Hello hello! I left off last time right where Matt and I made it to our Airbnb in Santorini and met up with Bridget and Andrew. We all watched the sunset from our incredible view and then walked around a little bit until deciding to eat dinner at Remvi. I got a seafood pasta dish—one of my favorites whenever water is within sight or smell. It was our first night in the ever touristy area, so we didn’t quite know yet how the restaurant scene was set up. Basically, every place has sunset views that they give to people who make reservations for it. People (ahem) who just waltz in from the sidewalk get to see less of the sunset view. It depends on your priorities. Honestly, we prioritized flexibility to eat when we were feeling hungry, so we never made a reservation the entire week. Plus, our accommodations came with such an incredible view from the jacuzzi, that we didn’t need to see it at dinner as well.
In fact, after dinner, and quite honestly every single second of free time we had during this trip, we could be found hanging out in the jacuzzi. First things first though, I need to point out that jacuzzi does not equal hot! We were visiting during the blazing middle of summer and I can’t express this enough, it was so. hot. every. day. When I read ‘jacuzzi’ on the description of the Airbnb, I assumed it was hot water because that’s my frame of reference. I’m here to assure you the water was always a crisp, comfortable yet refreshing temperature! The only thing that we altered was rolling the giant umbrella overtop of the water, because it was completely necessary when the sun was out.
In fact, let me break down the living arrangements for you. Bridget and I didn’t initially have strong feelings about where we wanted to stay. My main priority was that I wanted to stay in a traditional cave house (but dreamed of having a pool with a bar where someone would make me cocktails), and Bridget’s wishlist included separate spaces. We both wanted good views and all the Santorini white and blue as we could soak in. I assumed we would get two rooms or villas in the same hotel, but after actually looking at prices for that, I quickly realized we needed to find somewhere we could split. That’s when we turned to Airbnbs. We bounced a few back and forth in emails and then I came across Spiti Barbara. The photos were a little confusing and I didn’t really understand how it was laid out until I came across a diagram on the interwebs. Basically, it was a main door that you entered into a courtyard. The courtyard had an amazing giant olive tree, a hammock, some tables, and even a grill. The courtyard then had three doors beyond it to pick from—a private bedroom with bathroom on the right, the main house (that included a living/dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and additional bunk room) in the middle, and a laundry/bathroom on the left. Even further left were stairs that took you to the top of the privacy wall that surrounded the courtyard to a landing that had a picnic table. From there, you could cross a precarious pathway over the main door and up more steps to another landing that had sun chairs and the jacuzzi. This highest area is adjacent to the pedestrian walkway and stairs that envelop the town. Once we both understood the layout, Bridget’s reply was, “Looks great, but how do we decide who will get that great private bedroom on the right?” And the genius of it was, I wanted to sleep in the main house because it was the traditional cave (re: no doors), so we each got what we wanted! The location was great, and we discovered that it was nearby to a Mini Market that we stopped at many many times to stock up our ‘pool bar’. Our drinks of choice for the week consisted of vodka with all kinds of fruit juices for everyone, three Greek beers on rotation (Fix, Mythos, and Alfa) for the guys, and all the hard lemonade for me. With ice trays being used constantly!
Our first full day, I’m positive that we slept in to combat the jetlag until we all trekked out to find breakfast at a not so remarkable place that was sort of half restaurant and half convenience shop. The view was great though. And once we stepped back outside, we noticed a lot of people traveling in and out of an area above us. We wanted to see what was up there, so we followed like lemmings. It ended up being the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church (also known as the Three Bells of Fira), also known as one of the most photographed areas of the island. So we took some photos!
After more jacuzzi time, we set off to explore Fira. We stopped in many shops in search of souvenirs and ended up in a an area that I can’t find a name for, so I will call it ‘the square’ from now on. It was about two blocks of shops and eateries that was very open, but inland from the water views. The area was divided by a one way road with a sharp curve that was massively entertaining to people vehicle watch while grabbing a bite. Which is exactly what we did when we stumbled across Bayiatiko (Μπαγιάτικο). They had the best gyros for so stinking cheap! It was sort of a Chipotle setup where you can tell them if you wanted extra of an ingredient or none of another, but the base rate was €2.50 per gyro + €.50 for a bottled water. This spot became my favorite of Santorini. I could have walked there for lunch every. day. Afterwards, we all hiked back to the Airbnb and collectively thought we were going to pass out from the heat after climbing the one large hill that separated our accommodations from the downtown/port area. Hah, we were such rookies! By the fourth day, we were already climbing bigger rocks.
