Things to do in Santorini-Greece
Hi Loves,
As most of you know I went on my first European trip to Greece about two months ago, I know this post has taken me forever to write, but I wanted to make sure that I left nothing untouched. I want to start off by saying I am by no means an expert on traveling abroad, but lucky for me I have tons of friends that have been to Europe so they shared their tips with me and because you are my internet family I must share with you.
Since this was my first trip to Greece I wanted to plan some excursions prior to even stepping foot on Greece soil, you can however book at your hotel and have plenty of places to pick from to book, so don't feel obligated to book ahead of time... me personally I like to plan my days out and know what I'm getting into and how to dress, so it helps with packing. My good friend Shareen from Pearls & Paris helped me a lot as far as what options I had and I end up choosing two excursions to experience and left our other days to simply explore Santorini. Though I would have loved to head over to Mykonos we chose to spend most of our trip in Santorini and two days in Athens, but knowing what I know now I would have chosen to spend all our time in Santorini and literally one day in Athens and I'll explain more on a my post about Athens soon.
The two excursions we chose were wine tasting and a sunset tour of Santorini and we were extremely happy we chose these, though two different tours we had a lot of fun on both and met amazing people. The one thing I love about traveling , is meeting people from all over the world, it truly makes you appreciate that there is so much out there waiting for you to see and experience. I have always loved travelling but I always allowed my husband to make the decisions on our destinations and he loves the Caribbean which is great, but for me Europe has always intrigued me and I made it a point that this year was the year to explore and knew Greece had to be our first stop, especially Santorini. I do want to give you guys a heads up that there is so much to do without doing an excursion. You can eat dinner in Fira which we did each night, I mean the views looking over the Caldera are beyond beautiful day or night. The people in Greece love to party so the night life is great and the shops are awesome to just wrong around and check out. I'll be sharing all about the amazing food soon so stay tuned. In the mean time check out all about the two excursions we had the pleasure of experiencing.
WINE TASTING: Santo Wines
I have to say if you are heading to Greece a wine tour is a must and I knew I had to go on one. This was another tour my good friend Shareen shared with me and I am happy we chose to go on. The views from the winery are gorgeous, but unfortunately for us the weather Gods were not in our favor so we chose to sit inside for our tasting.We booked our tasting prior to our trip like I said this was just a personal preference, for me personally I like to plan ahead so I know how my days will look, its really totally up to you what you want to do. You get to choose from a menu of how many glasses, so the one we chose was perfect and just enough for us.
Picture courtesy of Santo Wine
We chose Santo Flight No 2 which includes a walking** tour in the winery by an expert guide, the screening of a 15-minute documentary produced by SantoWines about the volcanic vineyard of Santorini, the wines and the wine making tradition of the island, followed by the tasting of 6 wines accompanied by the Santo Taste mini platter with Greek cheese, Greek olives, Santorini tomato paste dip, Santorini fava & barley rusks: 38,00€ / per person
I have to say I enjoyed learning about the wine, but you do have the option of skipping this portion. Overall it was a great experience and after glass number four you will be feeling very nice . I do want to share more about the wine because let me tell you I was sure I would have a headache later, but not one headache and I definitely feel its due to how the wine is prepared.
Courtesy of Santo Wines
"SantoWines winery was built in 1992 in the village of Pyrgos, in a wonderful location on the caldera. It is one of the most modern wineries in Greece, where the technological perfection harmonizes wonderfully with the landscape uniqueness of the island.Its innovative architecture is remarkable, as it is built on different levels, just as the famous so- called "terraces" of the vineyard, i.e. the different levels that the farmers have developed in the farms, in order to facilitate the cultivation of the land. During the wine making process we utilize the physical phenomenon of gravity which replaces the use of pumps for the transfer of the must and wine which upgrades the quality of the wines produced."
Sunset Oia
Sunset Tour: 5 hours. Semi-Private
Known for the picturesque sunsets this is a must for any traveler. Now don't get me wrong you can see the sunset from anywhere in Santorini, but something about being on a boat with wine in hand watching the sun go down with the one you love or even alone, its an experience you must have. The food was amazing as well and the staff were so sweet.
The tour starts from Vlychada port early in the afternoon. First stop at the Red Beach for swimming and snorkeling (30 minutes; towels and snorkeling equipment included). Second stop at the White Beach for swimming, snorkeling and an on-board barbeque – the menu features local delicacies including meat, salads, fruit and drinks such as Santorini wine and soft drinks (1.5 hours). Sail close to the Indian Rock, Akrotiri and Aspronisi. Third stop at the hot springs for swimming (30 minutes). After sailing close to the volcano and the caldera cliffs of Imerovigli and Oia, the catamaran will stop for you to watch the magnificent sunset.The tour ends at Ammoudi, where one of our minibuses will take you back to your hotel.
Overall we had an a amazing time on our trip and will be sure to head back to Santorini. I hope this helps you on your trip to Greece or even inspires you to make a trip soon.
Peace & Love,
Lissette
