Santorini
The Cyclades are a group of islands in the Âegean sea, South East from mainland Greece. The term Cyclades means circular or cyclic referring to the group of islands that encircle the sacred island of Delos.
For the mythology aficionados, the island of Delos is considered to be the birth place of the twin Olympian Gods of the Pantheon – Apollo & Artemis. Legend has it that the Cyclades were actually Oceanids (nymphs), daughters of Titans – Oceanus & Tethus. They incurred the wrath of the Olympian God Poseidon, who cursed them to turn into islands. I have been scouring the internet to find out what they did to enrage Poseidon so much, but have had little success.
Santorini and Mykonos are the two most popular Cyclades islands. Even though these are the most popular, there are 220 such islands, the main ones apart from these two being Andros, Tinos, Naxos, Amorgos, Anafi, Ios, Folegandros, Paros, Antiparos, Sikinos, Sifnos, Serifos, Kithnos & Kimolos. Each of these are supposed to be equally photogenic, and there are regular ferries that run from the main islands, allowing visitors to island hop to their fill. Quite a few of these are uninhabited as well.
Millions of tourists from around the world head to the Cyclades every year for it’s clear blue waters, pristine sandy beaches and it’s distinctive minimalist architecture comprising of iconic blue domes churches, whitewashed houses, cobblestone streets and pastel colored doors and windows. We headed to Santorini for six days for our honeymoon.
How to get here?
Santorini is connected to Athens in the mainland Greece through both ferry as well as flight. Flights can be booked in advance, and are the most convenient. The flight time is just under an hour, but is more expensive than the ferry. Santorini is also connected to other European cities as well by flight.
The ferry ride from Piraeus (Athens) to Santorini is much longer and takes around 5-8 hours. Generally speaking, the faster the ferry, the more expensive the ticket.
Owing to Santorini’s popularity, you also have ferries connect to it from multiple greek islands (not just the ones in the Cyclades). We took one such ferry ride (through the high speed seajets) from Mykonos to Santorini for under 2 hours.
Santorini Islands explained
If you ever look at the map of Santorini, you will be surprised to find 5 islands – a huge crescent shaped island enveloping 4 other small islands to its east – Thirasia, Nea (new) Kameni, Palia (old) Kameni & the tiny Aspronisi. This crescent shaped island is Thera, and is known to most people today as just Santorini. This half-moon shaped bay is the center of the caldera, a large cauldron shaped depression that typically forms after a volcanic eruption. An ancient volcanic eruption is said to have birthed the Thera island. The Palea Kameni & Nea Kameni were created from subsequent volcanic eruptions in the 16th & 17th century.
Where to stay in Santorini?
All the luxury hotels & popular towns are in the western side of Thera island, facing the caldera. The airport is in the eastern side of the island and is a 15-20 minutes drive to the hotels on the western side. One of the first decision tourists need to make is ‘Which town to stay in Thera island in Santorini?‘ The choices are typically one of the below:
Fira
Fira is decidedly the least upscale, and probably the most crowded as well. It is also the island’s largest town and it’s capitol. Tourists descend here in droves, hitting the nightlife, and partying till the wee hours of the night. it is filled with shops & eats, and does have quite a few choices of “budget” (in the relative sense of the word, everything in Santorini is generally expensive) hotels.
Firostefani
Firostefani is a 15 minute walk north from Fira, connected via a pedestrian only walkway that hugs the cliffside. The walk itself is not pleasant, and you will be seeing constant traffic on the road. However, once you are in Fristefani, it is much quieter than Fira, and is more upscale. There are also much fewer shops, galleries and restaurants here compared to Fira. The sunrise is spectacular here, however, the sunsets, though great, are blocked by the jutting Skaros rock to its west.
Imerovigli
A 20 minute walk through a rooftop walking trail north of Firostefani, Imerovigli is the quietest of all the towns in Santorini. It is also the highest point in the island, and offers unobstructed views of sunset. With Oia in the foreground, and the colors of the setting sun reflecting on the buildings, most people rate sunsets here to be the best in Santorini. You also have the added benefit of not needing to share the sunset with crowds such as in Oia. Like Firostefani, Imerovigli has much fewer restaurants and shops as well.
