Santorini Travel Guide
SUMMARY
Restaurants
Vanilia Mediterranean Cuisine
Remvi
Oia Gefsis
Gyro place (unsure of actual name)
Sights
Famous Blue Church
Port
Black Sand Beach
Red Sand Beach
Green Sand Beach
Activities
Catamaran Outing
Akrotiri Museum & Archaeological Site
Hotel
Belvedere Suites
COMMENTARY
Restaurants
Vanilia Mediterranean Cuisine
· We went here for dinner on our first night and it was really good!
· It’s like a three-season porch vibe; not completely inside, but enclosed and with space heaters
· Loved the atmosphere! If it was lighter out we would’ve had a lovely view of the water, but we still could see the lights of the villages and it was such a pretty view
· I got a mac and cheese that was definitely fancier and more like pasta with a cheese sauce and breadcrumbs
o I wanted like thick American mac and cheese so I wasn’t as pleased but it was actually super good and not too heavy which was nice
· We got some sort of olive oil ice cream I think that was interesting and actually really tasty; definitely unique but I really liked it!
Remvi
· Also loved this restaurant! Technically in Firostefani (one of the village), but really close to Thira, which was where our hotel was; we walked!
· I don’t remember what I got for dinner but I’m pretty sure I split some seafood with my mom and I remember it being good! (I think we got scallops maybe)
· Classic little Santorini building in Greek island style; I loved the aesthetic and it felt cozy but also breezy, island-style
· We had lovely views of the lights of villages on the cliff; there’s some outdoor seating but it was chilly so we sat inside
· The fried rice pudding dessert was delicious; surprised that I did but I loved it!
Oia Gefsis
· We went here on our last night; it was a rooftop restaurant and we were expecting to be right on the edge of the cliff, but we weren’t so that was a bit of a let-down
· There were still pretty views at sunset, but they weren’t like stunning or anything so just keep that in mind!
· I don’t remember what I ate but the food was good and the atmosphere was good too
· There were some pretty spots close by to walk around and see which was my favorite part of the night!
Gyro place (unsure of actual name)
· I don’t know what this place is called but my gyro was DELICIOUS
· I was starving and this totally hit the spot while sitting by the pool
· If you find any little gyro stand it’s bound to be delicious!
o a must-find in Santorini!
Sights
Famous Blue Church
· I don’t know what this is actually called, but a little searching could yield the name
· It’s the most famous scenic blue church on the island and you’ve probably seen it in a bunch of pictures
· It was literally right above our hotel so my mom and I strolled up once during the day and it actually wasn’t too crowded!
· So so beautiful and worth it just for the view and iconic photo op!
Port
· We didn’t go all the way down to sea level to the port, but it was still cool to see from up high
· It’s along one of the main walkways/paths, so worth it to walk by and also see the gondolas going up the side of the cliff
· When I went here when I was 13 we came in through the port and it was such a cool experience to go up in the gondolas
o Plus there’s some old cute tiny buildings down on the port
Black Sand Beach & Red Sand Beach & Green Sand Beach
· We passed all of these on our catamaran cruise and they were super cool to see
· We didn’t actually go up on the beaches but do so if you have the chance!
· I’ve heard really good things about the black sand beach specifically!
Activities
Catamaran Outing
· This was my FAVORITE thing we did in Santorini
· We did the morning slot from 9 to 2 and it was the perfect time
· Literally one of my best days abroad and honestly of my life hahaha
· We cruised through the sea and to a few different spots and got to swim a few times
o Stopped off of a few different beaches, and a sulfurous area where swimming is supposed to be good for the skin!
· They also served us lunch on the boat, which was a Greek style barbecue and it was phenomenal; it was also open bar all day (mostly wine to serve)
· I think the company was called Sunset cruises or something like that
· We got picked up at a certain spot, which was SUPER convenient; the company arranged to pick everyone up
· Try to book a smaller boat with less people; it’s worth it to do a more personal, smaller cruise where you don’t feel as “commercial” and get to actually chat with everyone
o We met a lovely group of British ladies who were fantastic and just so much fun and hung out with them all day!
· ABSOLUTELY would recommend doing something like this; a must-do for sure!
Akrotiri Museum & Archaeological Site
· I didn’t end up going here but we met some wonderful British ladies who went here and said it was the coolest thing and loved it
· I WISH we would’ve had time to go, it sounded SO COOL
· Absolutely go here if you can! Check the hours because they can be kind of weird depending on the season
Hotel
Belvedere Suites
· We loved this hotel!
· The receptionist upgraded us to a nicer suite because it was my mom’s birthday so it’s worth asking!
· This hotel is actually featured in a bunch of touristy and views photos of Santorini that I’ve seen randomly
· The pool and its views were literally unbeatable
· Our room was nice and clean and just simple Greek style! We had views of the water and the cliff; they were STUNNING
o We could even see the wildflowers at the cliff’s base; SO beautiful!
· They had a great menu during the day by the pool and I had a simple but incredible sandwich one day: just feta and tomato on a baguette… SO good omg
· There was a poolside bar open practically all day; the wine especially was fantastic
· They had included all-you-can-eat breakfast every morning and it was also DELICIOUS; everything was so good and we ordered so many things; wish I had room to eat more!!!!
· The hotel provided transportation to and from our catamaran cruise pick-up spot and to dinner when we went to a different village for like 20 euros! Super helpful and it was so much easier to have safe, reliable transportation than finding a cab
OVERALL ADVICE
Transportation
· We walked almost everywhere besides going between villages and to our cruise
· You’ll also definitely need a cab to and from the airport, you can’t walk
Island Itself
· Make sure you set aside substantial time to just explore the island! It’s really walkable and part of the magic of the island is just walking around and taking in the breathtaking views and soaking it all in!
· Wear shoes you can walk in! the paths are pretty uneven and there’s tons of steps on the island
o Aka if you wear super tall impractical wedges before dinner and walk around like me, be careful!!!
· Layer, layer, layer! It gets chilly especially at night because it’s super windy here; we also went in April which isn’t super warm, but there’s a good amount of wind pretty much all year round
· Keep in mind that there are two main bigger villages: Oia (which is the typical picturesque one you see) and Thira (the larger of the two which has more restaurants, hotels, etc)
o You can walk between the two of them but that’s not typical, so keep in mind that if you go between them you’ll probably have to take a taxi!
· The airport is located on a flatter part of the island and more inland; the main spots and tourist areas are on the other side of the island on the side of the cliff
· So this is kind of TMI, but it’s important… bring tampons if you’ll need them!
o There’s minimal pharmacies and I stopped in one of them to grab tampons… turns out in Santorini (and I think in most of Greece) they don’t have tampons with applicators so they’re kinda uncomfortable
o Not a huge deal but worth it to bring some tampons of your own if you have room
