September 5, 2017

Getting there

The morning after our wedding (which was a fairy tale!) we left our hotel and went directly to the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. We flew to New York City, then caught an overnight flight to Paris. After a layover we flew to Athens, then finally to Santorini. We arrived around 11pm Santorini time after almost two full days of travel. None of our flights were purchased together – we found it was much cheaper to book the flights separately. It’s almost always cheaper to book a flight to a major airport like NYC, Boston, or Atlanta and catch a redeye to Europe from there, rather than flying overseas out of a smaller international airport.

In the Paris airport we enjoyed our favorite French fare of bread and Orangina

They have a very complicated tube system to get to various levels of the Paris airport

Arrival and Accommodation

We had a pre-arranged shuttle from our hotel meet us at the Santorini airport. The shuttle picked up two additional couples, who got dropped at their hotels first. The driver was FEARLESS on the steep hairpin turns, so it was an exciting first look at the island.

We stayed at Exclusive Plan Suites, and I’m pretty sure we looked through every single hotel on the island when booking. The most famous luxury accommodation on Santorini is Grace Hotel, but we were looking for a quality place for less $$$. My one pricey criteria: a private spa with a caldera view. We continued on to Athens, Rome, Ireland and Iceland on a budget, but we wanted Santorini to be the fancy bit of our honeymoon.

When the shuttle dropped us off, we had to walk in a short distance from the road, around outlying buildings and closer to the caldera. There was a teeny tiny itty bitty room on the side of the cliff where hotel staff welcomed us. He showed us to our suite and it was magic from then out.

There were three rooms owned by our hotel together, and each had a private spa out front. Inside the floors and walls were all stone, including the large cave shower (no shower door, just a smooth stone opening) with double shower heads. They left us a bowl of fruit, decanter of white wine, and two wine glasses in addition to robes and slippers. We’d left the door open as we walked in and within moments a small gray tabby cat sauntered into the room. I adore any creature with fur, so I instantly melted. She made herself right at home, exploring the room and hopping on the bed to cuddle. I noticed her belly and teats were swollen and was quite sure she had kittens somewhere. We called her Mila, and we left the door open for her when we went to sit out on the ledge in front of our room to take in the view and sip wine. It felt unreal.

Our hotel was in Firostefani, on the edge of Fira. If we ever go back we will stay there again. Oia, the top end of the island, is more touristy and crowded. Akrotiri, on the other end, is remote from much you’ll want to see and do. The island is small and Firostefani is right in the middle. It offers gorgeous views of the islands curves to each side, and provides convenient access to everywhere on the island. If we left our room and walked right we could walk along the cliff in front of other suites. It felt semi-private, as nobody who wasn’t staying there seemed to wander in. If we walked to the left from our room we would enter Fira, first hitting restaurants and then a shopping district.

Our feline friend we called Mila

Enjoying the lights of the villas and wine out front of our room

Our room, in the center, as it appeared in daylight

Breakfast

Our first morning I threw open the shutters and was greeted with sunshine and the sparkling blue waters of the caldera. It was breathtaking. We rang the number they had given us and the woman working in the tiny office brought us a basket of assorted breads, honey, and jam. She also let us know that each day there would be sandwich meat and two juice boxes apiece left for us in the mini-fridge. The bread, meat, and juice were the same each day, but we enjoyed it all three that we were there. We ate our breakfast on the folding chairs out front of our room in pajamas.

The view through our window

Assorted breads, jam, and honey for breakfast

Afternoon in Fira

After eating we set off towards Fira and explored the shops on foot. We enjoyed the many churches and caldera views. Keep in mind that if you would like to go into the beautiful churches you are not allowed to be wearing shorts. It was quite warm, so I chose to wear shorts and peak in the doors. There were so many alleys, stairs, nooks, and gardens to explore, it filled much of the day. We ate at a surprisingly quiet restaurant with a stunning view of the cliffs and caldera. It was called the Zafora Restaurant Café and I highly recommend it. Neither of us are foodies but we loved it so much we ended up eating there again another day.

At the base of Fira is The Little Port of Santorini. It is where the cruise ships dock to let off their passengers. The passengers must then either climb up a steep set of switchback steps, pay to ride up donkeys, or pay to ride up the cable car. In the afternoon the line to go down in the cable car is quite long because so many tourists are returning to the cruise ships. We chose to walk down the steps and ride back up in the cable car. The donkeys are mercilessly abused, and I do not recommend you support that industry. It was so sad to walk past them. Walking downhill always seems easy going, but something about those steps KILLED my calves. They were sore the next few days. However, I’m glad we got to see the base and ride up the cable car. It is 6 euro a person one way, and there was no line at all to ride up in the afternoon. It moves quickly and is a short ride.

The interior of one of the many beautiful churches in Fira

The famous Three Bells of Fira, technically located in Firostefani

View as you hike through Fira

The path down to The Little Port of Santorini

Cable car up from The Little Port

September blooms

Shopping in Fira

Alleys and Nooks in Fira

Caldera views

Sunset in Firostefani

In the early evening we returned to our room and discovered Mila’s kittens! They moved around a lot so it was difficult to get a photo of them, but they were adorable! I was so happy that she had had the good sense to give birth on a ledge completely inaccessible to people. We could look down and watch them but no one would be able to disturb them. We enjoyed checking up on them and spending time with Mila throughout the trip.

Just before sunset we hiked out in the opposite direction of Fira to visit Skaros Rock. The little peninsula is where the first fortress on the island was built. If you want, you can hike all the way up the rock. It is supposed to be a lovely place to watch the sunset. We only went to the base of the rock because we decided we wanted to watch the sunset from a secluded roof we had passed on the way. We had run to make it in time!

We spent the rest of the evening wandering around Firostefani on the paths around our hotel, enjoying the weather and the beauty of the villa lights on the cliffs. We also tested out our spa and enjoyed sitting in it and sipping juice boxes immensely.

Mila’s kittens

Skaros Rock

Sunset 

 

Follow for blog updates – Santorini days 2 & 3 are coming soon!