Santorini is so incredibly beautiful you must go!

I think of Santorini whenever I think of a relaxing vacation, with sun seeping into your pores and whiling away the hours with little to do but read, wander, swim and eat. Read our travel guide to Santorini to see why it’s one of our favourite places!

Over the years, we have been able to enjoy Santorini four times. I hope we get to go there many more times! The first time was on a Celebrity cruise from Barcelona to Venice in 2005; the second time was in 2008 for a lovely three weeks of relaxing in the sun in the Greek Islands; the third in 2016 for a week with friends; and most recently in September 2023 for a relaxing week in the sun.

2008

In August/September 2008, we were fortunate enough to have three weeks in Greece. One of those weeks was on Santorini. We stayed at Astra Suites in Imerovigli, overlooking the caldera. They looked after our every need: a sumptuous ‘light’ breakfast (it was huge!), arranging our scooter rentals, preparing a romantic dinner out on the deck, and making sure we knew where to go to immerse ourselves.

2016

In 2016 we arrived with friends following a week in Cinque Terre and another second week in Crete. We were gob-smacked by the amazing beauty of the caldera upon our arrival in port. We stayed at the beautiful Anastasis Apartments where they looked after our every need. This boutique hotel is extremely highly recommended. You will need to book a year in advance if you want to enjoy it!

Each sunset was appreciated!

2023

In 2023 we travelled around Italy, spending some time in Venice, Rome and Tuscany. After a very active three weeks we enjoyed a beautiful week on Santorini and continued our exploration of all it will reveal.

Recommendations for Santorini:

Transportation

While in Santorini, we love to rent an ATV and as long as you are comfortable with the lack of air conditioning, we have found these to be easy to park and relatively easy to navigate the island with. Our accommodations arrange the rental booking and then the ATV shows up at your hotel. This is much easier than finding them yourself as the vendors are spread all over the island. Also, not the most effective travel mode to pick up from the airport with your luggage.

Accommodations

You can’t go wrong with many of the boutique hotels if you want the caldera view and to be pampered on.

Astra Suites : This Imerovigli gem is a beautiful base for time while on Santorini and in addition it has excellent spreads for breakfast and continues to excel with its services.

Anastasis Apartments: in 2016 we were blown away by all the value-added services at this beautiful Imerovigli accommodations. With an onsite spa, excellent breakfasts, amazing aperitifs at 5pm and excellent coffee during the day, we were very impressed by Anastasis.

Tholos Resort: On our most recent visit, we opted for another Imerovigli treat – Tholos Resort. A beautiful resort with an excellent restaurant along the caldera, with exquisite service.

Activities

This depends on what you want to enjoy. A caldera swim is great and a sail with one of the many yachting companies is also great idea. We loved Caldera Yachting in 2016 for its personable service and great food, and an amazing sailing experience.

Another option is visiting the ruins / archaeological site at Akrotiri. The site was very well laid out with history of the region and its former inhabitants.

You can also opt for some wine tasting at one of the many wineries on the island. While Greek wine is not largely available in N. America, it has made a surge in Europe in the last decade or so due to its consistency in excellent whites and rich reds. Some of our favorites for experience and taste are: Domaine Sigalas (beautiful vineyard setting for tasting), Santo Wines (bring your camera and gasp at the view!), Estate Argyros, and Vassaltis Vineyards (very tasty lunch pairing options). (please be patient – the sites can be slow to load!)

Eating:

On the island, food runs the full spectrum. We have eaten at local taverns recommended by our hotels, and been wowed by amazing views and cuisine at top notch establishments we read about. Some we have enjoyed a great deal include: Cacio e Pepe (Fira); La Maison Imerovigli (very romantic!); Taverna Tasos – no view, but, great local food and atmosphere; and Anogi, a wonderful local taverna in Imerovigli with a great family atmosphere – we enjoyed it so much we went three times!

If you have enjoyed this travel guide to Santorini, check out our other travel posts!