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Santorini, Greece

After our time in Athens and Mykonos we took a ferry to Santorini, Greece on Wednesday August 28 for the last week of our 5 week extended vacation. During our visit we stayed in the northwestern tip of Santorini, in two separate towns. The first part of our week we stayed in the town of Finikia in an Airbnb, a 15 minute walk to the famous town of Oia. Then, the second part of the week we stayed in the heart of Oia at the Andronis Arcadia Hotel.

Things to Do

While the island of Santorini is small, you still need to rent a car if you want to explore the various towns. We rented a car for a few days and enjoyed driving around the island. Below are the activities we did during our stay and would recommend.

  • Explore Oia – The famous town of Oia with the whitewashed houses and blue rooftops is easily walkable. You can explore the city from an hour to a couple of hours depending on what you want to do.
  • Fira to Oia Hike – This hike is 6 miles one-way and passes through four towns: Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia. We started the hike in Oia because the Andronis Arcadia Hotel had a guide take us and we had breakfast at their sister hotel, Andronis Concept.
  • Sailing Tour of the Caldera – Jeremy and I booked a semi private day trip with Caldera Yachting Santorini. We decided on taking the sailing tour during the day rather than the sunset tour because it gets cold at night. While this was a more expensive option than the other sailing tours, we enjoyed the smaller group. The boat stops at the famous Santorini beaches and attractions, including the Red Beach, White Beach, Black Mountain, Akrotiri Lighthouse and the volcanic Hot Springs. Plus, unlimited drinks and lunch is served during the sailing trip.
  • Wine Tasting – We went wine tasting at Estate Argyros and did a food and wine pairing with 7 wines and a selection of Greek cheeses, cold cuts and desserts. Jeremy and I loved our wine tasting experience. We purchased a few bottles to enjoy during the remainder of our stay in Santorini. There are other wineries and wine tours as noted here.
  • Ancient City of Akrotiri – We visited the ruins of the ancient city of Akrotiri.  The town is a preserved archeological site because it was covered in ash following a volcanic eruption in the 17th century BC. While visiting, we saw Rachel Lindsay (from the bachelorette) and her husband while in Santorini on their honeymoon.
  • Akrotiri Lighthouse – We hiked to the end of the cliffs surrounding the Akrotiri Lighthouse which is one of the most northern tips of the island. The lighthouse was built by a French company in 1892, making the lighthouse one of the oldest in Greece.
  • Holy Monastery of Prophet Elias – We visited this beautiful monastery, which also has an amazing view of the island.

Places to Eat

All the restaurants we dined in Santorini were delicious.

  • Yalos – Hippie beach day club and restaurant. We had lunch one day before we visited the ancient city of Akrotiri.
  • Lefkes – We ate on the rooftop one night for dinner and watched the sunset in Finikia.
  • Meze Meze – This is a delicious restaurant in Finikia. We ate here twice during our stay in our Airbnb.
  • Pito Gyros – You absolutely must visit Pito Gyros while in Santorini. We loved this restaurant so much that we had it least three times during our stay.
  • Melitini – This is a delicious tapas restaurant in the heart of Oia.
  • Catch – Very romantic date night spot for dinner.
  • Opson – For our last night in Santorini, we splurged and had a 7 course traditional Greek tasting menu paired with wine and watched the sunset. This restaurant is at the hotel we stayed at in Oia, the Andronis Arcadia Hotel.

Places to Stay

Make sure you book your accommodations well in advance, especially if you want to stay in the famous town of Oia. Don’t be like us and book a 5 week vacation a month in advance. 😉 The town of Santorini is small and the accommodations are very expensive. We loved and would recommend both our Gemini Cave Airbnb in Finikia and the Andronis Arcadia Hotel in Oia.

xx,

Lauren

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1 Comment

  • Reply Kat

    You took some amazing photos, but I guess that is not hard at such a beautiful place. I love your hair in that side braid and that white dress is stunning.

    March 10, 2020 at 8:20 pm
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