Santorini

Hi there! It's been an age since my last update (I really need to get better at this) but here I am again, and this time to tell you all about our trip to Santorini at the end of May 2017. We had both been extremely excited about this holiday for a long long time and I'm looking forward to reminiscing about what has so far been the best holiday I've ever had. Not only was it our first holiday together as a couple, Santorini will always be special to us both for so so so many reasons (not least because he put a ring on it two days in, but more about that later!)

Day one

After a pretty decent flight on the way over, I was slightly nervous of walking into Santorini's airport which is actually rated one of the worst in the world, but we were fairly quick in reality. Our Thomson rep arranged our transport to the hotel for us, and then we were on our way. I'll admit I was slightly nervous about arriving at the hotel. I had been looking forward to arriving at Amber Light Luxury Villas for so long that I was worried I would be disappointed. I had built it up so much in my head. But OMG even my own expectations were truly surpassed!!

When we arrived at our hotel, we were greeted by two lovely receptionists with a really refreshing drink and taken to our room. When the receptionist opened the door to our room, both our jaws dropped! I'm convinced our room was the best in the hotel. I mean, just look at it!

 

We used our first evening to get used to our hotel and surroundings, chill with a cocktail or two and relax. In all honesty, just thinking about our hotel makes me want to go back. The room was gorgeous, and the shower, heavenly! But the service was also incredible. Major plus points for our outdoor heated whirlpool. This thing could honestly fit at least 8 people in it, it was huge! I loved that although it was outdoors, it still felt very private and the bubbles, of course the bubbles! It was pretty hard to get Daryl out of it most of the time to be honest...

Day 2

I can't believe we actually managed to wake up in time to see a very early sunrise, but I am so thankful we did! Wrapped up warm, we headed outside to sit at the end of our terrace and wait for a peak of the sun. This really was an amazing highlight. Santorini is actually famed for its sunsets, but since we were staying on the sunrise side of the island, we thought we shouldn't miss our opportunity. Personally, I found the sunrise equally, if not more spectacular.

 

 Our first full day in Santorini had us booked on to the Traditional Santorini Sightseeing Bus Tour with Oia Sunset. I booked this tour for us through Get your Guide, and it normally costs around £45 per person, but we were lucky enough to get 20% off at the time. This tour packs so much into one day, it really does! It can be tiring at the end of it, but if you're looking to try and get a good mix of sightseeing and relaxing into your holiday in Santorini, I would definitely recommend it. Plus our guide Christina was fab, and pretty talented. She switched between English and Spanish to our multilingual tour group very easily!

Once we had been picked up from the hotel, the first stop was Akrotiri excavation site. Akrotiri is said to be Santorini's version of the great Pompei. The town was buried in volcanic ash caused by a huge eruption in 1627 BC. It was a really interesting visit and a great introduction to the history of the island.

From Akrotiri, we headed off for a short photo opportunity at the famous Red Beach on the island. This beach is famous for the stark contrast between the blue of the surrounding sea and the highly pigmented red rocks. Interestingly, Red Beach is closed to the public after a certain point because of the dangerous risks posed by the protruding rocks on the cliff above, but that didn't stop the dozens of sunbathers and swimmers in the area. We didn't venture too far though, I'm a bit of a trip hazard as it is!

Next on the itinerary for the day was the traditional trading village of Emporio. Our walk around this village was quite a challenge, as there were lots of small steps leading towards the castle, alleys you could easily lose yourself in, and it was pretty hot at this time of day.

 After our walk around Emporio, we enjoyed some free time at Perissa, a black sand beach! I had never seen black sand before, so this was pretty cool, and I absolutely love being by the seaside, so it was the perfect place for some alone time together. We decided to take shade for a little bit in a quirky bar called Tranquilo, where we feasted on a huge bowl of salad and some fruity smoothies. Very refreshing with a funky vibe.

After Perissa Beach, we then headed to Santorini Winery for wine tasting! Now, I'm not a huge drinker and neither is Daryl, but we can appreciate a cheeky glass of wine now and then. Interestingly, we learned during our visit that the vast majority of people on the island make their living from tourism (hardly a surprise), or from wine. Whilst both Daryl and I usually prefer red wine, it was Santorini's white wine that took us by surprise. Overall, the wine tasting was a fun experience, but the best thing about this place was the view. The view was pretty special!

After admiring the views at Santorini Winery, we ventured up to Profitis Ilias Mountain, the highest mountain on the island, from where we could enjoy some equally incredible views.

 Last on the itinerary for our first full day in Santorini was the famous town of Oia. When people mention Santorini, you would hardly be blamed for immediately thinking of Oia, with its white-washed homes and hotels with turquoise rimmed windows stacked almost on top of each other, and contrasting against the gorgeous coast. Whilst we went back to Oia on the Sunday (more about that later), our first trip there was unfortunately a slight let down. The traffic to get there was absolutely insane, which meant that our time was rather limited in the end. This happened to be because Wednesdays and Saturdays are the busiest on the island because these are popular days for the big cruise ship arrivals, and most, if not all popular tours, end in Oia to see the sunset. This also meant that Oia was extremely busy. The streets were packed with people, and whilst I enjoyed finding a quiet corner to watch the sunset, I also couldn't wait to get back to the hotel as I became quiet anxious as we all headed back to the tour company's office to catch a ride back to the hotel.

It's no surprise that once our tour was over, we were very happy to be back in our hotel room and we hit the hay pretty quickly. What an amazing, but intense day of sightseeing!

Day Three

Given how busy the previous day was, today's plan was simply to relax! And it was definitely my favourite day of our holiday. It will become pretty obvious why in a bit! We spent most of the day chilling either in our hot tub, on the terrace doing some holiday reading, or by the pool.

