Our Trip To Santorini Greece
Hello readers! I am very excited to share with you all the details of our recent trip to Santorini Greece. It was a lovely 5 day vacation as a family of four. I will share with you our daily itinerary including tips and tricks as well as things I would do differently next time. I hope you enjoy reading.
Day one
Perissa Beach
After arriving in the Santorini airport around 9:30 am we picked up our car rental and began driving towards our hotel. We couldn’t check in right away because check in was at 2pm, so we walked down to Perissa beach which is literally a two minute walk from our hotel and we decided to have brunch at one of the restaurants right in front of the beach. We ate at a restaurant named Aqua which has outdoor seating. They served great food and had wonderful service. As the day grew warmer we decided to grab our swim suits after brunch and get dressed to jump in the water. On the sand there are chairs and umbrella sets directly across each restaurant. So we lounged in Aquas seating area. We bought drinks and smoothies for the girls and took a dip in the water. The water was so amazing and there weren’t many waves, so it was easy for the girls to feel comfortable in the water. If you use goggles you can see all the small fish underwater. The beach is very rocky underwater so water shoes are a total must. Additionally, the black sand on the beach becomes scorching hot from the blazing sun and it can be very painful to walk on. We were very happy we packed water shoes. Otherwise, the water felt so amazing we lost track of the time and didn't check into our hotel till after 4pm.
(The sand is much cooler by the water, but water shoes are still needed to get there)
We booked our stay at Hotel Porto Perissa. It is a smaller hotel very close to Perissa beach. When I booked the hotel I wasn’t really aware of how far it was from Oia and Thira which are two of the main towns in Santorini. However, because we were renting a car I knew it would be easy getting from place to place. Our hotel had a high rating for being kid friendly because it’s so close to the beach. With that being said that is probably the only good thing about the hotel. Other then that I really really disliked it. This is coming from someone who isn’t very picky at all! It was probably the worst hotel I’ve been too. Sad to say. It was not very clean, it didn’t have proper ventilation so it often smelled musty in there, the blankets looked old (sheets were okay), and it was just not a great experience. Next time around I would look into booking an Airbnb which is the route we usually go for. I’m really not too sure why I didn’t do that this time around! We did only pay $330 for 4 nights so it was for sure a deal which can be added to one of the positive things about this hotel.
We then had dinner at a place called Casio e Pepe because I had heard positive things about the place. It is an Italian restaurant and the food was good. However we didn’t really like the surrounding area which was pretty run down. The restaurant seemed to be one of the nicest things around.
Day two
Jet Skis, Canoe, and more beach
We had planned to finally go see Oia on day two but instead we just ended up doing other things. The girls were very eager to jump into the hotel pool, so after breakfast at a local breakfast cafe we promised them we would. The breakfast at the cafe was very delicious.
After swimming and spending a lot of time at the pool side tanning and snacking we headed over to the water sports area on the Perissa beach boardwalk. My husband wanted to ride the jet skis with his long time friend who also was visiting Santorini. His friend also booked a separate jet ski tour and the lady was super sweet and gave my husband, the kids, and I a free canoe boat ride. So, we rode the canoe all the way down Perissa beach. It was such a fun experience learning to paddle in sync with my husband and trying to calm our eldest Jane from thinking the boat was going to flip. Juliet enjoyed the ride so much that it put her to sleep half way through. After our boat ride we walked back towards our hotel and stopped for some ice cream and drinks along the way.
After showering and getting dressed at the hotel we headed for dinner at a local Thai food restaurant. It had outdoor low light seating and the food was good.
Day 3
Oia
On our third day we finally made it to Oia in the morning. We had breakfast at a restaurant called Passagio. It had great food in small fancy portions. However wasn't very kid friendly. Nonetheless, our surroundings were so beautiful and we took so many pictures as we walked along, after breakfast. Oia is filled with many amazing restaurants and shopping.
We stopped at the Kissingfish Spa which is something we had been excited to do. It looks very clean and beautiful inside. The kissing fish remove dead skin cells by naturally exfoliating your feet and giving you a relaxing massage. Unfortunately, small kids are not allowed to do it, so our girls were a little bummed out but they were excited to watch Mommy and Daddy do it. The ladies who worked there were sweet with our girls and gave them paper and pencils to draw with. After dipping out toes in the water and feeling all the little fish nibbling all over our feet I realized why young children aren't allowed to do it. It tickles first of all, and I imagine our girls splashing their feet around. The fish swim away from your feet if you move, so its best to just relax and let them take care of your feet. Overall, it was an awesome experience and we really enjoyed it. It cost 10 euro for the trial which is ten minutes and if you like it you can pay 5 more euro to extend for 20 minutes. Afterwards, we did more walking and shopping around for souvenirs. We took more pictures then headed back to our hotel after a very long and hot morning/afternoon in Oia. It's super hot in the summer time guys! I imagine it would be a lot easier without kids walking around everywhere, but we pulled through!
After heading to the hotel to change into our swimsuits we headed back to Perissa beach to cool down, relax, and have dinner by the beach. We went back to our favorite spot Aqua. The same lady serving us was there everyday we were there and she was the sweetest with our girls and gave us outstanding service. I wish I had asked her name. We spend a late night on the sand lounging on our chairs with drinks, smoothies, pizza, and more yummy food.
