Romantic Santorini

We flew to Santorini from Gatwick on a weekly Thomson’s charter flight. Our Hotel in the village of Pyrgos was only ten minutes inland from the airport. Our transfer taxi dropped us at the village square where waiting for us with two donkeys was a lovely old man. He put me on one donkey, the lovely Marika and our suitcases on the other and told my husband that he, like the old man, would make the journey up the steep hill to our Hotel, the Zannos Melathron, on foot!

The Zannos Melathron is a Relais & Chateau listed small luxury hotel with 10 lavishly appointed elegant suites located on several different levels accessed by narrow cobbled paths and courtyards. In the main building, a former private house, there is a small reception area, cigar lounge and a dining room with spectacular views of a large part of the island.

Pyrgos village centre, a 5 minute walk away down steep narrow cobbled paths has several tavernas and shops. Taxis and a local bus service are available from the square to the capital Fira a 10 minute drive and other main places on the Island which were never more than half an hour away.

Santorini has an area of only 37 square miles and its current shape and character was formed by significant earthquake and volcanic activity back in the 16th Century BC. Stunning white walled towns and villages each with blue domed churches have been developed haphazardly along cliffs which rise 300 feet from the 32 square mile lagoon known as the Caldera a legacy of the volcanic eruption on the western side of the island and which provides a safe natural harbour for ferries and cruise ships.

We used taxis to explore the island. Fares were reasonable and the drivers very helpful although some drove rather fast on narrow roads making us glad we hadn’t hired a car!

Oia at the north western end of the island is a great place to experience the spectacular sunsets which Santorini is famous for. We also visited the nearby village of Ammoudi and had an excellent dinner at one of the several tavernas offering freshly caught seafood right on the waterfront.

The best beaches we saw are on the flat areas of the Eastern coastline at the resorts of Kamari and Perissa. As well as the large expanse of black sand beaches there were lots of hotels and tavernas. Akrotiri a village at the southern end of the island is the location for a major archaeological site where excavation began in 1967 and the remains of a prehistoric city have been uncovered.

We went into Fira the capital several times both in the daytime and in the evening for dinner. The narrow cobbled streets are full of very good quality shops and eating places which are targeted at the large numbers of cruise passengers who visit from the ship’s which anchor in the Caldera below. There are one or more ships calling almost every day depositing some 2,000 to 6,000 people into Fira and onto excursion tours of the island. Access to Fira from the anchored ships 300 feet below is by cable car or up 500 steps on foot or on a donkey! Depending on the arrival and departure times, Fira is extremely busy for a while and then relatively empty when the ships depart.

We also took in an excellent full day excursion on a boat on the Caldera. We sailed to the island of Nea Kammeni where we walked over lava to the rim of the crater. A swim in the sulphur springs off Palea Kammeni was an option for those who were good swimmers. We also sailed to the island of Thirasia where we stopped for a lunch of barbecued seafood.The rest of the afternoon was spent sailing along the spectacular coastline before returning to Athinios port.

Santorini is a great and different island holiday destination. The most popular places to stay are Fira, Imerovigli and Oia all of which have spectacular views of the Caldera. If you prefer a beach holiday then Kamari or Perissa will be better for you. Alternatively, like us stay inland at Pyrgos. It is a lovely village and after a good dinner and two large Metaxas you won’t notice the walk up the steep hill back to the hotel!