Oia
Oia is full of rooftop stone cobbled alleys that oversee the deep blue Aegean sea and the Caldera on one end, and have shops, boutiques, restaurants and galleries on both sides of these streets. Much fewer crowds than Fira, and a lot more upscale and romantic, Oia is well known for its sunsets, and this is where most people decide to catch one.
Our recommendation:
We ended up staying at Firostefani and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, we felt it was a little too quiet for our taste. If this is your first time visiting Santorini, we recommend that you stay in Oia. This is where all the action is, and Oia grows on you fast. The breezy moonlit walks and its charming nightlife is the best the Cyclades has to offer and will leave you guys craving to come visit again. If you are a returning visitor who has seen it all, and want some peace & quiet, then Firostefani and Imerovigli fit the bill.
Should I splurge on my hotel?
Hotels in Santorini tend to be on the expensive side. Tourists generally struggle with the question on whether they should splurge here. For the most part, you get what you pay here, and there are no hidden deals. My thoughts are, go the extra mile and splurge! For most of us, Santorini is a one time experience. It is a visually stunning place, one of its kind in the world; and will leave an indelible mark on you. You do not want to return from a trip here with regrets. At the same time, do not go crazy with comparison of hotels. There will always be a better one. We started with the luxury hotels listed in Hotels.com, and picked one that was a little higher than what we could typically afford.
We stayed at Homeric Poems in Firostefani in Santorini. The honeymoon suite we booked had an indoor jacuzzi and breathtaking views of the Caldera from both the windows & the balcony. The hotel also had an infinity pool with views out to the deep blue Aegean sea. Breakfasts were had right at the balcony outside our room in our bathrobes – fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh cut fruits, omelette, and an assortment of bread with butter & home made jam with views of the Caldera. In their words, it was all about “The sea. The sky. Blueness. Simplicity. Contentment.“. Cozy, idyllic retreat. Greek hospitality at its best.
However, a few caveats. The room was four stories down from the rooftop, and there is no elevator. Do hit the stair master in preparation for your vacation. The moment you step out into Santorini, everything here does require a bit of a climb. But just take your time and the views are absolutely worth it.
Helpful tips
- You might want to check with your hotel to see if they do pick ups and drop offs to/from the airport. You’re typically a 15-20 minute drive from the airport, and a 15-20 minute drive from the port as well. This way you do not need to figure out driving directions as soon as you land.
- You do need a car here. Most hotels will arrange a car rental for you. This will save you time if you want to drive to faraway places. Ours helped arrange one for 40 Euros a day.
- We only pre-booked the hotel, the ferry ride to Santorini from Mykonos, and the flight out of Santorini to Athens. Everything else, we just went to the island, and made it up one day at a time, depending on what we felt like doing that day.
- Day trips are also easily possible from Santorini to other islands.
- Do look up options for sailing to the Caldera & hiking options there. We also found a great place where we could do cooking lessons (if you’re in for a couples session).
- Do try the local wine. You would be pleasantly surprised that grapes of this quality can grow in a volcanic and dry area such as Santorini.
- Also, one other thing, tomatoes in Santorini are probably the best in the world!! Something to do with tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil gives them the unique taste.
- We are both vegetarians, and we found out that Greeks have a limited concept of vegetarianism. Breakfasts will never be a problem, however, lunch and dinner could be, so you need to spend some time planning out where you eat. Your Greek vegetarian meals will be versions of these – Tzatziki (yogurt dip), Fava (yellow split pea soup), vegetarian Gemista (stuffed vegetables like capsicum/eggplant/tomato with rice and pine nuts – just make sure they do not have minced meat as well), Greek salad, Spanakopita (Spinach puff pastry), Falafel, Greek Beet salad, vegetarian Dolmadakia (vine leaf stuffed with rice – make sure they do not have minced beef in them), fried Squash & Olives.
- If you do have any Indian food cravings, I think there’s only one in the entire island – okay ambience, but home cooked comfort food.
