Santorini was a dream. This has been at the top of our travel list for obvious reasons (so, so gorgeous), so we were so excited to finally have it in our itinerary! In Santorini, we stayed in Oia, which is at the northern end of the island. This area is known to be the most beautiful and peaceful, and I agree! The sunset views from Oia are perfect, and we had amazing sunsets 2/3 nights. Most of the hotels are built into the sides of cliffs, so the rooms are caves and all have incredible views over the sea. Did I mention I loved Santorini?
We arrived to our hotel early in the morning from Athens, so the first thing we wanted to do was conquer the hiking path from Oia to Fira. Fira is the capital of Santorini, and is where the cruise ships port. It is the busiest area of the island. There is a hiking path that is about 6 miles long that links the two together and it is the #1 thing to do per Trip Advisor, so we definitely wanted to do it. Our taxi driver laughed at us on the way from the airport to the hotel, saying that it was quite difficult and asked if we were sure we wanted to do it. We thought, how hard could it be? Well, it was hard, with very steep climbs and drops on rocky/gravely terrain. But, we did it, and the views were crazy pretty! We took the bus back to Oia… our feet were not up for the return trip hike.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging on our terrace at the hotel. We were lucky to have a huge space with lounge chairs and a jacuzzi all to ourselves, so we spent a lot of time enjoying it! For dinner, we went down to Amoudi Bay, which is a little fisherman’s bay at the bottom of the northern tip of the cliff with some restaurants that serve fresh fish from that day’s catch. The food was delicious, and we were there during sunset, so this was one of the most memorable meals of the trip!
The next day, we took a boat to the volcano and spent some time hiking there. The volcano is active, so you can smell the sulfur when you get to the top. You also get some nice views back to the main island. Then the boat took us to some hot springs. Steve went in – he said they weren’t actually hot. They are connected to the sea, so the cold water from the Aegean keeps the springs from getting too warm. After that, back for a nap on the terrace.
On our last day, we lounged from the time we woke up until about 3pm, which was great. Our legs needed a rest and what is better than spending the day reading in the sun with an incredible view in front of you?! In the afternoon, we went to Sigalas winery for a wine tasting and some appetizers. The volcanic soil on the island makes for ideal grape growing, so we indulged. White wines are much much better than reds here, and we liked some whites better than others, but all in all – it was really fun!
After the wine tasting, we went back to Amoudi Bay for our last sunset in Santorini, and it was a stunner!
Santorini was an amazing place to relax and take in the views. We got plenty of exercise while there, as everything you do requires so many steps up/down the cliffside, so we never felt too lazy. We enjoyed every second! Loved all the food, and most of all the natural beauty of the island!
The Great Fekspedition 