My Incredible Santorini Trip

Santorini, Greece 🇬🇷 

Happy Fearless Friday, the 13th!

Wow!  This vacation truly left me speechless and although it was my best trip yet, it took me time to work up the energy to share my experience for this one.  Just to give a little bit of background, Santorini is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history which happened over 3,500 years ago.  This eruption is what caused this island to be shaped like a ring with the remnants of the volcano 🌋 in the middle.  The breath-taking beauty of Santorini was directly caused by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago…how crazy is that? The best time to visit is late Spring, Summer and early Fall and any time other than that is considered down season. In fact, many business may even close during down season. We went at one of the best times, early Summer before the island became over-crowded.

I have to mention that this was my first trip overseas to Europe so I was super nervous because of all the uncertainties involved.  How will I get around, currency, the people, safety, communicating with family/friends during my 9 day trip, etc.  BUT, of course everything worked out fine with a little research. 

The flights to Santorini usually involve a connection, mine happened to be in London.  I thought I’d be able to leave the airport and make it to London Bridge, but it was such a headache trying to get service and an Uber, I gave up lol.  I really wish we could have made it out to see at least some of London, but I didn’t research enough prior.  When we arrived to Santorini, it was very easy getting a taxi to our hotel.  The airport is pretty small but has everything you need just like most airports.  We stayed at a hotel named Agave in Imerovigli not far from Fira, the main city.  It was a boutique hotel, with breakfast provided everyday which helped with my budget for the trip.   

One of the first restaurants we tried after arriving was “Rare Meat Restaurant” in Imerovigli.  Very original name, I know, lol.  It was literally around the block from Agave and after a long day of traveling, we needed something close by.  I tried the lamb, it was very interesting to say the least, but definitely not something I would have again😬.  After dinner, we passed out and did not wake up until maybe 10-11 hours later.  It was so hard waking up for breakfast the next day.  It was one of the weirdest experiences ever for me because although my body got more than enough sleep, I was still soooo tired.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I need 8 hours of sleep 😴 for proper functioning, but I’m not sure if it was because of the traveling/jet lag or time difference, but despite getting so much sleep my body could barely get out of bed and we woke up about 10 minutes before breakfast ended.  Luckily, the hotel staff was very nice to fix us breakfast despite being a bit late.  Kudos to them for their hospitality!

I was actually pleasantly surprised with the daily breakfast.  Of course it was a bit different than what we were accustomed to, but there were some similarities.  Eggs are a staple here, but so are a variety of breads/pastries and cold cut meats.  I made it a point to eat breakfast at the hotel just about everyday because I knew lunch and dinner would be the most anticipated meals for me to try something entirely new.  Also, sticking to my budget was important.  Having breakfast with that view every morning was like a dream, so peaceful.

We decided renting an ATV would be the best way to get around the island and boy were we right.  It was so much fun to be able to move around pretty quickly, feel the breeze but also stop anywhere we wanted to enjoy the view.  I highly recommend this way of getting around as it takes less than an hour to get from the north end to the south end of the island.  There’s one main road that takes you from the top to the bottom so it’s really not hard to get around.  Just make sure you have wireless service just in case.  Have you ever seen that Rick Ross video “Santorini Greece”?  Well, we made it a point to visit some of the sites from the video.  That doorway off the cliff was one of the first stops we made on our second day on the island.  Such an amazing view, but that’s basically anywhere on the island to be honest 🤷🏽‍♀️.   We easily drove the entire island in about an hour and had plenty of gas to spare.   That evening, we stopped at the beautiful Othodox Metropolitan Cathedral in Fira which is the largest church on the island.  This was one of my favorite views of the sunset.  There are so many small shops and restaurants nearby as well to visit.

The Food:  I must say the food was pretty amazing.  We had dinner at Aegeon just steps from the hotel on the second night.  This spot was great for authentic Greek food and the desert was the best part in case you didn’t know I have a sweet tooth 🦷.  The next night we tried Skaros Fish Restaurant where I had an entire sea bass with a Greek salad 🥗. Man, that salad was delicious and I became hooked from that day forth.  A salad with no lettuce but feta cheese, green peppers, tomatoes, red wine vinaigrette, red onions, olives, and oregano….soooo good.  Santorini is well known for their wine, so wine-tasting at Santos Wines Winery is something you must do when visiting.  I was completely blown away with their Vinsanto wine and there’s a crazy view off the back patio.   At the north end of the island, we tried Dimitris Ammoudi Taverna where I got to pick out my own prawns.  To have dinner on the edge of the water was definitely an experience, but make sure you’re careful not to fall in because there’s no railing here, just rope.  The view of the sunset 🌅 was amazing at this spot as well.  Now I know that being from the Chicago area this next bit of info might be hard to believe, but until this trip, I had never tried a Gyro.  I know, I know, how the hell have I not tried a gyro 🥙 before?  Well, I got to try one here and I actually enjoyed it.  If you’re in Greece, I think it’s necessary to have a gyro at least once right?  At Da Vinci in Thira, I tried their calzone which was also really good.  

Night Life:  The Pure in Fira is a nice night spot if you want to have drinks and hookah.  Fira is the main city and seems to have most of the night life if that’s something you’re looking for.  Honestly, Santorini is more of a chill vacation that might be best for couples looking to enjoy a view, good food, wine, some culture while relaxing.  Oia, on the north end of the island, also seemed to have nice night life options.

We booked an excursion that included a stop at the volcano, hot springs, and a sunset sail.  If you’re doing any type of sailing trip, you have to go down this sharply curved road down the cliff.  This was the scariest moment of the trip for me because you’re in this huge coach bus driving down a sharp hill with these tight curves 😳.  This trip included a tour of the volcano and I’m not sure if I was the only one a bit uneasy about walking along a volcano, but I did it anyway.  I didn’t make it very far however, because it was a little too hot and I wasn’t really prepared.  However, I do recommend seeing the volcano and hearing about the history.  The hot springs were nice as well, but it didn’t really make much sense to me at that time on a hot day 🤷🏽‍♀️.  The sunset sail was so nice and relaxing.  I wouldn’t go to Santorini without including some type of sailing trip in my plans because seeing the island from another view is amazing as well.   

On the South end of the island, there’s the Red Beach.  This is another must see and although there’s a hike to get there, it’s definitely worth it in the end.  Bring your swimming shoes because there’s no sand, only rocks but don’t let that discourage you from experiencing this spot because it’s crazy!

And then there’s the instagram-worthy blue domed churches.  Before I arrived, I had no idea there were some many churches with blue domes.  These churches are pretty easy to find, but getting to the right spot to take a great picture is not.  Thankfully, we stayed in Imerovigli which is directly next to one of the best spots to get this great shot.  You will have to take stairs and possibility trespass to get the exact view you’re looking for 😬.  Maybe hop a fence or two, lol. 

In the end, my fear of heights didn’t stop me from visiting Santorini and as I’ve said before, the things you’re most scared of usually end up bringing the most joy and peace.  Sort of like your fear is the storm before the calm.  The people were very nice and hospitable, the food was great, and there was such a calm peaceful vibe. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend visiting. I had such an amazing time and it truly was a once in a lifetime trip. 

Until next time…

Signed,

Shygirl