SANTORINI TRAVEL GUIDE
As you have obviously seen from my Instagram photos, I took a well deserved vacation to Santorini, Greece! I still can't believe that I was actually there, as every second of the trip felt like a dream and to this day still doesn't feel real. I stayed here long enough to miss it like home and truly fall in love with Greece. (Starting to plan my next trip) :)
With that being said, I'm so excited to share everything about my trip and hope this helps you if you're planning to visit Santorini! I'm also linking a few of my outfits so keep a lookout for those as well.
Travel
Even though the prime vacation time in Greece is July & August, I'm happy that my boyfriend (danrubino_nyc) and I booked for June! (You're more likely to find a good deal and avoid prime season for other tourists). The trip was booked through Expedia.com for a package of flight and hotel. As far as the flight, we flew out of JFK (NYC) and took a 6 hour flight to London with a 1 hour layover. (Perfect amount of time for me to run to ITSU, my favorite sushi spot in London for a quick bite...at 8:30 AM LOL.) From London it was a short 3 and 1/2 hour flight to Santorini's Airport, Thira. We didn't have transportation to the hotel, but it was super easy to get a cab right out of the terminal.
Hotel
So, Santorini is a very small island and can be traveled from one end to the other in less than an hour. We stayed in Akrotiri, an adorable, quiet little town at one end of the island. It's definitely more laid back than the rest of the Santorini, which is what we loved. It was a relaxing escape from the busier parts of the island. The name of the hotel we stayed at was Paradise Resort, a cozy family-run hotel with a beautiful infinity pool, restaurant and extremely friendly staff. It had a very home like vibe which is what I loved most. Paradise Resort is literally right underneath the ancient ruins of Santorini and is walking distance to a cute strip of resturants and Red Beach, a major tourist hub. (I'll talk about this more below).
Car Rental
I am SO thankful that Danny and I rented a car for the majority of the trip. Even though there are pretty nice city buses that are able to take you basically everywhere on the island, being able to hop in the car and go wherever you want whenever you want was a luxury, not to mention saved us a bunch of waiting time. So, renting a car is definitely a recommendation. We rented from Axiion car rentals right near our hotel in Akrotiri. You can even rent quads here (I was too afraid because the roads are literally on cliffs) and also book excursions. We booked our Volcano and Hot Springs Excursion here for a steal. The staff here is amazing and super helpful with anything you need.
Must See
Red Beach
Red Beach is the most popular beach in Santorini and is nothing short of a stunning view. The red cliffs surround the perfectly blue water creating a view that explodes of vibrant colors. It is even said to be one of the most colorful beaches in the world. The unique red color of the cliffs is due to the iron-rich rock that was created from the volcanic eruption years and years ago. It's kind of a pain in the ass to get to considering you need to walk along a rocky dirt path for what seems like forever, but definitely worth the view. HOWEVER - a picture here is all you'll need. I wouldn't recommend staying at the beach here just because there are much nicer beaches to spend the day! Keep reading for my beach recommendations.
Oía
Oía is the city where you've all seen photos of the beautiful blue domes and fairytale-like white and blue buildings along the sea. Magical is the only word I have to describe this place. Everywhere you look is a picture perfect moment, fascinating you in every way imaginable. Oía is located at the very tip of Santorini which allows you to witness a pretty kickass sunset. To add to that, the shopping is addictive. There's cute boutiques everywhere you look making it almost impossible to continue walking.
Fíra
Fira is the capital of Santorini. It's a heavenly and action packed town nestled smack in the middle of the island and lies between Akrotiri and Oía. Fíra has two ports: The Old Port and The New Port. The Old Port is definitely worth seeing because there are two ways to get there; one option is a donkey..yes a donkey and the other a cable car down the cliff ( I went with the cable car option). Like Oía, Fíra is equally stunning. You'll get some fantastic shopping, food and views. Make sure to leave yourself a good amount of time to explore here because there are tons of alley ways to be explored and a lot of things to see!
