Sunsets in the Ocean

Our hotel
see all photos »

CJ Says: I love to travel because every once in a while you get to a place and you get giddy because you can't believe your good luck that you are there. Mount Cook was one of those places, the Great Wall and now Santorini. When we arrived, the weather was perfect - you really can not appreciate a Greek Island without sunshine as there is no white washed walls bouncing off the sunlight without sun! We were staying in Oia, which is famous for Santorini's legendary sunsets and we were not disappointed when we arrived out our hotel Aries Caves. Our room called "folio" or birds nest was perched on the side of the mountain and shaped like traditional cave houses with a magnificent view of the "caldera" or the active volcano that created what we know of Santorini. Santorini is basically a moon crescent island with two volcanic islands in the middle and all the villages perched on the top of the island facing the volcano. From a far - it looks like a white rock on the top of the island - but it really is white washed greek hotels and restaurants jammed into each other competing for the magnificent view. And what a view it is - the island is made of Volcanic rock so the coastline is high and with contrasting black and red sediment - the water is a sparkling clear Mediterranean blue and the large ferries, cruise ships and boats prettily adorn the ocean as they are protected in the bay. Hard to tear your eyes off the view - even our bathroom faces this view and in the morning I found myself lost in the scenary while brushing my teeth! There is more to do than just look at scenary at Santorini - there are two important ancient sites Thira and Akrotiki that were largely preserved due to the Volcanic activity and we were able to visit Thira and the musuem that housed the finds in Akrotiki. Some people believe that the Minoan culture in Crete perished due to a Volcanic explosion in Santorini and earthquake - after you read about this stuff and then you go back and face the still active volcano I couldn't help sending a small prayer that the volcano wait until we leave to reactivate! In 1957, an earthquake basically wiped out Oia - but it has since been rebuilt and I have to say the local people have a lot of guts to look at their potential doomsday everyday -although with a view like that I guess it may be worth the gamble (not unlike SF I guess). Santorini is a must see in your life - if you have seen a postcard of the Greek Islands it is more than likely taken in Santorini. Oia is a charming town, narrow streets surrounded by small shops, restaurants and hotels painted in bright colors admidst white washed walls. And every turn greats you with the fantastic view of the caldera! We were here during low season so basically had the town to ourselves (although we found the most American's here on our trip) and Spring flowers and greenery on the slopes - we also had one day of rain and a fierce storm that whipped through at night. Summer time is hot and super dry so is perfect for sun/beach lovers- it rains so little here that they produce a tomato that draws moisture from the air only and is super sweet! There are also several wineries that produce a dessert wine that is some of the best we have tasted. Do you need any more reasons to make Santorini a vacation spot? Just do it!