Hello lovely reader! My post today is all about the holiday I've just returned from, if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (which if you don't... you should!) you will have seen some sneak peak pics already from my trip but here is a post about what I've been up to whilst there.
I have only ever been to one Greek island and that was Rhodes when I was a teenager and I don't really remember a lot from that holiday but after spending hours asking Google "where is hot in may" Santorini, Greece came up as a great option.
I flew out on Tuesday 26th May for a week long chill fest with my boyfriend and arrived at the tiniest airport I've ever been too! A quick 15 minute transfer got me to the hotel we booked called Acqua Vatos in the Kamari beach area of Santorini. We were greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne which was lovely! The hotel was spotlessly clean, really modern decor and had a perfect location right in the mix of shops, bars and restaurants and a 5 minute walk from the beach front but not noisy at night when you wanted to sleep. We had a few rainy spells, one night it particularly poured and thunder and lighting to match but the rest of the week was cloud free and in the high twenties.
I must admit I didn't know anything about the island before I went but it has so much history and is and incredible place. Santorini is a volcanic island and the beach is made up of black sand which is something I've never encountered before but I actually preferred it to normal sand by the end of my holiday! Although is does get mighty hot under foot!
We spent time exploring our home town for the week, Kamari which is a lovely town. It is fortunate enough to be great for tourists without being tacky. Just enough shops for trinkets and some of the most beautiful bars and restaurants I've come across. It is clearly an area that is looked after throughout the Winter ready for the Summer holidays makers.
We took the local bus, which is a full on coach which they pack to the rafters with people, to the islands capital city of Fira. We followed the crowd up a hill passing shops and church's and were rewarded with the most breath taking view of the crystal clear Aegean sea, the volcanic cliffs, white stoned buildings and cruise ships in the bay. It really was a 'wow' moment. I had no idea how gorgeous this island was going to be, it really was a postcard perfect view. Fira is a beautiful city, it feel much more like a town, very quaint, narrow winding streets, lots of little shops, restaurants with views money can't buy. There are snake like steps from the top of the city down to the port where cruise ship travelers touch land and can have the options of climbing the many many steps or, taking the cable cars or the more traditional route of climbing aboard a donkey for the trek up to the top!
One of the days we took a guided trip and visited an area nor far our of Kamari which is known as the 'Ghost town.' Santorini has hit with a large scale earthquake in the 1950's which caused many buildings to be destroyed and this area hasn't really been rebuilt and has few residents and church's. I learned on this trip that Santorini has more church's (over 500) than houses and more wine than water!
We went to Santos Winery and saw where the wine is produces, learned about the fermenting process and got to taste three different wines. The winery is located cliff side and is next to where many weddings are conducted so you can imagine how beautiful the back drop is! Speaking of weddings, we had noticed there were a lot of Chinese brides in full gowns with their apparent grooms in Santorini and our tour guide told us that they often travel to the island and take with their wedding pictures. Once they return home they blow up the pictures up and have them out at their wedding. With the amazing views I'm not surprised they do this!
The main event of this day trip was to go to Oia which is pronounced 'ear'. This is where the famous white buildings and three blue roofed domes are. If you ever search online for Santorini this is the image you will find and it was the location of the Muller yoghurt advert! I absolutely loved this area of the island it is simply stunning and each night people gather cliff side for a front row seat to watch the sunset. It was incredible. You can only hear the sounds of cameras click as people watch in awe and give the sun a round of applause once it has disappeared from view. It was so beautiful to see.
We also went on a traditional wooden boat and took a trip to an island which houses one resident, his Alsatian, goats and a few chickens! We anchored up and took a dip in the sea to swim out to hot springs which was great fun. I covered myself with the mud from the springs, which is reported to take 10 years off you! I'm not sure if did but my skin definitely felt nice and soft from the natural source! We went to one island and had a meal there and then headed back to the port after we had stopped mid way to watch the sun sent once again disappear into the sea. I hope my photo's give you some idea of just how amazing this was to see, simply stunning.
