Greece 2023 - Cyclades islands - Santorini

We travelled to Heathrow airport in a giant private limo.... well almost. It was new the Basingstoke to Heathrow bus service which was completely empty, there and back. Both times the drivers were friendly, I think they appreciated the company, and the journey easy and relaxing. We arrived with enough time to grab a sandwich for the plane and a few pre flight drinks before taking our aisle seats for the 4 hour journey to Santorini. 

We arrived into Santorini at around 6pm and were greeted by the driver the hotel had arranged for us with his very swanky minibus. It was a short and easy drive to the hotel taking in the more local side of the island. 

We really struggled to find a hotel in Santorini. Most people stay in Ola or Fira which are known to be crazy busy. We decided to stay in the slightly quieter town of Imerovigli, which was still on the edge of the caldera and only a 20 minute walk to Fira and had less tourists. We looked at hotels with rooms over looking the caldera but they were expensive and not very private, with people walking right past your balcony and room window, or standing next to your garden to get that view of the sunset. We decided the extra money wasn't worth it just for view and we didn't want to spend the whole time getting annoyed with people. So we looked slightly away from the caldera and found the lovely Casa Bianca. This was a small boutique hotel where rooms were nestled around a private courtyard containing a freezing plunge pool, we (and that was Sam) only tried it once! Every day you had to fill in a card with your breakfast choices and the next morning it would be delivered to the table outside your room at the time requested. They even delivered early one morning because we had a boat trip booked in. The breakfast was simple and some of the items were a little hit and miss, but there was a lot of choice and it was enough to get you going for the day. 

The first evening, we walked to the caldera, found a bar, and watched the sunset with a cocktail and beer in hand. There are lots of bars and restaurants to choose from and often they are incredibly expensive and overpriced, but there are little finds which offer better value. We found The Wine Bar in the Heliotopos Hotel. It had a nice courtyard to view the sunset and the drinks and snacks were not too over priced. For dinner, we tried one of the best restaurants in Imerovigli, Jimmys Souvlaki! The locals always avoid the overpriced tourist restaurants, and so do we. Instead, we went where the locals go, and Jimmy's didn't disappoint. We had the Jimmy Special Gyro, only 5 Euros each and they were awesome! Who knew that chips in a kebab was a good idea! Unfortunately, Jimmy's set the standard for the rest of the holiday and no one else matched just how good these gyros were. 

The next day, we walked to Skaros Rock, a rock formation which juts out of Imerovigli and contains old ruins. From here, we had amazing views of Imerovigli, Fira and the caldera. We headed back, up a lot of steps, and then walked the clifftop footpath to Fira. This was an easy walk with amazing vistas, which meant it took a lot longer than the 20 minutes it should have taken because we were constantly stopping to take a photo and enjoy the view. 

Fira is much busier than Imerovigli but there is a lot more to see. We enjoyed wandering around the little alleys with shops and restaurants. It can get very busy during the day as there always seemed to be 4 or 5 cruise ships in, and then at night all the back packers and party goers hit the town. 

We headed down the bubble lift to the old port which was 6 euros each way. We had booked a boat ride for the next day and wanted to check out where we needed to head. Old Port in the morning is chaos. The tenders from the cruise ships drop people off here so its just packed of people. We headed down one end to a quieter restaurant/bar for a drink, then decided it was time to head back up. The queue for the lift was over an hour long with so may cruise ship people trying to get into the town. We looked at the donkeys who carry people up but we didn't feel it was fair on the donkeys, so we decided to buy an alcoholic slush and walk up the 588 steps. What a mistake! You'll see from the video how difficult this climb is not just from a fitness perspective, but also dodging donkey doo doo, and the donkeys who think they own the path and will just walk at you!

Back up the top, we headed to the local brewery on the bus, the Santorini Brewing Company to "experience the donkey". This was a great little find with free tasters, friendly staff and a nice little balcony to relax. Whilst on the balcony, we spotted a nearby Winery a 1 minute walk away. Canava Roussos had a gorgeous courtyard, friendly staff and an amazing history being the oldest winery in Santorini. We enjoyed a tasting plater and a flight of wines. 

We picked the bus back up to Fira (tip: the bus stop sign might be on the other side of the road, just stand opposite it rather than walking miles tiddly, next to traffic, like we did trying to find it), then walked back to Imerovigli, stopping off for a gyro on the way. 

For our final day in Santorini, we booked a trip with Caldera's Boats Santorini Sea Excursions.  For 30 euros, we had a half day tour of the volcano, then a swim in the hot springs of Palea Kameni island, and 2 hours exploring Thirasia island. It was exceptional value for money and one of the best things we did on our Greece holiday. The crew were brilliant, with a bar onboard and kicking tunes, we had fun sailing between locations. For the journey back, we had Abba blasting out as we took in the view of Ola, Imerovigli, and Fira. 

We skipped the tour of the volcano and instead did our own self guided tour, which also meant we got back to the boat quicker than everyone else so we had the choice of seats. We were not sure about whether we would do the hot springs but the swim is actually really easy, and they supply noodles so even if you're a bad swimmer, you can do it. I was one of the brave ones who jumped off the boat (rather than using the ladder) a first for me and a risky move in a bikini, but fortunately Lee missed getting it on camera. Another tip, don't jump off a boat and scream, choking on a sea water is not a good look! 

On Thirasia, we ate in Captain Johns which was recommended by the crew. It was wholesome food at very good value. We then chilled out and took in the amazing views and clear sea. 

The trip back to Fira went along the coast line past Ola, Imerovigli and Fira, whist banging out Abba classics. 

After a quick change, we headed back out to Fira where we had a giant gyro platter for dinner, followed by a mini-bar crawl. One of our favourite bars on the island was Assyrtico. Located at the back of the snack bar is a private beer garden with a chilled out vibe and hundreds of local beers on the menu. It was Untappd check-in heaven for Lee! We enjoyed this place so much, we actually visited it a couple of times. It was a little sanctuary in Fira away from the crowds to cool down, relax and plan the next stop. 

Our final morning on Santorini was chilled out. We had breakfast, laid by the pool, then the hotel transfer dropped us off at the port for our ferry to Ios. We will need a whole blog entry on Greek ferries: they are the definition of organised chaos.... always late, always busy, but efficient and in some weird way, disorganised yet organised. 

Santorini videos are in two parts as there was just too much footage to squeeze into one:

Part 1

Part 2