Santorini 🇬🇷 7 Days, 1 Caldera and 50,000 Steps
Quick holiday facts
Duration: 7 nights
Accommodation: Santa Irina Luxury Sunny Lofts & Flights: return London Stansted to Santorini with Ryanair (holiday package booked via Voyage Prive) £1,200
Car Hire: 7 days for £100 via Expedia/Europcar
Spending Money for all lunches, wine, cocktails, dinners, entry fees to museums: £1000
APPROX TOTAL SPEND = £2,300
The stunning and arguably, iconic Santorini sunset from Santo Wines.
Read on for more…
After much anticipation, alot of Instagram hype and many recommendations from family & friends, we landed on Santorini for a late summer, end of season break.
And what a treat it was!
Our 7-day itinerary fell into place after we arrived. This was very much a "let's see what the weather does" kind of break, and it was only slightly marred by an orange weather warning for wind 🌬️
Top tip: HIRE A CAR! We found that taxis are expensive (more on that later) and so if your accommodation isn’t centrally located, like ours was (although it was a GREAT LOCATION!), you’ll need a car to get around to see all the sights, we found it was absolutely essential. And what a bargain we found at £100 for a 7-day hire! Plus, the Greek roads and drivers weren’t as bad as we’d been told…
Grab a bite to eat and a cuppa, here's how the week unfolded…
In beautiful Oia…
Day 1: Arrival & a wander down to Perivolos Black Beach for cocktails and dinner
After checking in to our hotel - the superb Santa Irina Luxury Sunny Lofts (see room tour below!), we unpacked and headed down to the beach. 5 minutes walking later and we hit Perivolos Beach. A stunning black stretch of sand lined with a choice of beach bars and eateries. We were starving so soon picked out Afros Restaurant to sample our first of sooooo many delicious Greek dinners… And then a further wander took us to Barolo Beach for award-winning cocktails and the company of a local street cat who pitched up on our knee whilst we enjoyed the drinks!
Here’s a quick look around our elegant suite at Santa Irina Luxury Sunny Lofts, showcasing the comfortable living space and bright, welcoming atmosphere.
Day 2: Oia and That Famous Sunset at Ammoudi Bay
We started with some chill time by the pool at our hotel and then, iconic Oia. Ofc. And what a way to begin our intro to the island. Although we were disappointed at the lack of blue domed churches. Goodness - Santorini and therefore Greece have got really good at marketing since Instagram will show you idyllic cliff top villages full of blue domes. They are lovely but there’s not loads!
We spent the afternoon wandering the quaint, beautiful cobbled streets, popping into the shops and taking in the castle. A sheeps milk ice cream (which was tasty but interesting!) and a short lunch stop at the revered Roka (it lived up to its reviews 100%!); we mooched around looking at the many jewellery and pottery boutiques and the gorgeous view of the caldera.
Have to say here: we would absoluitely not have liked to stay in Oia istelf. Too busy - too many cruise passengers in groups hoarding the narrow streets and gawping at the view, therefore getting in the way. Oh and those queues for the most instagrammable photo spots - get out of here! Don’t spend an hour queuing for that people!
Then, as the sun began to set, came the famous Oia steps down to lovely Ammoudi Bay, where we had dinner at Dimitris Taverna for sunset. Going down was the easy part. Coming back up was another story 😅
A stunner of a first day, and 100% worth the climb. Steps walked in total: 15,000 (in an afternoon!).
Evening in Oia…
Day 2: Fira, Shopping, a Hike to Skaros Rock & cave settlement at Emporeio
Day two was more walking! That was abit of a theme of this trip… Orange weather warning for wind set in, and we set off for Fira, the islands capital, for yet more exploring and a spot of shopping.
Looooooads of cute shops - you can get lost in the labrinth alleys of shops galore - but do take part of the coastal path as it does reward you with stunning views of the caldera, even if a tad breezy! Give yourself at least 3 hours, take a short detour to take in the 3 Dome Church and the Cathedral and acquaint yourself with the main square. There’s a vibe here, and on the whole island tbf, that simply feels really peaceful.
