Santorini

To put it simply, Santorini is stunning. The Caldera, which is the bay in the Aegean Sea and surrounding steep volcanic cliffs that were created by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago, is the amazing landscape of Santorini. Most of the hotels, shops and restaurants are along the ridge of the Caldera, evident by the white stucco facades of the hotels, restaurants and shops and blue-domed churches.

Fira

We arrived at Hotel Atlantis in Fira, along the center of the Caldera, at sunrise and were blown away with the beauty of this island. From our hotel balcony we had unobstructed views of the Aegean Sea. We could look down on the port of Santorini where cruise ships pull in and ferry people to the base in Old Port. From there, the tourists can get up to the ridge by walking up several hundred steps on the side of the cliffs, take a tram or ride the poor donkeys up to the top. There are a few restaurants and shops down in Old Port where the cruise ships come in where they can take a water taxi to other parts of Santorini.

We are happy that we planned 3 nights in Santorini. There is so much to see with so many different neighborhoods, each with their own personality. We stayed in Fira which is the cruise port. This area can get very busy on days when many ships are in. One day there were 6 ships. Another day there were 3, but one of them was Odyssey of the Sea that holds 5500 passengers.

Restaurant

Naoussa – traditional Greek food with the owner breaking plates. Food was great and experience of breaking plates was fun.

Imerovigli

The village to Fira is Imerovigli. This is a quieter, more quaint village along the Caldera ridge. Steve and Deb’s son and daughter-in-law were honeymooning in Imerovigli and we met them for dinner there. Again, outstanding views from every angle. Their hotel, Astra Suites, was built down, into the cliff. Their room was down about 200 steps with no elevator. Their room and views were unbelievable, but the hike to get to their room was not for us.

Restaurants

Aegean Restaurant– Restaurant stated they did not have our reservation even though it had been confirmed a couple of times. We ended up having to be seated at two separate tables next to each other out on the sidewalk. It was the only chilly, breezy night we had during our vacation, but they brought out blankets for us. Our waitress was awesome and certainly made up for the beginning of the night.

Akastus Cafè and Cocktail Bar – We had drinks here while waiting for restaurant across the street to figure out our reservation. Watched the sunset while waiting for our table. Staff and drinks were excellent.

To Navagio – Went for cocktails to cheers the happy couple!!

Oia

Many of the most photographed places in Santorini is the sunset from Oia (eeya). Oia gets very overcrowded at sunset, taking away from the beauty of the town itself. We were with about 2000 other people. We had a wonderful dinner at Mia’s in Oia, then walked down to find the best spot for a sunset photo. We had read that this was a tourist trap thing to do, but felt like we should try it out once while we were here. The funny thing is, the view from our own balcony in Fra was probably even better. We were able to get some wine and beer from a little restaurant where we were waiting, so we made the most of our time there. I would have like to have visited Oia during the day to actually meander through the alleys and shops rather than being pushed along with the herd.

There is a walk that goes from Fira through Imerovigli and on to Oia. We walked almost to Imerovigli one day, but did not do the entire walk. The walk is 6 miles but takes 3 to 5 hours. We opted to get a driver to these places instead.

Restaurants

Mia’s – This restaurant came highly recommended from a friend who had been. It was a great recommendation. Our meals and cocktails were good.

Elinikon – We bought drinks here while we were waiting for the sunset.

Kamari Beach

Fira, Imerovigli and Oia (and Akrotiri – the historic section) are all on the Caldera’s steep volcanic ledge, so there are no beaches. The sandy beaches – Red sand, black sand and white sand beaches are on the outer part of the island. Kamari Beach was the closest to Fira so we decided to take the public bus from the terminal which was just down the hill from our hotel. The bus goes directly to Kamari town and the beach is a short walk down the hill (what goes down, must come back up!). The beach is a pebbly beach versus sand, so we bought water shoes at a little store. There are umbrellas and beach chairs set up in front of beachfront restaurants. These are free to use as long as you buy food and drink from the restaurant – which we did. There was the occasional peddler on the beach, selling massages, bracelets or handbags, but they weren’t very aggressive. Swimming in the Aegean Sea was refreshing. The salt ratio is high, so it’s very easy to float here.

Jim and Patti even did a fish pedicure while in Kamari– one and done!! We did a little shopping along the street on our way back up to the bus stop.

Restaurant

Mango – Beachy restaurant where we bought drinks and a mezze plate so we could use the umbrellas and beach chairs.

Old Port

Some us took the tram down from Fira to Old Port for $6 Euro one way per person – where the cruise ships shuttle passengers in. The tram offers quite a view of the area. There are a handful of restaurants in Old Port and we had lunch at one. It was quite good.

Restaurant

Taverna Sirtaki – Outdoor, traditional Greek fare.

Ammoudi Bay

When you see travel shows featuring Greek restaurants showing octopus hanging by the sea – this is Ammoudi Bay. Ammoudi Bay is around the corner from and below Oia. There are 588 steps down to Ammoudi from Oia, or you can hire a ride, like we did. We went in the morning, so we were too early to enjoy the oceanside restaurants here. We did see the octopus hanging to dry out. Jim and Steve walked around the corner and jumped in and swam in the Aegean Sea. It was worth the time to go here, we just wish we planned it better to coincide with lunch or dinner.

Restaurant

Ammoudi Fish Tavern – We didn’t eat here but would have if we were here during lunch. This is where they hang the octopus to dry.

Dimitri’s Ammoudi Tavern –  was another one we may have tried.

Touristy attractions

There are some very touristy things to do in Santorini. We did go to the restaurant next to our hotel, Naoussa, where the owner smashes plates and gets the patrons involved as well. It was fun, and the food was good, but was definitely touristy. Things that we didn’t do but thought about are the Mamma Mia show and the outdoor cinema. If we had longer, we would have found time to do these, but we had a full 3 days as it was.

Next stop, Mykonos!!!!