Santorini, the romantic escapade. Known as the best greek island to see the sunset (OK I agree, but wouldn't it be the same from any other island?), Santorini amazed me since the moment I got there.
Hot, fuzzy weather. Lovely white & blue villages on a cliff. The people, the food. And of course, the Sea. It was stunning waking up to a clear blue sky and diving into the deep blue sea, with nothing else surrounding you. Oh man, what a feeling that was.
Santorini has many things to offer. However, I'd say it is mainly an island to relax. Take a good book, lots of drinks, a towel & a swimsuit and you are good to go. Red Beach, Black Beach, White Beach, you name it. They have them all.
As for where to stay: Oia. Not because I stayed there, but Oia is the most iconic village of the island. Forget Fira, Firostefani, Kamari or any other touristy village. All locals (and foreigners, of course) travel most of their evenings to Oia just to see the sun go down. Yep, that impressive.
But that's not the only reason why I would stay there. Tourists only grasp a bit of what Oia has to offer because they come for the sunset and then go, leaving without knowing that Oia is not as busy as it gets during sunset time. The scenario changes completely when you wake up, everything is more chilled out and you can get a nicer feeling about the place.
This cute village is in the north west edge of the island, along the northern edge of the caldera that forms the island of Santorini, at a height of between 70 and 100 metres (230 and 330 ft) above sea level. It is built on the steep slope of the caldera and the houses and restaurants are built into niches carved into the caldera on the seaward side. There are lots of charming passageways and a central square, with a little church.There's also a little footpath to access to the sea and the harbour, where I've tried really good seafood. Because, let's not forget the food...
Ok, let me go back. Eventhough we went in August, we managed to find an apartment for a very decent price. Marcos Rooms, a lovely aparthotel run by a greek family and few minutes away from the main street of the village. The rooms are lovely (they are the typical white and blue calderas) and you have a massive patio where you can bring your own food and drinks while enjoying the view. I highly recommend it!
As I had no clue where to eat, I asked them where could we go for lunch/dinner and we tried all the places they suggested, being my top 3 the following:
Thalami, my favourite restaurant by far. Everything we tried was excellent. Grilled octopus, tiger prawns, zucchini fritters, ... and they make the best Tomato Fritters (a traditional Santorini dish).
Skala, next to Thalami, it is also a good option to dine. Both Thalami and Skala's locations are sublime as you can sit in the terrace and have a view of the Aegan Sea. However, considering both cost about the same (€20/person, with no drinks), i'd rather stay in Thalami.
Kastelli is more like a greek taverna, very local. And I guess that's why I liked it so much. Their specialty is kalamaki, so this place was a must for meat lovers like me.
As for dessert, there's one place and one place only where you should go: Lolita's Gelato. Quite a new and next to the bus station, this gelateria is anything you would wish for. With a gelato machine brought from Italy, they use fresh milk, fruit and nuts and come up with original flavours like a gelato made from Santorini's local wine. Seriously, not to be missed.
I could keep talking about how nice Santorini was, and how many other things you could do (like going to hot springs, visiting the active volcano islets, visiting Santorini Monkey Brewery...), but I think you got and idea. So don't miss a change to get there when you can.
TCB x
