An Ode to Santorini – The Most Romantic Island in the World

On 18^th May 2022, we woke up in the dreamiest place on Earth!

50 Shades of Blue and 50 Shades of White around us . . . and we just couldn’t stop Greekin’ over those picture perfect views!

When you think of a quintessential Greek Holiday, you’ll probably conjure up dreamy images of Santorini. Without an iota of doubt, Santorini has to be the one of the most romantic islands you have ever visited. Smooth sparkling white houses baked into side of cliffs, overlooking a crescent shaped bay. Plus world famous sunsets, ideally observed from your private Jacuzzi with a glass of wine in hand.

“As we snuggled comfortably inside our comfy white sheets, a ray of sunshine seeped in through the window opened our eyes. Our eyes were in for a treat as the first golden rays of the sun touched upon the iconic whitewashed village walls .The waters of the Aegean Sea beyond the caldera sparkled with a hint of blue as the cumulative reflection of the skies and iconic blue domes fell upon its roaring waves. A gust of fresh breeze swept across our faceswhen we rang in for our morning Greek Coffee.”

The ‘View’ from our Villa as the First Rays of the Morning Sun touches upon the Aegean Sea!. . .

Accommodation

Think opulently furnished whitewashed rooms carved into the cliffs of Fira and Private Plunge Pools overlooking the Caldera. Our accommodation was a luxury cave hotel and luxe experiences like yachting in the caldera, sightseeing in a chauffeured Bentley and degustation dinners prepared by your private Greek chef came at an additional premium price. However the breakfast spread on our private balcony was built into the price of the hotel.

Opulently furnished Whitewashed Rooms built into the Cliffs of Fira. . .Aren’t they just magnificient???

Of course such ethereal accommodation in Santorini doesn’t come cheap – but some experience are definitely worth a little splurge, aren’t they?

After a solid pampering, we set out to explore what the gorgeous island had in store for us. But unlike our last international island expedition, this time we had a plan in hand.

The Map of Santorini for Ease of Reference

DAY – 1

On our first day, we just wanted to soak in the vibe of the place we were currently in. We put on a comfy airy outfit and joggers and walked up to Firostefani.

Firostefani

Although considered a separate establishment altogether, Firostefani is indeed an extension of Fira. The name “Firostefani” (Fira + Stefani, meaning crown in Greek) derives from its position on the highest part of Fira. The gifted location on the caldera and the pacific atmosphere that embraces every corner of the village, makes it an attractive choice for travelers and tourists alike.

The Classic ‘Three Bell Chapel’ at Firostefani

We walked along narrow quaint paths, gazing at the splendid views. The highest point in Fira gave us a different perspective of the magnificient volcano. But what caught our attention are some gigantic white blue churches dispersed effortlessly among the beautiful, typical Greek Houses.

Another View Point – The White and Blue Chapel with a dash of Yellow!!!

After a couple of photographs, we made our way to the shopping alley and grabbed a cup of coffee and Greek Wraps at a cozy café.

After a light lunch, we furthered our steps towards Imerovigli and stopped at this magnificient monastery. It was the female monastery of Agios Nikolaos. The artifact was resplendent with a folklore museum and an ecclesiastical museum with rare Byzantine icons and a unique icon of the Saint devoted.

After soaking in the essence of Firostefani, we retraced our steps back to our cave hotel in Fira for a good afternoon doze.

It was almost 6 pm when we woke up from our slumber! We had plans to watch the sunset from the famous sunset point in Fira. But the good thing was, sunsets in Greece were always later than 8 pm.

Sunset and Franco’s Bar

We grabbed our seats on the Caldera side and ordered our drinks. Honestly, sunsets in Oia are touted to be the best and so we did not have much expectations from this one.

The Sunset Point at Franco’s Bar , Fira! Don’t you just love the colours?

But lo and behold, we were spellbound when the rays of the sun flared its wings in exotic colours of red, yellow and orange throughout the horizon, falling playfully on the enormous white canvas of the sprawling church walls.

