards. We communicated without speaking each other’s language and it was great to meet her. The Little House is a special place!
Accommodation
Much of the accommodation on the island seems to be high end hotels catering for the honeymoon market or large exclusive villas. They looked lovely but prices are high as you might expect. There are more reasonable options if you do your research.
I have not recommended accommodation before now, but I was so impressed with Villa Eleftheria that I am doing so here. It’s a small family run hotel that is 100m from the beach and spotless. Nice breakfast and a little pool with sunbeds – really quiet yet on top of miles of restaurants etc (see above) and was a perfect base for a short break. Again I don’t often recommend holiday companies but had a great deal from Easyjet Holidays for flights, accommodation and transfers.