After more jacuzzi time (you might want to make this a drinking game about how many times I use that phrase), we again walked back to the downtown/port area because I wanted to watch the USA Women’s soccer team play in the World Cup Finals against Nederland. There weren’t a lot of options as far as sports bars, so we walked in to Murphy’s Bar only to discover that I messed up the time change because there were USA players on the TVs with the flag draped around their shoulders. Hah! Well, at least it was a good game! So, we promptly turned around and left Murphy’s Bar. Bridget and I wanted to shop some more, so while we did that, the guys decided to stop by a bar called McDaniels for a beer. I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but I believe that ended in them discovering that the beer was over priced and not great, and with the bartender asking if they wanted to fly. Which apparently meant trying some of Greece’s infamous Ouzo, a dry anise flavored liquor. They hated it. Hah! We eventually bumped into them on the sidewalk because they dipped out of the bar before Bridget and I were done shopping. The evening was capped by getting dinner at Sea La Vie, where we had a sunset view! Or… a view of everyone taking photos with the sunset view? The restaurant is near impossible to find on Google and is rated poorly and I don’t disagree with those reviews. However, I will acknowledge that I’m the only one of the group that holds that opinion. Just don’t get the pizza. It’s not good.
Monday started off with breakfast at our Airbnb, because we had a car coming to pick us up just after 8 a.m. We booked a catamaran cruise with Santorini Yachting Club. The car took us to the smaller port of Oia, where we boarded a boat with about 10 other guests + 3 staff. The cruise itinerary that is on their website is as follows:
- First stop: Volcano and Hot Springs for approximately 30 minutes; enjoy a swim in the therapeutic waters. On the way back, soak up the dramatic views of the Caldera rim.
- Second stop: White Beach and Mesa Pigadia for approximately 60 minutes where you can relax, swim or snorkel while we are preparing a Greek cuisine inspired BBQ on board. We continue sailing in the Aegean blue waters moving across the Indian Rock & Venetian Lighthouse with cinematic landscapes ideal for photography and video.
- Third stop: Volcanic Red beach for swimming and snorkeling for approximately 30 minutes.
- Highlights
– Sail across the Caldera
– Swim near the Volcano – Hot Springs, Red Beach and White Beach
– Enjoy a full BBQ on board
– Open Bar
The cruise was fantastic! I honestly wasn’t sold on it during the planning stage, but at the end of the week, that day was the only one truly spent on the water, and with that came a certain freedom. It was beautiful, we never felt rushed, the staff was amazing, the food was delicious, and though there were other people on the boat, it never felt crowded. I loved just swimming in the water with a noodle. In fact, I think I was one of the only people to get in the water at our last stop. That might explain the rough sunburn that showed up later! After being dropped back off near our Airbnb at the end of the day, I think there were naps all around, until we walked back to Bayiatiko for an easy gyro dinner followed by some gelato from a place called Zoto’s that had a compelling line. Truthfully, I’ll get gelato anywhere that sells my number one, always and forever, favorite flavor, straciatella. We capped off the day by watching the sunset from the Three Bells of Fira and, you guessed it, more jacuzzi time.
On Tuesday, we made breakfast at the cave because we woke up early. See, the days were scalding hot, but we wanted to go on a hike which meant we had to get out early! We started the short hike by heading away from Fira, towards the town of Imerovigli. Somewhere along the way, we came across a great little market that had fresh bread, so the guys had to try their coffee. Before we knew it, we were looking down on Skaros rock, which has an interesting history that you can read about on Wikipedia. We hiked down, across, and up before getting an unobstructed view of the Caldera from the other side of the rock. And then we decided to hike as far down as we could go because we heard there was a church down there. And there was! And it clearly still holds services. Or at least weddings… For reference, we were about 30-45 minutes of walking from another building. How cool is that?? (I didn’t take any photos of the inside because we didn’t go in as it appeared that there were some workers in there.)
We hiked back up the rock, over to Imerovigli, and along the sidewalks all the way back to our Airbnb. Once back, it was only 10:45 a.m., so we decided to try a place nearby called To Briki. We sat down and were ready to order when we were informed that hot breakfast items aren’t available until 11. Hah. Island life, amiright? So, we waited 15 minutes to order! I got a croque monsieur and it was well worth the wait. My Google Photos show nothing new after breakfast, so I take that to mean the rest of the day was spent in the jacuzzi. For dinner, we tried a different gyro place just up the steps that had carry-out and delivery called “Why Not? Souvlaki!” We ate well that day!
On Wednesday, Matt and Andrew decided it was high time to workout and went on a 5 mile run, following some of the route we had taken the day before. Crazies. Once they were back and showered, we decided to go back to To Briki for their cold breakfast because I still hadn’t tried the infamous greek yogurt with honey dish. I think we all got some iteration of yogurt or granola with walnuts and honey or fresh fruit. And it was more than enough food! Then we headed to the bus stop in order to travel to Kamari.
