Hey guys,

Sorry for the long wait with part two of my Greece adventures. I have been so consumed with my studies, that I am just now able to fill you all in. With that being said, lets get right to it. After exploring the historical side of Greece, we caught a flight that Friday from Athens to Santorini for $138. This island is one of the most popular and absolutely breathtaking to say the least. It was perfect and more than I ever imagined! Have you ever dreamed of a place so surreal that it didn’t even need a photo edit? I mean not even one! That is how I saw Santorini through the lense of my camera. From the white blue dome tops, the beautiful Aegean Sea, and scenic views all around, Santorini is definitely worth the visit and I highly recommend. If you are not familiar with this island let me give you a brief recap. Before Santorini became what it is today, dated back to the 16th century a massive volcano eruption took place leaving the island deserted. Everything was rebuilt on volcano cliffs, and it has now become one of Greece most popular tourist locations.

 

Accommodations

While in Santorini, we stayed at the Acrothea Suites and Villas in the town of Akrotiri. It’s 30 minutes away from the major towns of Oia and Fira. We paid a total of $531.50 for a three night stay, and for Santorini that is pretty good especially during peak season. If you are looking for a low cost accommodation, your best bet is to go later in the year where you can stay right in town for half of what you would pay during the summer season. Our villa was pretty nice though, we overlooked the water and our wonderful host Maria was awesome. She helped us and made sure we knew the bus routes and called for cabs whenever we went into the town. It was about as budget friendly as we were going to get, and I had no complaints other than there was no staff to help you in the evening. This location does require a cab to get around, but there is also a bus about 10 mins walking distance if you want to save some coins.

 

The town of Oia

Known for it’s all whitewashed houses and blue top domes, Oia was absolutely phenomenal. It left me in awe of everything my little eye was able to capture. The best time to visit is in the morning to assure that you beat the crowd and get that iconic photo. If you have ever seen the beautiful pictures of Greece they are most likely right from Oia! We arrived at 10:30am and made good timing to explore without the hassle of a crowd. Once we finished exploring all of the town, we sat and ate lunch overlooking the water. It was simply beautiful, we even saw a wedding! Imagine getting married on the edge of a volcano cliff with insane views of the Aegean Sea! Below are some of my favorite photos that I left unedited, I really appreciated the different hues of blue 🙂

 

 

The town of Fira

The next day we spent exploring Fira. This town is much more upbeat than Oia! Where Oia is more quiet and family like, Fira is more lively with many shopping stores, tons of restaurants, and many night clubs. We arrived in the afternoon by bus and explored everything that we could. Once again the views were simply amazing! It was rather crowded but we managed to take our pictures comfortably without being photo bombed. I really enjoyed the nightlife as well  and found ourselves club hopping later that night.

 

Santorini Beach

Santorini does not have your typical sand on a beach, instead you will find that they all have volcanic sand and pebbles. Which is very unique and cool to view so I suggest taking a tour boat around the island. Although Greece is not known for it’s beaches it is not required that you tour but it was something that I personally liked.  The beach below that we toured was the White Sand Beach which I enjoyed the views alot! Here are a few of my favorite photos 🙂

 

Santorini was everything I imagined it would be plus more. Some may say it is overrated, but I personally think that it is worth the visit as long as you are able to beat the crowd. It is very much enjoyable! The stunning views makes it all worth it in fact, and I would definitely visit again. We spent most of our time touring the different towns, eating, and visiting the local shops. While there make sure to check out a winery, I hear that the Santo Winery is pretty popular for wine lovers 🙂 Also, the nightlife is amazing in the town of Fira. I recommend The Koo Club and Enigma if you want to party the night away. My advice for future travelers would be to bring sunscreen during the summer season, it can be extremely hot so protect your skin by all means! Also if you plan to get that epic photo in your well thought out attire, make sure to prepare to awake early so you can get your photos before the crowd arrives. Anything after 12pm can become a hassle, so arrive early! One thing that we did not get to catch is the sunset 😦 I know, who goes to Santorini and misses the sunset? Well we did, time did not allow it but make sure you fit that into your itinerary because the views are out of this world! That is all for now, I hope you enjoyed this post and this helps with your future travel plans to the amazing Santorini, until next time! 🙂