Volcano & Hot Springs
Did you know that the entire island of Santorini is basically the aftermath of a huge volcanic eruption? Neither did I. Out of all the excursions available, swimming in a hot spring and walking on the active volcano of Santorini sounded the most badass, so that's what we went with! As I mentioned earlier, the rental car company Axiion offers excursions, so we bought from them. The excursion provided us travel down to the New Port in Fira and then a boat ride right to the hot springs.
Little did I know that the springs are hot due to the lava heating the rocks below the sand. These waters are famous for their therapeutic and healing benefits. The richness of iron and manganese in these "healing" waters can act against many illnesses. As we swam we felt our bodies changing back and forth from hot to cold. Kinda freaky! FYI don't wear a white swimsuit like me because it will turn red from all the minerals in the water over there! After the springs the boat took us right to the volcano. Not gunna lie the hike up to the crater was pretty miserable but worth it in the end. I kid you not there was smoke coming out of some of the open holes up there. Seriously the most interesting place I've ever been!
Ammoudioy
Ammoudioy Bay was my favorite part of Santorini. It's a small port located beneath the town of Oía. You definitely need a car to get here since it's basically at the bottom of a cliff. Here you'll find fresh fish markets with a strip of waterfront restaurants that allow you to sit right next to the perfectly turquoise water. Seafood doesn't get any fresher than it does here. I mean they hang the freshly caught octopus with clothes pins for Pete's sake. As you walk through the path of restaurants you'll need to continue walking the dirt path around the mountain for a hidden and unreal swimming experience. I'm talking about real life mermaid moments here. The basic Santorini tourists don't know about this place. You'll only know about it if (a) someone tells you or (b) you ask where you can swim in Oía which is what we did. So you don't have to worry about mobs of tourists here.
Restaurants
Dimitris Taverna
We made it a point to come eat at Dimitri's because it was featured on one of my favorite TV shows Delicious Destinations with Andrew Zimmern. This segment played a huge role in my desire to come to Santorini in the first place. It's located right in the Ammoudioy Bay and we sat right next to the insanely beautiful water looking out to the soon to be sunset. Since grilled octopus is a major staple of Santorini, there was no better place to have it than here.
Cave of Nikolas
By far the most amazing place to eat while in Santorini. I've never tasted food so incredible in my life. This restaurant was also featured on Delicious Destinations and after I saw this place I decided that I had to get here one way or another! It's the definition of fresh, homemade Greek food from someones Grandma. The Tomato fritters are insane along with Taziki, my favorite. At this restaurant you can also sit along side the water and see a killer sunset. It's located in Akrotiri so it's super low key and relaxing.
King Neptune
King Neptune is located right in the town of Oía. It's a fantastic restaurant with a spectacular view if you sit upstairs on the deck. Danny and I ate here twice and is 100% recommended by us! The vibe here is amazing and really makes you feel like you're on vacation. Up top on the deck you'll be greeted with a cool ocean breeze along with a view of the town and one of the amazing blue domed churches. Food recommendations would be the Zucchini Fritters and Seafood Orzo. I still dream about the food here.
Beaches
Perivolos
Perivolos is the place to go when you just want a relaxing day at the beach. Danny and I came here multiple times because it wasn't far from out hotel in Akrotiri and the beaches were fantastic. You choose where you want to stay, and get access to free sun beds and umbrellas as long as you order something to drink or eat! It was such a sweet deal we had a hard time believing it. From our experiences in Italy, beaches will usually charge an arm and a leg for parking, sunbeds, entrance fees and umbrellas. Here all of that is free of charge. We stayed at Margarita's beach. This place had the friendliest owners and staff who we would now consider to be friends. It's family operated and had a very welcoming and family like vibe, which is why we kept going back.
Kamari
Kamari is a great place to spend the day. It's known for it's beautiful black sand beaches alongside a lively and upbeat strip of restaurants, shops and hotels. You can walk along the strip and choose which restaurant's beach area you'd like to stay at. I obviously chose the area with the pink sun beds, haha. All of the sun beds, beach umbrellas and parking are free here as well. You just need to order something from the restaurants, whether it's a drink, snack or lunch.