Kamari is kind of on the opposite side of the island, close to the airport. There is a lava rock beach there and the whole town is at the elevation of the water (unlike Fira and Oia where you are high above the water with great views, but have to travel down hundreds of steps to actually touch the water). Bridget and Andrew got to Santorini about 24 hours ahead of us and they opted to book a night in Kamari and that ultimately was the reason we all went there. The beach was lined with hundreds of coupled daybeds on either side of small table that had a shared umbrella for shade. These chairs were available to anyone, as long as you purchased something from the restaurant that they were in front of. After purchasing a blow up floaty nearby, we opted to sit at Varkes where we had a waitress who stopped by about every half hour to take orders. I loved it! I had Piña Coladas all day and enjoyed the Spaghetti Bolognese dish that I ordered so much that Andrew copied me and got one as well. We got in and out of the water easily thanks to a boardwalk that took us most of the way from our chairs to the sea. The lava rocks were definitely rocks the closer to and in the water, so I just left my appropriate shoes on, even once I got in the water. From there, I could see a possible hiking trail that traveled up the mountainside, boats coming and going from nearby (by water, not roads) Perissa beach, loads of water sports, and random helicopter flybys.
The town of Kamari was very touristy, but organized. It very much was set up to have a main strip along the water where you could stroll, shop, eat, and drink. I liked it and would recommend it, but as a day trip. We explored and shopped a bit before catching the bus back to Fira around dinner time. That evening, we went only a short walk to get food at Ginger Sushi Lounge, which was a great idea. Though it was a little pricey (but what good sushi isn’t?!), we all thoroughly enjoyed the meal. The three meat eaters split one of their signature entrees, Beef Isiyaki, which was a tender beef fillet served on a sizzling hot volcanic rock. Very fun way to cap off the day!
Thursday was a big day! Matt and I got up super early and walked around our Airbnb area before the town was awake and took photos. When Bridget and Andrew got up, we had breakfast at the cave, and headed out to catch a bus to Oia. Then about 20 minutes later, we realized that we had to go to the main bus terminal to catch the bus since the stop near our place was a drop-off only, of sorts. But, eventually we got to Oia!
Side note: Have I mentioned the bus system yet? It’s great. It cost €1.80 to ride a segment. There is a main terminal in Fira, so taking the bus from the airport to Fira is €1.80. So is taking the bus from Fira to Kamari, or Oia. The only confusing part is that if you want to go from the airport to Oia, then you’ll have to pay €1.80 to take the bus to Fira, then switch to a bus that is going to Oia where you will pay another €1.80. But, seriously, it’s so worth it. I looked up taxis in the area and you can easily spend €35+ going anywhere from the airport. Also, I think the roads are a little crazy on that island and I felt really safe being on that big bus.
So, we took the bus to Oia and as soon as we got there, everyone was collectively overwhelmed with the sheer number of people walking around. We opted to duck into a restaurant, Lotza, to get our bearings even though none of us were really ready for lunch. But they had a great view! And once we were ready to venture back out, we explored the spots where everyone was stopping to take pictures on our way to the Castle of Oia which is home of Oia Lookout, a very photographed view. Nearby, were Byzantine Castle Ruins and a tiny church the size of a kitchen. From high up, just outside the church, we could spot this place down by the water where people were swimming and decided we wanted to go there! We excitedly walked down a couple hundred steps to the little bay, oblivious to the fact that we were going to have to walk back up later. Once we got to the bottom, we were actually only a few steps away from where we boarded the boat for out catamaran cruise earlier in the week. It was scorching hot that day, so we stopped at another restaurant where we were begrudgingly served some cold drinks before continuing on. There was a small path that continued past the pavement and disappeared around the rocks that we followed for about 5 minutes until we came up on a rocky area with people swimming and jumping into the water. Not like a beach, but just some rocks that were at the sea level so people could get into the water semi-easily. We all changed into swimsuits and could not wait to get in the water on the hot day.
If you look for the spot on Google Maps, it’s marked as the churches Zoodochos Pigi or Saint Nicholas, one is on the main island and the other is what looks like a large rock sticking out of the sea. I assume that at some point the rock used to be attached to the main island, but maybe not. It has on it a church and a dock. Here are some screen grabs from GoPro video that we took while we were swimming around.
The Church Rock, as I will call it, had a type of platform that people could jump off of. It took a bit of time, but we all did it! Neither Bridget or Matt had done something like that before and they ended up jumping together. It was particularly hilarious, but I’m so glad they did it!!!
