Santorini
Santorini is, to me, the Greece of my dreams: white-washed houses, perfectly blue water and sky. In the words of a local, what more could you want from life than to be able to look at its caldera, with a glass of good wine in your hand, in the company of someone you love?
Hotels
Where to stay
During the one week we spent in Santorini, we stayed in 2 hotels:
1. White in Imerovigli
White is made in the cave style of apartments typical for Santorini and is so beautiful and perfect, you think you’re dreaming when you see it for the first time. It’s built in terraces on the hill, there are not that many rooms and you always have your privacy. It has several (small) pools and several terraces where you can sit and enjoy the view of the caldera. It is not the cheapest accommodation you can find in Santorini, but if you can afford it even for just 1-2 nights, I’d say go for it and give yourself this present.
2. Kastro Suites in Fira
Kastro is cheaper than White and the rooms are not as beautiful, but it has the advantage of a super central location in Thira (the biggest village in Santorini) and also has a beautiful view of the caldera. We moved here after staying at White for 3 nights, because of the lower price and because of its location.
Activities
What to do
1. Roam the streets in any of the little villages overlooking the caldera and take in the amazing views. if there is one thing you shouldn’t miss out on while being in Santorini, it’s this. Brave the heat, take as many breaks as necessary, and just see as much of it on foot as possible.
2. As said above, treat yourself to as many breaks as you like. There is no shortage of nice cafes and terraces, let alone restaurants with yummy traditional food.
3. Go to the beach. I know – duh! The trick is though, that some of the villages in Santorini (namely those with the best views) are up on a rather steep hill, so getting to the level of the beach is not very easy if you’re staying in one of the those villages. You can either rent a car and drive yourself down, or take one of the public buses, or pay for a private tour of some of the beaches. This is a compromise you have to make when staying in Santorini: you either stay in one of the villages on top of the hill and enjoy incredible views day-in day-out but you have a (relatively) hard time getting to the beach, or you stay in one of the villes on sea level and easily get to the beach, but you don’t have the fantastic views of the caldera unless you take yourself up to the cliff-perched villages.
4. Take a boat ride. There are so many offers, for so many kinds of boats, with so many different options for duration, group size, what is included, etc. We took a half-day (sunset) trip on a catamaran and if was every bit as beautiful as we had imagined it.
5. Go wine tasting. Santorini produces some great wine, so, if you are a wine lover, it would be a shame to not get an introduction to its wines. We chose a tour that included visits to 3 wineries – there are lots of offers from different companies that organize the visits and, in my experience, you don’t need to book too much in advance.
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