Santorini is a highly romanticized place, but even with all that hype it really is just as beautiful as all the movies and desktop backgrounds would have you think. The only problem with that is all the other tourists who are there to witness that beauty themselves. Here are my suggestions for navigating the sites you need to see despite the crowds, and how to find a quiet corner on the island for yourself.
Catch the sunset in Ammoudi Bay
After settling into our cozy seaside bungalow, our first stop was watching the sunset and eating fresh-caught branzino from the aptly-named Sunset restaurant in Ammoudi Bay. The fish was amazing (and yes you pick it out yourself!) and the sunset turned the water glittering violet . We enjoyed walking down the steps to the port as the sky turned orange–just watch out for donkey poo, or ride one and avoid it altogether.
Take a catamaran around the island
The next day, we joined a catamaran charter trip to see the red and black sand beaches and swim in the steam pools. (If you’re hungover or remotely seasick, bring non-drowsy dramamine.) It was a really breathtaking way to see the entire island, from Ammoudi Bay to Vlixada, by the white sand beaches. We couldn’t actually swim at the red and black sand beaches though, so I recommend driving to Kamari Beach instead. You can drive to the red beach as well, but technically it’s not open to visitors, which most Greeks seem to interpret as a suggestion to ignore. If you do drive down to the southern side of the island, you should also explore Akrotiri, the ruins of a former Minoan settlement that was destroyed when a volcanic eruption blasted the island into its well-known half-moon crater.
Window shop in Oia
We stayed at one of those whitewashed hotels with a hot tub and a breakfast porch, where we befriended an incredibly amicable and helpful concierge. He helped guide most of our three day vacation and made several of our reservations. More on where to stay below!
Oia (pronounced EE-yah) was a beautiful place to take in the sunset, from our hotel, the main street, and the many steps down to Ammoudi Bay. The little shops were sweet and had plenty of your touristy staples–plates with ancient Greek art across them, keychains of Grecian columns, hyper-saturated post cards, various nude and robed statuettes. Sadly they were generally overpriced and the luxury goods were eye-rolling expensive. I would save your shopping for Thira, unless you’re balling out or just like to look.
Visit a winery
There are several hot contenders that harvest grapes from the special volcanic soil of Santorini, but our selection came highly recommended for its incredible view. Santo Winery was truly breath-taking–make a reservation online before your trip to book a seating with a view and bring your nicest photography equipment for a moment you’ll want to savor. The wine itself tends to be sweet and lightly fruity (those are the best oenological buzzwords you’re gonna get out of me).
Find peace at Kamari Beach
We went to a restaurant on Kamari Beach on a cab driver’s recommendation and it was the quietest ocean vista we had our entire trip. I couldn’t see anyone for miles, and spent the final moments before our departure by plane soaking my feet in the pebbles and the waves. We didn’t explore this area much, but I recommend looking into it for housing if you value isolation or at least one beach day without all of the other tourists.
Where to stay: Ikastikies Suites in Thira | Alexander’s Boutique Hotel in Oia
Where to eat: Sunset – Ammoudi Bay | Santo Winery – Pyrgos
καλό ταξίδι / happy travels 