DAY – 2

Oia

The early morning of our second day in Santorini was reserved for viewing and photographing the dreamiest part of this island – ‘Oia’.

Every Click in Oia is a Postcard Shot! Nothing Could get dreamier than this. . .

You’ve seen it, we have seen it, everybody has seen it; be it in Greek postcards, yearly calendars or insta feeds. You know, the view of the traditional Greek buildings cascading down to the water, pops of blue from church domes, pretty windmills, colourful laneways, all shrouded in a golden glow of sunset. This is what an idyllic Greek Summer Holiday looks like in the most romantic part of the island!

Spring in Full Bloom! Typical Oia Things. . .

The Rustic Oia Castle and Byzantine Ruins!

We walked through a myriad of colourful laneways, gorged at the outrageous views, relished on the world class Greek Food and wine and tumbled through the unique shopping streets. Oia is photographers’ haven. A little later in the day when we had almost covered the noteworthy spots, we could see the crowds getting denser and hordes of pretty girls in their flying dresses, posing to be photographed at the very same iconic spots!

Oia is not just White and Blue. . .

“Phew! Thank God we made the cut early in the day, when we had the entire island to ourselves!!”

After exploring every inch of the town (seriously, our knees could take no more stairs!), we made our exit to a quieter and quainter ‘Imerovigli’.

Imerovigli

This part of the island is just as beautiful, much less rushed and often overlooked by tourists and travelers. It was late spring and the patios, blue doors and white walls of houses and churches were all drapped in pink bougainvillea.

A Bougainvillea Draped Chapel in Imerovigli. . .If only Beauty had another name!

We took our trail towards the edge of the cliff towards our first stop, the ‘Anastasis Church of Agios Nicholos’. Just when we had reached we saw the proceedings of a live Greek Wedding!!! The Bride and Groom totally in love, a Greek Orthodox Priest clutching the Holy Book and the friends and family (the Baarati in full glory). All this felt straight out of a novel!!!

A Live Greek Wedding Set up near the Anastasis Church of Agios Nicolos!

We grabbed a quick lunch of Greek Souvlaki and Ouzu and made our way back to Fira Bus-Stand.

We caught the next bus to the famous Black Beach towards the southernmost tip of the island.

Volcanic Wonders I tell you! Loads of drinks and sea food came our way as we settled inside a double lounger, gazing at the vast expanse of the deep blue Aegean Sea. Another exotic sunset was on the pipeline.

Truth be told, the sunset isn’t as hyped at the Perissa beach as it is in Oia, but we did  enjoy seeing the sun drop below the deep blue ocean horizon. And that glistening black sand looked all the more enticing when set off by the rays of the setting sun with a steaming cup of Greek Coffee in hand.

For dinner we were treated to the hugest and juiciest Calamaris. We grooved to some Greek music on the full moon sand, while sipping our martinis. After an ages of Fun n Frolic we somehow boarded the last bus to Fira and had a good nights’ sleep inside our cozy den!

DAY – 3

Beach Fun

On the third day, we were all geared up for an early morning beach expedition.  Beaches in Santorini are mischievously coloured in red, black and white.

Maddy is all about collecting and posing with hand picked natural souvenirs. . .Wouldn’t recommend this dangerous trek to Red Beach though

Red Beach, our first stop for the day required quite a bit of trekking and not the pleasant sort. Do not go by the over-saturated over-edited images present all over the internet. This is how it actually looks like. But it is pretty nevertheless, isn’t it?

The Un-Saturated Un-Edited version of Red Beach. . .

We then proceeded towards the Kamari Beach. Like Perrissa Beach, Kamari is also a black beach. One is separated from the other by a huge rock. Kamari had all the laid back vibes we were looking for. We  rested on the free loungers, played in the waters of the mighty Aegean Sea, had an extended exotic Greek Lunch of Gyros, Souvlaki and Greek Wine and  took a couple of photographs. By the end of it, we could safely claim Kamari Beach to be our favourite of the lot.