Once we dried off and changed back into our clothes, we started the trek back up the stairs to the main part of Oia, with a lot of breaks. Once back to the top, we stopped into another restaurant for drinks, only after promising that we would be staying less than an hour because they had sunset reservations. It gave us the opportunity to cool off, rehydrate, and use their restrooms. Once we left, we explored a bit more, looked for souvenirs, and ultimately decided to catch the bus back before the dinner rush. Once back in Fira, we got gyros at Bayiatiko again, followed by Solo Gelato.
Friday was our last full day together. In fact, Bridget and Andrew’s flight out was around midnight. We woke up early again, having finally won against jetlag, and had breakfast at the Airbnb before heading out to explore the Old Harbor. I’m not sure why it’s called old, because it’s still very much in use by cruise ships today. I don’t think any stay overnight, but that Santorini is a day excursion. We walked all the way down many steps, similar to Oia the previous day. The bottom was interesting because there was a lot of security for the cruise ships and yet there were also no people there yet because it was too early. We stopped and had coffee at a shop that was actually open and perused the souvenir shops. Right about the same time that we decided we should head back up was the same time that a bunch of cruise passengers were pulling up. To get back up to town from the port, there are three options: 1. Walk. 2. Ride a donkey for a fee. 3. Ride a cable car for a fee. We opted to jump in the growing line for the cable car, even though it was 6 euros per person.
Once we were back in town, we got lunch at Stani Tavern with an empty restaurant and incredible views. It was unreal. We were seated on the top floor, which was the equivalent of a rooftop deck. The views faced both towards the Caldera (that we had been looking at all week) as well as the opposite way, towards the airport and beyond. And we were early enough that we had the place to ourselves. It was such a surprise and a treat. Afterwards, I was on the hunt for a dress so the girls and the guys split up, and to avoid confusion like the last time, decided on meeting back at the Airbnb. I ended up getting a red and white linen dress that was perfect for the climate from a boutique called Spicy.
We met up with the guys back at the Airbnb and they insisted that they show us the places they found while exploring. But after jacuzzi time, of course. The guys led us to the Eastern OrthodoxChurch of St. John the Theologian—a beautiful, large structure on the main walkway with a caldera view. And just down the way, we entered Assyrtico, a cute café that served coffee, wine, and gelato. We really did that place a a disservice by not photographing the inside, but it was kind of like a greenhouse—lots of greenery, much cooler climate because of the shade, but still very much outside. Such a treat! Had we found that place earlier in the week, we definitely would have visited more times.
We headed back to the Airbnb for one last jump in the jacuzzi before heading out to dinner. We decided it would be fun to eat at one of the restaurants that we had been staring at all week around our place. To Briki was booked solid. It didn’t help that it was a Friday night (the number of visitors on the island definitely increased on the weekends). We walked over to Onar and checked out their menu. We decided quickly that we were interested and tried to ask for a table before the group of people behind us made their way to the restaurant. And then, the best thing happened which is a lesson in always trying to learn the language of the country you are visiting—Matt said good afternoon to the hostess. Actually, he said καλησπέρα or “kalispéra.” The hostess happily sat the 4 of us at the last empty table in the restaurant with a pretty incredible sunset view and we were thinking, how did this happen?! Well, the waiter came over and said a whole bunch of stuff that we didn’t understand. and the conversation went something like the following:
Us: Oh, we don’t speak Greek. English?
Waiter: English? The hostess told me you speak Greek! That’s why we gave you this table!
Hands waive, the waiter leaves, and we ended up with a different waiter. Hah! That didn’t end up being the only time that Matt’s friendliness and ambiguous European appearance made for a story along this trip.
But you know what? Each of us was so glad to eat at that restaurant because it was so. damn. delicious. The wine, the food, the view, the last dinner with friends—It couldn’t have been better. Bridget was hell bent on getting a chocolate dessert that we had spotted on the To Briki menu earlier, so her and Matt left me and Andrew with the bill at Onar since we were running out of time. Well, the joke was on them because when our waiter returned with the credit card reader, he also brought us 4 shots. They were reminiscent of limoncello and I didn’t mind having Matt’s one bit! Again, we met back at the Airbnb, Bridget had her dessert, Matt returned the plate to the restaurant, Bridget and Andrew got their bags, and we all walked together to the bus station. After we said our goodbyes, Matt and I walked back and stopped in the square at Solo Gelato, obviously.
The following morning, Matt and I woke up early in order to leave the Airbnb by 6 a.m. We caught a bus to the airport and were immediately reminded of how teeny tiny it is. Thank goodness Bridget and Andrew sent us a text the night before to tell us that there is a large outdoor patio on the second floor of the airport, so we got a spot out there in the shade and waited about an hour for our flight. More on that next time, because this post was a doozy! Congratulations if you made it this far.