In between our day trips we spent time relaxing on the beach outside of a bar called Love Boat. Super comfy sunbeds and a lovely bar man that went up and down the beach all day bringing drinks and food to order. It was pretty perfect! In the evenings we spent time in Kamari, the bars and restaurants stretch along the beach front so wherever you stop to eat or drink the view of the Aegean sea. Every meal we had was incredible. We had traditional slow cooked lamb dishes, Gyros which are a Greek version of a kebab, Moussaka, lovely pasta dishes, authentic Greek salads and many cocktails! I definitely had an indulgent week but if you can't do it on holiday then when can you! The food is so fresh and the Greek people were so friendly, they really couldn't do enough for us. They do like to look after the guests to their restaurant or bar and each visit we would be give complimentary ouzo shots with our drinks (which would blow you had head and I must admit we did tend to leave them! and one restaurant even gave us complimentary chocolate desert with desert wine too.
As I mentioned at the start the airport is the smallest I've ever been to and once we had checked in our bags, we were then advised to head out of the airport and up the hill to a cafe with seating outside and to look out for our tour provider plane landing. Once we saw the plane land, that was our cue to head back over to the airport a that would our plane! An hour delay meant an extra hour sat in the sun! The best departure lounge ever!
Santorini is a little slice of heaven. I think May was a perfect time to go as the weather wasn't stifling hot, the crowds hadn't fully descended yet and there were plenty of sunbeds to go around. I can imagine August is too hot and too crowded so I would suggest going between May and the end of July so you can really enjoy your stay. The laws on the island means no one can build properties higher than two stores high which means the beauty is preserved and it will never been ruined by skyscrapers or giant hotel chains. It remains quaint and charming with the most impressive views I've ever seen. it is simply a stunning island, from it's view to the kind and genuine Greek people. If your stuck for holiday ideas this is definitely somewhere I'd recommend and I will be going back in the
future. It was just perfect. Take me back already!
Have you been to Santorini? Please leave me a comment below:)
Thanks for reading about my trip, Steph :)
Posts still to come: My holiday book
 | |
I have only ever been to one Greek island and that was Rhodes when I was a teenager and I don't really remember a lot from that holiday but after spending hours asking Google "where is hot in may" Santorini, Greece came up as a great option.
I flew out on Tuesday 26th May for a week long chill fest with my boyfriend and arrived at the tiniest airport I've ever been too! A quick 15 minute transfer got me to the hotel we booked called Acqua Vatos in the Kamari beach area of Santorini. We were greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne which was lovely! The hotel was spotlessly clean, really modern decor and had a perfect location right in the mix of shops, bars and restaurants and a 5 minute walk from the beach front but not noisy at night when you wanted to sleep. We had a few rainy spells, one night it particularly poured and thunder and lighting to match but the rest of the week was cloud free and in the high twenties.
I must admit I didn't know anything about the island before I went but it has so much history and is and incredible place. Santorini is a volcanic island and the beach is made up of black sand which is something I've never encountered before but I actually preferred it to normal sand by the end of my holiday! Although is does get mighty hot under foot!
 |
| Kamari beach |
We spent time exploring our home town for the week, Kamari which is a lovely town. It is fortunate enough to be great for tourists without being tacky. Just enough shops for trinkets and some of the most beautiful bars and restaurants I've come across. It is clearly an area that is looked after throughout the Winter ready for the Summer holidays makers.
We took the local bus, which is a full on coach which they pack to the rafters with people, to the islands capital city of Fira. We followed the crowd up a hill passing shops and church's and were rewarded with the most breath taking view of the crystal clear Aegean sea, the volcanic cliffs, white stoned buildings and cruise ships in the bay. It really was a 'wow' moment. I had no idea how gorgeous this island was going to be, it really was a postcard perfect view. Fira is a beautiful city, it feel much more like a town, very quaint, narrow winding streets, lots of little shops, restaurants with views money can't buy. There are snake like steps from the top of the city down to the port where cruise ship travelers touch land and can have the options of climbing the many many steps or, taking the cable cars or the more traditional route of climbing aboard a donkey for the trek up to the top!
