Santorini Nighlife

I know that I have promised to post things about the nightlife, but after a lot of discussions with several friends I concluded that nightlife is different for each person. It depends if you are single or in a relationship, if you are are depressed or happy and many other factors. The good news is that Santorini and especially Fira have bars and clubs for everyone. Just go and discover them!!!! Santorini nightlife is waiting for you!

Santorini Excursions

Excursions

There are excursions to the volcano in a daily basis. I have never been, because all my friends have told me that it is nothing special, but you don’t lose anything if you try it. Especially, if you like hiking go for it!

Also there is an excursion with a boat called Atlantis which will get you in 30 meters depth. You can see how does the volcano look underwater and also some ship wrecks.
Another very nice thing you can do is to follow the “wine path”. Santorini is very famous for its wineries, which you can visit and taste the different wines of each winery. There are signs everywhere in the road. If you are bored just try the Sigalas winery, it will be enough. Also, if you want to buy some Vinsanto (sweet wine), buy from Sigalas or Argyrou (they are the best).

There are other types of excursions (ancient sites, etc.), so ask the hotel for further recommendations!

Santorini Sunset

Sunset

Santorini is famous for its sunsets. The villages of the island are really high and this makes sunset really picturesque. You will see hundreds of couples standing and waiting for the sunset and that is why probably Santorini has the fame of the "couple island" (many people choose Santorini for their honeymoons). However, although I agree that is nice to go with your boyfriend/girlfriend, I would say that singles have a great time as well! So do not get discouraged by the romantic character of the island!!

Oia is considered the best place to watch the sunset. Imerovigli is also a very nice place to view the sunset, but there are not many bars to sit. Fira is nice as well. Now, some famous places that people enjoy their cocktails, watching the sunset is Franco’s (Fira), Aspa of Palea Orihia (Oia) and Cafe΄ del Mar e Sol. Generally, you should better walk and choose the one you prefer best.

Santorini Food

Food

Food is something that Santorini is really famous for. Many restaurants there have won prizes. The problem though is that it is very touristic and if you don’t know where to eat you will find a lot of crappy and expensive food, so be careful.

You should definitely taste fava (or plates with fava) and tomato balls. In addition try plates with eggplants (and especially the white eggplant which is a Santorini specialty) etc. Also Santorini is very famous for its wines, so try Vinsanto and definitely go visit some wineries (I will write about it later).

Koukoumavlos: It is an award winner restaurant. It is in Fira, in an old manor house. Not so traditional plates, mostly creative plates, that use traditional Greek ingredients. View of the old Fira city and the volcano.

Saltsa: It is in Fira. The design of the place is cool and the food is very good. The prices are decent. I think they have a nice plate with codfish and one with white eggplant. Also the ice-cream was good. It has not good view.

Selini: Nice view to the sunset and the caldera. The chef there is crazy about using Greek products in a creative way, so you will taste Greek cuisine. I do not remember where it is, you should ask.

Metaxy mas: It is very difficult to find it (it is in a village called Exo Gonia, just under the village Pyrgos). As you go to Exo Gonia you will meet a church. You should ask where the school is and I think it is close to the school, but not very sure. The interior is very picturesque and they normally light the fire. The food is super good. It is a tavern, but a very very good one. It is one of my favorites.

218o: It’s in Oia, it is a new one, so I’ve only heard about it. It is an all day resto and it is named like that because of the view of 218o. Some people say it is the best view of the sunset, but it maybe only rumors. The food is good.

1800: It is one of the most famous ones, but I am not sure if it changed to 218o or not. For sure the people that own 218o, own also 1800. Try to find it, it is in Oia.

Fish Taverns

Do not expect any great environment, but the fish you will have will be very good. There are mostly traditional taverns like the ones you see on the movies (most of them on the beach). If you like fish and seafood, try octopus, calamari, marida, gavro, etc.

Dichtya: From many it is considered the best fish tavern of the island. They have a special way to cook the fish.

Kyra-Katina : It is the tavern in Ammoudi (under Oia). It has traditional Greek food and fish. It is a good choice if you decide to eat after swimming there.

Skaramangas: Also nice fish but the environment is worse than the others and not the best for a honeymoon!

Santorini Beaches

Beaches

Santorini, because of the volcano has not the classic blue and green color of the Greek islands in its sea. The waters are very deep and black, but there are some beaches that might worth it to visit. Personally, I like Santorini because of the beauty it has, the food and the lifestyle and not because of the beaches (this is something it lacks).

Vlychada : The rocks will remind you of sculptures and are made of pumice. The sea is a bid wild (because of the wind and the waves) and do not expect too much sand into the sea. However the view of the rocks is nice.

Red Beach: Not very easy to access (maybe better to take the small boat from Perissa or Kamari). What is nice there is the red color of the beach and its rocks. Normally, it’s full of people so it’s not that nice, but right now it is a good period to try it.

Ammoudi / Armeni: A very small cove (is this the right word?), but very picturesque. It’s my best choice, but this is really objective. The best place to go is the rocks behind the lighthouse where the waters are blue. Then you can eat to Katerina’s ( or Katina) tavern which is very good and famous. The other taverns are not bad though. Fish is good there. You can either go by car or go down on a donkey (it will be fun!).

White Beach: Again difficult to access (it’s next to the red one). You either have to walk from the red to the white one or to take a small boat again. It has a big whte rock and it is full of pumice and pebbles. The water is very clean there and in case you take the boat you will pass next to a very big and nice rock. Also swimming towards the red one will lead you to meet many small caves.

Perivolos: The most cosmopolitan beach of all, with beach bars, sports, etc. Long, with clean and cold waters. It deepens very quickly (after 3-4 steps I think).

Perissa: Cosmopolitan beach, well organized, with lots of bars on the beach (which will be closed, so calmer). It deepens really quickly, it’s fun to see that. Long beach , with sand and very easy to access (I think there are signs everywhere).

Santorini (1)

Hi again! I am really sorry for not being very quick with new posts, but lack of time is killing me!!

So, this time, the new hidden treasure has to do with a not hidden island at all, Santorini! Santorini, along with Mykonos may be the most famous island of Greece. However, this post will talk about hidden treasures within Santorini. Santorini is beautiful, but it is also very touristic, so I will try to indicate some hidden places that will make your stay there far more enjoyable!

In general Santorini for me it is one of the most beautiful Greek islands. Fira, Oia and secondarily Imerovigli (the view there is amazing, but there are mainly residences and hotels) are the places that you should visit and walk for sure.

There are plenty of things to do from wine tasting to volcano sightseeing (and of course watching the romantic sunset). In addition, Santorini is a centre of gastronomy. Many of the restaurants there possess the "Chrisous Skoufous" award, which are the Greek "Michelin Stars" (ok, I may be exaggerating a bit!). In any case you can definitely find a series of great and very creative restaurants.

This time, I will split my post in different sub-sposts, as I have to write to many things!