I have spent a week vacationing on Santorini. The reason why I have chosen Santorini over the other 1400 Greek Islands, was my profesor who goes there rugularly and is completely in love with it. All his describing of the island made me decide to go there. Santorini is a small group of volcanic islands located in the Aegean Sea about 200 km south-east from the mainland of Greece. The Greek islands are devided into island groups and Santorini belongs into the island group of the Cyclades. It's spread on 73 sq km and has a population of about 13,600 people.
1.) TRANSPORTATION Buses: They were my main form of transportation for exploring the island. The transfer between the airport (which is about 8 km away from Thira/Fira - »capital« of Santorini) was easy to find, there were plenty of buses that had hotel names written on them - so they literally drop you off infront of your hotel, which is great. The taxis were also available of course. Now as far it goes
for getting around the island one thing is true, all roades lead to Thira. Every bus starts from Thira and any changeovers for the next bus must be made there. There is no route connecting one side of the island with the other. In general I find the buses exhausting. A normal drive goes something like this: the driver and the asistent stuff the bus with as many passengers as they can, to the point where people are literally like sardines (I am not overreacting). During the wild drive, the asistent comes and squizes himself through the crowd (cursing and leaning onto the others with his weight) and collects the money for the tickets. Trust me, he makes sure that everyone pays! The driver has a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other, somewhere between there is a wheel. But I believe this is a part of a unique Greek experience. A drive normally costed me some 1.50 euro. Boates: I took a boat when I visited the Vulcano and Thirasia (island), everything was organised. Finding offers to go on such little trips isn't hard at all. You can find them on every step, especially because the vulcano is one of Santorinis popular attractions.
2.)SIGHTSEEING - The Vulcano: To get there you have to go by boat. I have never been on a vulcano before so I pictured it differently. The walk there (to the top) at 12:00am in the hot sun was a killer! I recommend you take a drink, sunglasses and a hat with you. But it's worth the trip! - Red Beach: Red, because the beach is covered with orange/red sand and cliffs above are the same colour as well, so that is what makes the whole beach look really beautiful. Warning though, the waves can be annoying for those who don't like it and the water is very dirty!!! If you want un umbrella and a chair, you have to pay for it, but what you'll get is another story. - Oia: Many claim that in Oia there is the most beautiful sunset in the world. I can't guarantee for that since it wasn't visable the day I was there. The place was really nice. Very touristic, you have to be quick catching a bus there. - Thira: It's almost impossible not to go there. It is the center of Santorini. Many restaurants, giftshops, the view is very nice. The walk through the town is very interesting and unique, the streets are narrow, mostly going up (it's on a hill), every now and then a donky comes along… - Prehistoric Museum: Contains artefacts, frescos…from Akrotiri and Ancient Thira. It didn't impress me all that much. You sholud be fine if you miss it. - Ancient Thira: an archeological village on the top of a hill, between Kamari and Perissa. Walking on it was a nightmare!It took pretty long, it wouldn't be so bad if it was a little cooler. - Akrotiri: It's a major archaeological site. It was closed the whole time I was there due to the renovation. I am very interested in arheology so I was a bit disappointed because of that. - Kamari: The part of the island were my hotel was. It's a touristic place, meant for relaxing on the beach and going clubbing at night. Other places very similar to Kamari are Imerovigli, Pyrgos, Perissa.
3.) FOOD Gyros: I liked it, but you should examine the meat before you eat it. Greek salad: I love the olives and the feta cheese in it. Tzatziki: Greek meze or appetizer. Basic ingredientes are strained yoghurt, cucumbers. I liked it but not in large amounts, it was served along many things I've ordered. Ouzo: Typical Greek drink. You should try it. Beefteki: Didn't like it at all. Too dry. Moussaka: I've eaten it before in my country, but the Greek one wasn't good. Souvlaki: Similar to gyros I think. I liked it.4.) OTHER
black sand: black colour + hot climate = not very good for the feet. The sand looks great though.
dogs: You can find them almost everywhere. They are all friendly, but some are in questionable state. Most have owners, that is what I've heard from the locals, but I kind of doubt that.
weather: Hot, hot, hot, but at night it was a little cold and windy (I was there in september), definitely bring along something warm.
Greek taverns : For a unique Greek experience try dinning out in one. You'll find them on every corner.
Creperies: I've eaten a lot of these. They are super good!
Greek alphabet: I studied ancient Greek, so that came in handy
5.) PEOPLE: Majority is non-Greek actually. They were ok. Don't take no for an answer, very pushy sometimes. They've tryed to rip me off on several occasions and proving them they are wrong was a tough task. They're very stuburn.6.) ACCOMMODATION I stayed in hotel Orion in Kamari.It was a great hotel - nice, quiet, small, had a big pool ( I love pools), friendly staff, great location… But this wasn't the hotel I primarily booked, that one was too full, so they sent me to Orion. First I was kind of annoyed by it, but the situation was quickly over. I've heard from other people too, that they had similar problems in Greece - you never know where you'll end up, they say.
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Comments about this review »
argyle_dave 04.06.2007 23:09
Top review, Im off there next week and now ive go some useful tips - thx dave
mkmvmg 06.04.2007 20:02
*susan1967 - That's great! Have fun and enjoy!
* Beccaa_X - Hmm...don't recall seeing this bar, my memory of the restaurant names pretty much faded. I remember the name of the two nightclubs: Albatros (I didn't like it, am not a big fan of the music they play in there) and Dom (that one was full of dunken people, so I didn't even bothered going in). As well I remember a crepes stall- Traffico (that one is in Perissa). When I look back, I've been in many cafes, restaurants/taverns, bars, but that's all of the names I remember now. I always ate somewhere different and there was too many of them in general to keep track. The only palce where I ate several times was some waffle stall.
But in case I'll be going to Santorini, I'll definitely check the place out.
Glad you liked the review!
Beccaa__X 05.04.2007 17:12
I went to Kamari aswell and loved it. I love quite alot of the Greek foods but the ones you didnt like are the same with me. Did you ever see that snack bar called Splash? Me and my family loved it there.
Nice review xx
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Apr 4th, 2007
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