Blue domes. Dramatic cliffs. The crystal clear Aegean Sea. White washed buildings. Santorini is the quintessential Greek island.
We spent 3 nights in early November here and like everyone else, fell in love with it.
November may seem late for an island adventure but the weather was perfect and nothing had closed for the season yet. It was less crowded which gave the whole island more of a private feeling.
We stayed at the Suites of the Gods which was a completely wacky hotel, if we’re being honest. But in all the best ways!
https://www.suitesofthegods.com
The whole place is rounded concrete and there’s a weird tub in the room.
But … my god the view from the room …
The staff were very accommodating – they got us our rental car (that was dirt cheap) and the included breakfast was delicious.
To call Santorini small is an understatement. You can see the entire island from the highest point, which is a monastery. You can drive the whole island in an afternoon if you wanted. Also of note, the island is covered with cats!
There are 2 “main” villages that receive all the tourists from the cruises that are constantly flowing through the harbor – Fira & Oia. They are the places you see in everyones pictures – the blue domes, the white wash, etc. And they are truly gorgeous. They are both easy strolls and relaxing places to meander.
There are several other little villages dotting the island though and they’re all rewarding in their own ways.
Megalochori was walking distance from the hotel and we ended up eating dinner there as we walked around it after sundown. We had no plans and just sat down at a tiny restaurant called Petrino for what ended up being a fantastic meal.
We also explored Pyrgos, Akrotiri and Emporio. Pyrgos and Emporio were more blue domes and white washed buildings but in the middle of the island.
Akrotiri was a surprise as we ended up wandering into Venetian Castle ruins that had a working cafe at the top of it! What a view.
On our last morning, before we took the ferry back to Athens, we decided to drive to the black beach and swim in the Aegean. We were the only people on the beach! The water is completely transparent and the black ‘sand’ is actually tiny smooth pebbles, not sand. It was an amazing way to say goodbye to Santorini.
We highly recommend renting a car on Santorini. You can see the whole thing, the cars are dirt cheap and it gives you a real sense of freedom to explore. When we’d go to the little villages, we’d just park wherever. The island is very laid back, there’s no rushing around and there’s no traffic pressure.
As small as Santorini is, we’d go back in a heartbeat and spend even more time there!
