making the most of santorini
by kat & joe
santorini
There’s no denying when you think of Greece, you most likely think of the classic blue and white-washed buildings and never-ending horizons which hold the most beautiful sunsets. There is one island that tends to stand out more than most…and that is undoubtedly…you guessed it! Santorini! And we think its rightly so! In this guide, we are going to help you make the most of your Santorini experience including where to stay, top sunset spots, and how to have this popular and touristic island all to yourselves.
The balcony view from our Air BnB
where to stay?
There are various areas you can stay in Santorini, all with their own pros and cons.
Oia:
A picture perfect Greek town recognised all over the world. Oia is a village built into a cliff face with a never ending horizon view. If you’re a sucker for the small things, we think the view in itself is worth every penny. It’s not until you are confronted by the view, that it truly feels like it’s straight out of a painting and that you could just reach out and touch what’s in front of you! Honestly, Oia will give you constant pinch me moments. It still does to us to this day! An important point to note is that you won’t get the iconic sunset view if you are not staying in or visiting Oia. However, apart from the breathtaking view and expensive restaurants, there isn’t much else to do in Oia. You can check out Amoudi bay which is the “beach” in Oia, but it is a hike down lots of steps and this is TOUGH in the heat, all for a bay which is small, rocky and crowded (they do have a few good seafood restaurants in this bay though). If you are ever going to splash out that little bit extra on your accommodation, this is 100% the place to do it as you’ll likely want to spend more time there taking in the views!
Alternative options:
If you are looking to visit the island and not drop some serious coin on your accommodation, then you can stay in the capital of Santorini, Fira (sometimes spelt Thira). Fira has beautiful horizon views, offers an extensive amount of dining options and is generally less expensive than Oia, making it a popular area for tourists to stay. Although it’s not Oia, it is still busy but due to its larger size, it makes it easier to move around during peak times. For our last night in Santorini, we stayed about a 30 min walk from Fira (a town called Karterados) as it was closer to the airport and we wanted to be able to explore the capital of the island.
how to get into oia?
We took the 1.5 hour Superjet ferry from Paros and arrived into the overwhelmingly busy port in Santorini. Through our Air BnB host, we arranged a private transfer which we seriously recommend as it is SO hectic with all the new arrivals flooding off the ferry. Although it may be an added cost to your trip, it removes all of the guess work of finding the right bus amongst the masses of people or not getting ripped off by a taxi driver. Oia is some distance away from the port (at least a 30 minute drive) so you will have to have some form of transport to get there. There are a number of taxis and public buses available, but you will not regret dropping the extra cash on a private transfer if that is an option! You’ll thank us when you see the chaos for yourself!
That is Step 1 of making your way to your accommodation. If you’re staying in Oia, the next step is climbing up and down stairs, through winding footpaths right in the heart of the village where there are also not many, if any, house numbers to go by! Our private transfer also included a guide to walk us to our Air BnB once arriving into Oia and two strong Greek men carrying our bags which was all included in the service from our host. This was a LIFESAVER! The stairs and skinny paths mixed with the droves of people and the heat would have been incredibly difficult for us to navigate our way through, along with carrying our bags, so we would highly recommend looking out for hosts that offer this extra service. The same staff helped us when it was time to check out too!
There are many different unique homes available here. Many have pools and spas which have unobstructed views over the caldera, some are beautiful pastel colours, and others have balconies which overlook the cliffs out to the Aegean Sea. We stayed in a polished cave house, built into the cliff with the most spectacular view from our balcony that we never got tired of. This was easily the most expensive place we stayed in all of our 6-week European summer trip, but it was 100% worth it!
Wake up early to avoid the crowds!
beat the crowds!
With approximately two million tourists flocking to Santorini each Summer, is it even possible to beat the crowds? YES, IT IS! We are no strangers to getting up early, and sometimes when your alarm goes off for 5am it can be so tempting to snooze it, but seriously…get up! The rest of Santorini is asleep! If you think sunset is beautiful, sunrise in Santorini is one of the most wholesome experiences and witnessing it with your travel partner when the village is deserted makes that early wake up worth it. The streets are quite literally empty, its just you and a couple of the local island cats. It was so quiet that we could hear our footsteps echoing in the streets and we had to whisper to be sure not to disturb others! We couldn’t believe no one else was up seizing the day to try and get a jump on the crowds. It is sometimes these smaller, quieter moments that give you those core memories of your trip, and it allows you to be present and realise the true beauty of where you are.
By around 10am, tourists are filling the streets and this makes the moments you have just experienced even sweeter as you got to have Oia all to yourself. This then takes us through to the most talked about time of day here… sunset!
the santorini sunset
The Santorini sunset is no doubt on many traveller’s itineraries, and likely on even more bucket lists – how exciting to be able to experience arguably one of the most iconic sunsets in the world! On the flip side… this time of day can also seemingly bring out the worst in other travellers. Be prepared, people will not hold back and will do whatever it takes to get ‘THE’ photo. We secured our spot at one of the lookouts at around 5pm which was well in advance, and it didn’t take long before all the surrounding areas filled up.
Once golden hour was hitting, almost every inch of Oia was covered with people trying to get a prime spot to catch the sunset. Once the sunset drops and is sitting on the horizon, its go time. Everyone is jostling and fighting to get their photo, and they simply do not care how long you have been waiting, or if they are taking up all the photo opportunities whilst the sun is setting. We had two people push through the crowds and everyone around us (who had also secured their viewing spots hours in advance) and just stand right in the way of everyone while taking photos of each other for about 10 minutes. People were telling them to move but they just wouldn’t! A few strong words were exchanged in various languages so just be aware that some people will do anything to get their ‘Santorini sunset Instagram photo’. Try not to get sucked in to these tense situations and enjoy the moment firsthand as the memory and who you are sharing it with is what’s most important.
is santorini expensive?
The short answer – yes. However, you can do it on a budget and it depends on what you are looking to get out of your time here. For two of our nights in Oia, we ate at Nico’s Place and got our trusty gyros, which was one of the few cheap options in Oia. There are many incredible restaurants here, some with breathtaking views which are definitely reflected in the prices. It’s a special occasion if you are in Oia so we would encourage you to have this experience at least once during your stay if you can. On our last night in Santorini, we made a sunset dinner booking at Francos in Fira which is a popular restaurant known for its prime sunset views. The food was pretty standard – your classic meat and seafood menu which was enjoyable but nothing to get overly excited about. Instead, you are really there for your dining entertainment, the Santorini sunset. There is no doubting that it was an incredible experience because its not everyday you get to experience eating at a restaurant with such an amazing view…but it certainly is all wrapped up into the price. Like we said, we do recommend trying this experience at least once as a sunset dinner means you don’t have to jostle amongst the crowds. Just don’t expect the most amazing culinary experience of your life!
We’ve already mentioned that accommodation in Oia can be expensive. If you are wanting to still get a Santorini experience, you can easily stay in one of the many other areas on the island and catch a bus to other parts of the island. If you are wanting to save money on food, staying somewhere that has a kitchenette is wise, but you can alternatively pick up some staples from the local grocery shop for breakfast and lunch, and then turn to your trusty gyros for dinner. However, it is worth to note, you will likely be paying a few Euros more for your gyros compared to other Greek islands as most things in Santorini are sold at a premium.
overall
All in all, Santorini is one of the world’s most impressive locations and you definitely want to make the most of your time there. It is important to know where to base yourself and to just embrace the crowds when you’re all trying to take in the magnificent sunset. Like we said, it can be on the pricier side, but if you are going to spend a little more of your travel budget, this is the place to do so!