I could use all the synonyms of beautiful they list in the thesaurus and I still couldn’t describe Santorini adequately! It is the most gorgeous place I have ever visited. I’ll let the pictures do the talking on that subject.
Anteliz Suites Hotel–In Firostefani, between Imerovigli and Thira. Beautiful building, great location, great rooms and very helpful staff. Best breakfast we’ve ever had, served on the porch outside our rooms! We had two triple suites over looking the pool and caldera. Family run hotel that gives you personal service. We got a load of laundry done for about 10 Euros too.
Dimitra Lola–our guide. Knowledgeable and personable. A foodie who’ll give you great restaurant recommendations. You can contact her via http://www.santoriniguidedtours.com/ She’ll make you fall more deeply in love with Santorini!
Food–The food in Santorini will make you weep with jealousy! The low precipitation and the rich volcanic soil makes for the most flavorful produce you’ll ever taste. I still dream about Santorini Salad with local tomatoes. They also had the best Greek yogurt we had in Greece, of course, locally produced. By the way, Greek yogurt in Greece is not tart at all. We couldn’t get enough of the stuff. Their fava beans are also famous. Not like our fava, they are lentil sized and usually served as a paste. Delicious! Fish is good all over Greece. I don’t know what makes their octopus so tender but they are yummy!
The Skaros rock–Outside of Imerovigli. Amazing sunset and you can work off your lunch on the climb back! Sunset from the top is our of this world.
Akrotiri Archaeological site. They think it was first settled by humans in late Neolithic times (at least the 4th milennium BC)! It was abandoned at 17th century BC because of a severe earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Volcanic ash protected the buildings just like in Pompeii. I suggest you take a knowledgeable guide with you as the place is not very well marked. It’s an ongoing excavation site. It’s also under a roof so you’ll be out of the blazing sun while you are looking.
Black Sand Beach–It’s a great place to unwind. Rent a couple of chairs under those grass skirted umbrellas, have a cocktail and be pampered.
Santorini Wine–There are several wine tasting places in towns on Santorini which we did not visit. We went to a winery and tasted some great wines. The also serve snacks and you can sit outside looking over the vines in the field.
Shopping–In Thira, we saw some nice jewelry stores but other than that, it was mostly tourist stuff. Oia had nicer stores but we weren’t in the mood to shop the day we were there. Firostefani has no shops. We tried to find the shops in Imerovigli but we only got more and more lost. Do your shopping in Mykonos.
Argo Restaurant–in Thira. Recommended by our guide Dimitra, it was the best food we had in Greece. They use all local produce. We tried every dish Dimitra recommended and they were all stellar! Fava with Octopus, Crab Pasta, Shrimp wrapped in Potato. Summer Salad, and Santorini Salad. We also ordered a grilled local fish which was delicous. It was also a great place to watch the sunset. Make reservation for 8PM. We were too busy savoring our food to take pictures here 🙂
Donkey Rides on the steps to the Old Port—Avoid it at all cost! Colleen had a serious accident falling off her donkey and being trampled by a herd of them. Donkeys are not well supervised by humans. When accident happened, donkey drivers couldn’t move fast enough to get rid of us and disappear. No help was offered. She’s lucky to be alive. Stay off those steps all together. People are not supposed to be on them but nobody enforces that rule and there are a ton of people walking up and down them coming in very close contact with hundreds of donkeys. And where donkeys go, there also goes their excrement. It’s hard to avoid stepping on them and you can imagine the smell!!!!
mostlysunny88 