Santorini is the Queen of the Greek islands, a true charmer whose face is instantly recognizable around the world with her multicolored cliffs that jet out of a sea-drowned volcanic crater, topped with whitewashed buildings and blue dome churches. A place that has been on my bucket list since The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants + Momma Mia! So the Mr. and I hopped on a plane headed to Santorini for my 50th birthday in February, and we can’t recommend it enough! We’ve traveled a lot and many places throughout the world, but this place was by far the most beautiful place we have ever laid eyes on. The white structures and blue roofs that you see in pictures and movies are exactly what it looks like, but in person, it is indescribable!
It’s the most visited island in Greece, and it requires a little planning and research to get the best deals on hotels, on all the amazing things that the island offers, and also to make sure that your flights and ferries to Santorini are properly booked. I booked our trip instead of using a travel agent (I always plan our trips both domestically + abroad). It took about 3 evenings total plugging in dates from March to November and coming up with the first week of April as the cheapest since it is still mostly in the off-season still but waking up for the on-season. Not everything will be open if you decide to visit in the off-season, but there was still ALOT open, and we loved not fighting any crowds. As it turns out, the last week of March, according to all the locals, is the best to go because things are starting to open back up for the busy summer season, and it isn’t overrun with tourists yet. It was also the cheapest time to go in regard to flights and Inns. They don’t have any hotels on the island, making it very quaint and personal!
We stayed in Fira, which I recommend because it is in the island center and has everything you will need, like restaurants, bars, shopping, excursions, etc. Oio would also be a great choice, but there isn’t as much there for nightlife or shopping as there is Fira. The Inn we stayed at was called Hill Suites, and it was absolutely stunning and has the most amazing host ever, Marco. He does everything for you, from arranging your car for pick up when you arrive at the airport on the island to your excursions, where to eat, shop, and even getting you your breakfast every morning on the patio ~ he was just AMAZING! Every suite has its own hot tub and a hot breakfast is included with your stay.
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There are tons of stairs in Santorini. If you have mobility issues, this may not be the island for you. Some are steep, and some are not. Some are even marble. Go slow and hang onto the walls if needed. The island is not very big, so you can tour one end one day and the other end another day, which also makes staying in the middle much easier to get around. We took the bus or hailed a taxi everywhere we went that we couldn’t walk to, which happened only 3 times in the 6 days we were there, so renting a car might be an expense you don’t have to budget, AND the roads are super narrow, and they all drive like NYC taxis so the Mr and I decided to walk it or bus it!
If you are looking for a true beach vacation, Santorini isn’t really it. Most of the beaches are not sandy and are volcanic rocks or sand. You need to remember that Santorini, Greece is an active volcano, and what you see is the top of the volcano. This means the beaches aren’t sandy and don’t slope into the sea. There is one sandy beach, but the red beach and black beach are rock and volcanic sand. You need to wear shoes on the beach to not burn them!
I highly recommend the afternoon/evening cruise trip that goes around the island and serves a great dinner and drinks, all included with the trip price. You can swim in the hot spring on the Caledra side as part of this excursion … my Mr. did get in, but I did not. We also did a day bus trip that went from one end of the island to the other and stopped at all the major destinations on the island. Lunch and dinner were included in the price of the ticket as well.
So to answer the biggest question I got was about price. You would probably think this trip was 7 days total because it took 37 hours for us to get there, having a 9-hour layover in London. We ended up with 5 full days on the island, and that was the perfect amount for us! Like I mentioned earlier, be flexible and try to go when it isn’t so crowded with tourists to get the best deal. Our trip totaled $2683 because I purchased insurance as well, and this price included all airfare, our Inn stay, and transfer to the Inn from the airport. We did do 2 excursions that totaled $375 for both of us, and both included meals and drinks. We took $600 cash to exchange for Greek currency, so all in all, our trip was around $3750 at the most, and that includes gifts + souveniers.
I would be happy to help you book your trip, even though I am not a travel agent, I want others to be able to check their bucket lists, travel the world & sightsee on a budget like us! hope you find these tips helpful when you are planning your travels to Santorini for your next vacation!
Gingham and Pearl 