We also booked some time together in the spa, which was brilliant! The spa at the hotel was so romantic. After meeting our lovely masseuses, we were both treated to a half an hour neck and back massage. I just love being massaged, so this was a real treat. What was also lovely was that the next booking in the spa wasn't until around 45 minutes later, so Daryl and I were left alone to enjoy the sauna and the spa's hot tub alone. It was so calming and for the first time in a long time, I was able to switch off and actually relax (something I usually find quite difficult!)

We spent most of the afternoon by the pool. Given that all rooms either had an outdoor heated whirlpool or their own plunge pool, this meant that the hotel's main pool was hardly ever occupied. I loved having a lie-down or taking the occasional dip, before enjoying a cheeky cocktail or two from the pool bar.

However, here's where the main story of our holiday begins. All day, Daryl seemed as cool as a cucumber, and I honestly couldn't tell that I was in for the surprise of my life, which is crazy, because I'm notoriously impossible to surprise. I began to get a bit chilly around 6pm so I was more than ready to head back to our hotel room and begin getting ready for that evening's dinner. Yet Daryl kept talking me out of it. I just thought he was having a lot of fun floating around in the pool to be honest. I didn't know he was keeping a secret. Eventually we got up to leave, and even the pool's bartender kept us behind with a drink on him. To this day I don't know if he was in on it or not!

When we returned to our hotel, I was extremely shocked to see that rose petals and candles had been laid out all over our room, and that on our terrace, our table had been set with more rose petals, candles and lanterns dotted around it. There was romantic music playing in the background too. I didn't really know how to react to be honest. I started to cry because I felt really overwhelmed by it all but I thought that Daryl was only trying to show me how much he loved me. Even then, I still didn't see it coming!

The restaurant's waiters served us an absolutely incredible five course meal on our terrace, where we also enjoyed some champagne. It was a really special evening, and we talked about anything and everything. Before dessert, talk turned to our future, and before I knew it, Daryl dropped to the floor...on one knee!!!! I started crying, shaking, and laughing uncontrollably. I couldn't quite believe what was happening. It was an absolute dream come true, and of course, I said yes!

 Day Four

Day four I woke up an engaged woman!! I couldn't stop staring at my ring and thinking what on earth had just happened the night prior! I wanted to shout out from the rooftops all over Santorini that I was going to marry the man of my dreams, but I had to make do with a boat instead!

We went on the Santorini: Ocean Voyager 5 hour Catamaran Sunset Cruise. In order to get down to Amoudi Bay to catch our boat, we had to be driven backwards down a narrow road on the cliffside, as there was nowhere for the coach to turn at the bottom! It was weirdly a highlight of the trip!

Whilst Daryl and I both feel a bit sea-sick on boats, we still had an absolutely incredible time on this boat trip. We found an great spot on the edge of the boat to lie down and take in them sun rays, and we had the odd swim in the sea, which was such an amazing feeling despite it being quite cold for the first couple of minutes. We enjoyed a trip to the hot springs, which was a really unique experience, and a fab greek barbecue on deck. I love greek food, probably stemming from all the greek dishes my nan would cook for me when I was growing up, and the constant greek barbecues my Grandad would do no matter the weather. After our barbecue, we watched the famous sunset again from beneath the cliffs of Oia.

 Day Five

 Day five was a chill by the pool and read a book kind of day. How can there be anything better to do?

 Day Six

On the Sunday, we decided to take a trip back up to Oia to wonder around the town during the day. The hotel arranged transport for us, and booked us a table at a wonderful taverna on the seafront at Amoudi Bay, Katina's Taverna. Everything was handled really smoothly and we didn't have to worry about a thing!

I much preferred walking around Oia in the day, despite the heat. We walked through all the little alleyways taking pictures of the mesmerising views, and ducked into small shops full of art and other treasures, and ate ice cream. It was great to sightsee together for a few hours as a couple. Also a major must if you're visiting the island, is to visit Atlantis Books. This is a world famous book store, and it's so quirky and full of mesmerising drawings and quotes on the walls from some of the world's best literature, and even has a large range of first edition books on sale. I'm a total bookworm so obviously going there the once wasn't enough! Then came another highlight of our holiday! We had to walk down over 300 steep steps covered in donkey poo to get down to Amoudi Bay! It was difficult and I was shaking by the end of it, but it was super memorable! And boy was it worth it to enjoy our lunch consisting of the freshest fish! It was among the best few hours of our trip!

Day Seven

We spent our last day in Santorini again at our hotel. With little time left before we would have to head back home, we made the most of our gorgeous room, the pool, the whirlpool and the food, which leads me on to...

The Food

I love food and the food we had in Santorini was among some of the best food I've ever tasted, so obviously it needs a special mention! The food at our hotel was spot on. I didn't eat anything I didn't like. The buffet at breakfast had such a variety, but personally, I need to another club sandwich in my life. At 17 euros for a sandwich (yeah but it is the best sandwich in the world), Daryl and I had to budget quite tight and share these bad boys for our lunch. It was very much worth it though!

The End of our holiday

We were both absolutely gutted to leave Santorini. It really turned out to be everything I had dreamed of, and so much more. We got to do most of the things we wanted to do, except for a visit to CineKamari, a popular outdoor cinema. But that just gives us more reason to go back sometime! Besides, I couldn't be too upset at the thought of leaving, I was ready to launch myself straight into wedding planning (which I have done, and deserves several blog posts on its own!)

Ultimately, I would recommend Santorini to anyone looking not only for somewhere romantic to go away, but somewhere with great weather, food, and gorgeous views.

Chrissy

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