A Relaxing Morning by the Kamari Beach. . .

The Black Sand of Kamari Beach – Another Volcanic Marvel of Santorini!

Sunset at Oia Castle (Cloudy Sky)

By 4 pm, much to our dismay, black and grey clouds started enveloping the Santorini Skies. We were supposed to watch the ‘Exotic Oia Sunset’ today. Only there was no sun. However, we decided to go with it anyway. By 5:30 pm we were prancing through the streets of Oia and by 6 pm we were there at the Oia Castle, the most famous spot for sunset viewing. ‘Oia Castle’ was devoid of its usual crowd.

In order to pass the time, we made our way to the Oia Castle Café under a vine decked pergola and ordered a cup of Greek Coffee and honey infused Baklava pastries each. Finally it was time for sunset. We will let the pictures do the talking.

Cloudy Sunset Skies from Oia Castle. . .Oia All Lit Up!

DAY – 4

Pyrgos

Pyrgos is the best-preserved medieval settlement on the island. It’s got beautiful, blue-dome churches on every corner and a maze of stone streets for you to explore.

Quintessential Pyrgos Ruins is all things Rustic!!!

Once in Pyrgos, we dashed straight to the Pyrgos Castle. This is the most iconic spot of this old town from where we could see 360 degrees view of the city.

It was Windy on the Top of ‘Pyrgos Castle’. . .But anything for this gorgeous 360 degrees view of the quaint town!!!

But one has never experienced the essence of Pyrgos, unless they have visited the Monastery of Profitis Illias – a steep 3 km climb from the Pyrgos Square. Standing majestically on top the hill of Gavrilos and the Monolithic Rock, the volcanic and pre-volcanic remains of the fort screamed ‘Greek Orthodox History’. We marveled at the architectural genius and the religious art inscribed throughout the place in the form of paintings and caricature.  Around 10000 plants, flowers and trees that have been planted around the monastery, and an orchard of over 700 olive trees completed the picture.

The ‘Monastery of Profitis Illias’ – the Torch Bearer of Greek Orthodox History!

Sunset in Oia (Clear Sky)

If you remember, the previous day was cloudy and pouring. So we didn’t exactly get to see the ‘Sun Going Down’ in the most beautiful sunset spot in the world. Luckily for us, this day was bright and sunny, and we wouldn’t miss this Perfect Sunset for anything in the world.

The Crowd at Oia Castle to Witness the ‘Iconic Sunset’

Because of its unprecedented beauty, Oia has been the site of many movie sets. The pink and ocher details on the churches, offset by the white and blue houses paint a portrait of village life that is too colorful to put into words.

This idyllic village is quaint and peaceful during the day, but comes alive in the evening as tourists flock to catch a glimpse of the spectacular sunset.

A Snapshot of the Coveted Oia Sunset – Oh the Colours!!!

The Last glance of the Sun – the picture says it all!!!

“We’re from a tropical country so we’ve seen our fair share of gorgeous sunsets, but they’re different in Santorini. When viewed from a stage of cycladic houses on a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea, every sunset in Santorini feels like an event. Like something people could sell tickets for. Don’t you think?”

DAY – 5 – The Final Day

We spent the final day exploring our Cave Casa, having a relaxing pool-side breakfast, visiting the Santos Winery, watching the sunset from our plunge pool and finally a good night’s sleep to catch our morning flight to Athens.

Just a Relaxing day in our Casa! Watching the Sea Waves make Ripples, Feeling the Breeze Cross our Faces. . .

Healthy Snacking at Santos Winery. . .

“On a summers night, we have sat on the balcony drinking Ouzo, watching the ghosts of Greek Heroes sailing past, listening to the rustle of their sail cloths and the gentle lapping of their oars…and lain alongside Pythagoras watching him study the myriad of triangles in the constellations twinkling above us. Whether it was Crete, the heat, the Ouzo, or a combination, it is unequaled anywhere other than Santorini, the gorgeous Santorini!!!”