One of the days we took a guided trip and visited an area nor far our of Kamari which is known as the 'Ghost town.' Santorini has hit with a large scale earthquake in the 1950's which caused many buildings to be destroyed and this area hasn't really been rebuilt and has few residents and church's. I learned on this trip that Santorini has more church's (over 500) than houses and more wine than water!
We went to Santos Winery and saw where the wine is produces, learned about the fermenting process and got to taste three different wines. The winery is located cliff side and is next to where many weddings are conducted so you can imagine how beautiful the back drop is! Speaking of weddings, we had noticed there were a lot of Chinese brides in full gowns with their apparent grooms in Santorini and our tour guide told us that they often travel to the island and take with their wedding pictures. Once they return home they blow up the pictures up and have them out at their wedding. With the amazing views I'm not surprised they do this!
 |
| Santos Wines-amazing view! |
The main event of this day trip was to go to Oia which is pronounced 'ear'. This is where the famous white buildings and three blue roofed domes are. If you ever search online for Santorini this is the image you will find and it was the location of the Muller yoghurt advert! I absolutely loved this area of the island it is simply stunning and each night people gather cliff side for a front row seat to watch the sunset. It was incredible. You can only hear the sounds of cameras click as people watch in awe and give the sun a round of applause once it has disappeared from view. It was so beautiful to see.
 |
| The famous three blue domes |
 |
| Amazing sky at the Oia sunset! |
We also went on a traditional wooden boat and took a trip to an island which houses one resident, his Alsatian, goats and a few chickens! We anchored up and took a dip in the sea to swim out to hot springs which was great fun. I covered myself with the mud from the springs, which is reported to take 10 years off you! I'm not sure if did but my skin definitely felt nice and soft from the natural source! We went to one island and had a meal there and then headed back to the port after we had stopped mid way to watch the sun sent once again disappear into the sea. I hope my photo's give you some idea of just how amazing this was to see, simply stunning.
In between our day trips we spent time relaxing on the beach outside of a bar called Love Boat. Super comfy sunbeds and a lovely bar man that went up and down the beach all day bringing drinks and food to order. It was pretty perfect! In the evenings we spent time in Kamari, the bars and restaurants stretch along the beach front so wherever you stop to eat or drink the view of the Aegean sea. Every meal we had was incredible. We had traditional slow cooked lamb dishes, Gyros which are a Greek version of a kebab, Moussaka, lovely pasta dishes, authentic Greek salads and many cocktails! I definitely had an indulgent week but if you can't do it on holiday then when can you! The food is so fresh and the Greek people were so friendly, they really couldn't do enough for us. They do like to look after the guests to their restaurant or bar and each visit we would be give complimentary ouzo shots with our drinks (which would blow you had head and I must admit we did tend to leave them! and one restaurant even gave us complimentary chocolate desert with desert wine too.
As I mentioned at the start the airport is the smallest I've ever been to and once we had checked in our bags, we were then advised to head out of the airport and up the hill to a cafe with seating outside and to look out for our tour provider plane landing. Once we saw the plane land, that was our cue to head back over to the airport a that would our plane! An hour delay meant an extra hour sat in the sun! The best departure lounge ever!
Santorini is a little slice of heaven. I think May was a perfect time to go as the weather wasn't stifling hot, the crowds hadn't fully descended yet and there were plenty of sunbeds to go around. I can imagine August is too hot and too crowded so I would suggest going between May and the end of July so you can really enjoy your stay. The laws on the island means no one can build properties higher than two stores high which means the beauty is preserved and it will never been ruined by skyscrapers or giant hotel chains. It remains quaint and charming with the most impressive views I've ever seen. it is simply a stunning island, from it's view to the kind and genuine Greek people. If your stuck for holiday ideas this is definitely somewhere I'd recommend and I will be going back in the
future. It was just perfect. Take me back already!
Have you been to Santorini? Please leave me a comment below:)
Thanks for reading about my trip, Steph :)
Posts still to come: My holiday book
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