Later that day we headed to Imerovigli, a cliffside village further along the caldera coast, to (inadvertently) hike to Skaros Rock. The views were incredible 🤩 the wind gusts not so much! But it is absolutely worth the effort for unparalleled panoramic views of the island, islands further away and the caldera (which if you don’t know, google says it’s a large, bowl-shaped or cauldron-like volcanic depression that forms when a volcano's magma chamber empties during an eruption and the ground above it collapses inward).
Afterwards, and approximately 20,000 steps later, we'd more than earned a well-deserved glass of wine a a lovely little bar at the top of the cliff 🍷
Later that evening we headed in traditional village Emporeio, to wander the original cave settlement of the island (5000 people live there, you wouldn’t know!) and we admired the many cave houses in a labrinth of alleys and cobbled streets before a great dinner at The Old Barber Shop.
Here we tried traditional Santorinian Fava (delish!) and demolished a wonderful Greek meat platter. And ofc, we were visited by more cats.
This image was taken in Emporeio’s cave settlement.
With another cat!
Day 3: Beach Yoga, Tomatoes, Lighthouses and Gyros
We started day three at Kamari beach with a private yoga lesson right on the sand. It was early morning and it was FRESH! 🥶 Thanks to a great birthday gift booked by Amy’s father, Amy spent an hour dynamically stretching on Perissa beach with the lovely Mickey who runs Santorini Dru Yoga. We followed it with a little time by the pool, but then the sun went in and the orange wind warning stuck around.
Soooooo, plans soon pivoted! And we decided to visit the Tomato Industrial Museum, pictured above. It was surprisingly good and genuinely interesting. We even tried the delicious tomato paste the factory and the island were once famous for. And, our first ever taste of a Bloody Mary! Incredible 🍅
After that we, we did a little car tour and drove to Akrotiri for the lighthouse, with a cheeky glass of vino at the Panorama Restaurant. Then we kept driving to the island's highest point and the monastery.
That evening we walked along the seafront to Perissa for what else? Gyros! 🌯
Perivolos Beach with it’s black sand!
The views from Oia over the stunning caldera…
Day 4: Pool Day, Cats and Metaxi Mas
Day four was a day by the pool at the hotel. Later we had a sunset drink at the stunning Rita Bar in Pyrgos (climb to the top of the village for the best views!), cue yet more cats and more delicious wine! 🐈 …this trip certainly had a few themes!
We finished the day at Metaxi Mas, the island's well-known and best rated restaurant, and, we can tell you that it really was excellent. Great view overlooking Kamari and the mountains. Simply great food.
Dinner with a stunning view at Metaxi Mas
Day 5: A Sunset Boat Trip
Day five was a sunset boat trip with Santorini Yachting Club.
Setting sail from Ammoudi Bay, we headed to the volcanic “hot” springs - which spoiler alert - are in absolutely no way hot! Not even warm 😂 but that was a pleasant swimming stop. Then onwards we sailed towards the Red Beach, the White Beach and eventually back to the bay to watch the sunset again. A great meal was served on board and with unlimited drinks, what’s not to enjoy?! We even made friends with some Americans & Canadians! A nice way to spend an afternoon and thankfully, it wasn’t TOO WINDY! 🤗
Views from inside the ‘hot’ springs of the Nia Kammeni Islet (volcano!).
Day 6: Ancient Thira and Zoodochos Pigi, with our final evening spent at Santo Wines
Day six included a drive up to Ancient Thira, followed by a short but hot and steep hike to Zoodochos Pigi. Soooooo. Anicent Thira is a tiny bit disappointing. If you’ve been to other ancient sites in the world (like we have), it’s basically a pile of rocks. Not worth the hike (we drove to the top and then back down and only hiked the first section!) and note: there are no public toilets provided. And you can tell. Clearly, people have to go somewhere and that means tissues and trees that stick like wee. Skip this if you’re considering it or having a day in Kamari. Speaking of which, is really lovely!
We ended the week with the most brilliant wine flight at Santo Wines, followed by dinner as we watched the sun set over the caldera one final time. Now, that really is a perfect way to end a trip. The service at Santo Wines is top notch and the wine…. well, simply divine. Yep, we made space in our suitcase to bring home a bottle or two! Definitely add it to your list if you’re planning on visiting Santorini soon.
Image: The 4 wine flight and charcuterie board at Santo Wines. So worth it!
Image: The view from Ancient Thira. This part was worth it but the ruins? Not so much!