Day 4
Red Beach, White Beach, Oia at night
On our 4th day we headed to the Red Beach after breakfast at our usual yummy cafe near Perissa. You need to hike a few minutes down the side of the mountain to get to the beach from the parking lot. The beach is so beautiful with red mountains and blue waters. It is not so big so it can get crowded, but it wasn't hard finding a place to set up. There is a hut that sells drinks and snacks nearby. There is a taxi boat that cost 10 euro per adult to get you from the red beach to the white beach and black beach. They are nearby beaches that are a bit secluded and the only way to get to the white beach is through a boat. The white beach was smaller and had less people. It is very rocky with large white rocks and black sand. You also need to pay for your chairs and there are no food, drinks, or restrooms around. There is a large rock you can swim to and a small cave nearby. My husband nearly gave me a heart attach when he didn't return for more than 30 minutes because he was swimming from cave to cave. He is a great swimmer but this mommas worst nightmares were getting the best of her. I was thinking of all these crazy scenarios like "what if he went into a cave and it was too dark to see and he got lost..etc" I know dramatic but I wasn't aware of the surrounding caves, so I had no idea where he was.
After spending several hours at the beaches we were too exhausted to head to the black beach nearby so we took the taxi back to our car and headed back to the hotel. Our goal was to catch the sunset in Oia and have dinner. We ended up having to stop on the way there and watch the remaining of the sunset by a cliff. It wasn't the best view but it was still a beautiful sight to see. We then continued our drive and had dinner at a very delicious restaurant in Oia. I was really craving some traditional Soulvaki and this place delivered. The potato fries were good and Jane and I are crazy over the tzatiki sauce, chicken, and pita bread. We used to eat these greek plates back in Los Angeles at least once a week, so we were more than happy to be eating our favorite, in Greece. After a late night dinner and experiencing the beautiful lights and buildings of Oia at night we finally headed back to sleep.
Day 5
Thira, Pottery, and Happy Birthday To Me!
We had to catch our flight back home to Italy at night, so we had the entire day to spend in Santorini and do any thing we still hasn't done, but wanted to do. It was also my birthday!
The first thing we did after heaving breakfast (at our usual), we drove to a nearby pottery studio. The man who owned the shop was so sweet and showed us his work area and even taught my girls how to make a small fish out of clay which he let them take home to paint. We purchased a beautiful vase and another decor piece. We knew we couldn't leave Greece without taking home some pottery. The man carefully wrapped up our pieces and we put them in our already packed luggage in the car.
We then continued on driving to Thira to ride the donkeys and the cable car. After parking we stopped for lunch at another outdoor seating restaurant in Thira. Again great food and service and the price was better than out in Oia. We opted for the traditional Soulvaka plate again while my husband had a large lamb plate. After a delicious lunch we kept walking up to the Main Street.
Thira also has beautiful architecture and white buildings and lots of restaurants and shops. We found the cable cart and stood in a long ling that moved quickly. We rode the cart down the mountain to the port. There are a couple restaurants and shops at the bottom and many boats arriving and departing. The water is beautifully blue.
We then took a donkey ride up. My husband and I rode with each of our girls. Surprisingly there isn't so many people riding donkeys or a line nonetheless. Santorini is known for riding the donkeys up from the port and it is a tradition to help carry your bags or yourself up the 588 stairs. The donkey ride was actually pretty scary for me!!!! I immediately regretted hopping on and was practically in tears. The donkeys race between each other and start moving fast, so you definitely need to hold on tight. I also freaked out when the donkey was getting close to the edge of the stairway. I was afraid he was going to throw us over! I felt bad for the donkey and guilty. Although donkeys are very strong and have been used for transportation throughout history, I won't be riding those again. Once we made it to the top we purchased a photo of us on the donkey for 5 euro each. We then continued on walking through the shops and bought some more souvenirs. We then stopped for some ice cream and iced coffee to help us cool down.
We headed back towards Perissa beach and stopped by a bakery along the way where my husband bought me a small birthday cake. We spend the remaining of our afternoon/evening in front of the beach and had dinner at Aqua again. My husband and girls sang happy birthday and then headed back to the airport and flew home.
Overall
We spent 5 days and 4 nights in Santorini which id say is more than enough. We did everything we wanted and more. I recommend you check out Oia, Thira, Perissa beach, the Red Beach, watch the sunset and sunrise in one of the recommended views, take home some pottery, and maybe take a boat tour if you don't have a car and want to get through everything. Many people rent ATV's, so that is a great choice if you have older kids or if its just a couples trip. Also, I recommend Air b n b for lodging. Or a higher rated hotel.
We hope to check out Athens when the weather cools down.
P.S. The people in Greece are so amazingly sweet with kids, they loved talking to our kids, gently patting their head, or back, and even popping a kiss on their head.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip to Santorini. Thats all for now, if you have any questions about our trip please ask in the comments section below. Have you been to Santorini? I'd love to hear about it as well!
Thanks for reading!
Melissa
