Santorini
This 73 km² (28 sq. mi) island forces your mind to immediately reset it's inner perspective and accept that it is possible for one of the largest volcanic eruptions on record to spawn one of the most beautiful cities in the world.GETTING THERE:We opted for the Blue Star ferry from Paros which took about 3 hours. I would highly recommend business or VIP class for all your ferry adventures when possible. Santorini does have and airport so it may just be easier to fly right in. We flew Aegean/Olympic on internal flights and except for a very strange cookie they once served us the experience was great.THE HOTEL:Using our research tools we narrowed down our options and ended up choosing the Pegasus Hotel and Spa, which rated as a 5 star hotel located in Imerovigli. The island's capital Fira is a 25 minutes (downhill) walk and a 35 minute (uphill) walk back. The hotel is stunning it encompasses the Classic vertical drama that makes Santorini so exciting from an architectural standpoint.
The facilities: we opted for a smaller room without its own pool and or jacuzzi since to be honest that's more of something you should try if you are on your honeymoon. The room was classic cave like in structure, clean and basic. We did have an issue with air conditioning that was later remedied. If you're trying to save money but still want to experience this five star resort try room 106. There is a wonderful common pool with the best Bartender (shout out to Teo). The spa is fully functional though we didn't capitalize on their services.
The staff: we found the "on the ground" team including the bartender at the pool and the staff of the Restaraunt and housekeeping to be friendly, welcoming and always kind. We did get the sense that they were all overworked, often running around non stop for 12-15 hour shifts 7 days a week. Still they kept a smile the whole time.
Management: I must say that we found the managements response to a problem with our air condition unit to be inappropriate for a five star facility. I would take away one of those precious stars for the response but who am I to do that.
Food: while we didn't eat dinner at the hotel we did enjoy our complimentary breakfast. Compared to all of our other hotels I would rate it as adequate but nothing more. The view however was spectacular.
Bottom line: beautiful place to stay with kind staff, I'd call it 4 stars because of our own experience but would definitely recommend it because of it's amazing views, great pool, genuine ground team and ideal location.WHAT TO DO? We only had about three days in santorini which I do think is enough. Here are the highlights of what we thought were some of the must do items on our list:
Watch the sunset on Oia (pronounced Eya...or is your best Australian accent "ear"). The sunset here was beautiful, and even more was the afterglow for the serval minutes after the sun set. Get there early and peruse the markets. Google "where is the classic photo of santorini taken" and it will guide you to the exact location in Oia where the infamous postcard photo is taken.
Hang out on the red beach because it's just so so cool. It's a bit of a climb down so bring a pair of sneakers. Once there you can then take a water taxi to the white and black beaches. A good place to grab lunch is on the black sand beach just where the water taxi drops you off.
We didn't do this but taking a boat to explore the caldera and the volcano would have been fun.
Explore Fira the main city but don't spend too long there as we found Oia to be far superior.
Walk from Fira to Imerovigli and take way too many selfies.
Lounge by your pool and just take it all in.
WHERE TO EATSelene or La Maison: For the classic high end romantic (only do it once type of place) where you will spend a hefty amount of Euros for a gastronomic journey with a view, try one of these venues. We opted for Selene which is on the highest point of the island so we enjoyed yet another amazing sunsetNaoussa tavern (in Fira): we loved this place and ended up going here twice for dinner. Perched right in Fira with an amazing view of the city on its upper patio you get the true greek experience here. Highly rated on trip advisor and in our own opinion this is a must do. Make a reservation it can get busy during peak hours.HOW TO GET AROUND:Many people rent scooters or ATV's but we found the roads to be a bit busy and after finding two guys thrown off their ATV Sprawled out on the highway we opted for public transportation or taxis.The bus was just a bit chaotic for my liking unless you get it early and get a seat. Taxis are about 10 euros to most places but there are only about 33 cabs for the whole city.Final thought....Santorini is a spectacle that at times seems unreal to the human mind. It's vistas are a vertical wonderland showered by the magnificent sunsets. Some of that shimmer however has been dulled by an over abundance of tourists, brides and wedding parties. We are so happy we went but we will be unlikely to return.