When most people think of going to Greece, they automatically think of Santorini. It's never been a major priority for me...I'm more into more remote places that I don't know much about and where most people haven't gone before. However, with this being our second time in Greece, I figured that we should just go to get it over with. I decided to book a couple of nights at the end of our trip to relax.
We woke up early and made our way to the airport, where we took a quick little island-hopper to Santorini. It worked out pretty perfectly because it was POURING rain in Athens, but was sunny and gorgeous on the island. Our motel's shuttle picked us up and whisked us away to the town of Oia where we followed a bellhop to our little motel for check-in and to drop off our luggage before setting off to explore the village.
I'd splurged a bit on a really nice adult-only motel for our stay, figuring that we'd only be there once and to make it special. In hindsight, I'm so glad that I did because we ended up spending quite a bit of time there, and the location, facilities, and view were incredible. It was called Caldera Premium Villas and I can't recommend it enough...it was absolutely wonderful. Our room was literally a cave! We were kind of on the side of a rocky bay and could see the entire old town from the patio area, making for fantastic people watching. They upgraded our room so that we could check in early and we had a lovely balcony with expansive views out to the sea. We went down a long stairway overlooking the caldera to a big, open patio area where we were served Mimosas while we completed paperwork and then cleaned up a little.
 |
| Our lounge chairs and view for the afternoon <3 |
The town of Oia is really tiny and there's one main walkway that stretches it's length, so you can't get lost. Our motel was right in the middle of town, so we started off in the old town first, before everybody was out and about and it got crowded. I realize that this is NOT the popular opinion, but I found it to be very overrated. It's adorable for a day or two (we spent 2 days there and most of that time was spent laying by the pool, people watching across the way with a glass of Moscato. It's VERY touristy and full of obnoxious Americans that are only there to party and take photos for Instagram. Plus, most of the rooms and restaurants there have ZERO privacy, there are people everywhere looking downward, so it's a little odd. It was perfect for the very end of a very active 2 weeks in Greece, but I don't really ever need to go back.
We found a cozy little spot for breakfast and spent $70 on Greek yogurt, sparkling water, an omelet, egg sandwich, and a couple of Affogatos...quite the pricy welcome to one of the most famous tourist towns in the world (I will say that it was one of the most delicious breakfasts I've ever had though).
From there, we explored the town and then went back to the motel to hang out by the pool and relax.
Our little motel was really quiet, with only a handful of other couples staying there. We found our way to a little private terrace where we soaked in the sun and relaxed. There were a couple of kitties that kept us company and bonded with Brian. I must say, the people-watching from our spot was unmatched. It was very windy, though we were protected by being on the side of a cliff. We enjoyed watching all of the mega-yachts struggling in the wind and choppy water down below. Maybe we were just jealous of their wealth, but I certainly didn't envy them out on the water that day.
We relaxed all afternoon and then headed out for dinner.
We found a restaurant with roof-top dining on the far-west side of the island...perfect for watching the sun set. The staff was so friendly and welcoming and we had an amazing dinner overlooking the caldera. Soon enough, a gaggle of douchey trust-fund American youngsters rolled up, asking for a full bar and DJ. When the host told them that it wasn't just a bar but a nice dining establishment, the group scoffed and stormed out, announcing loudly that they'd be taking their business elsewhere. Phew. I was relieved and also felt better that we, in Sedona, aren't the only ones having to deal with trashy tools. We managed to enjoy a peaceful and quiet romantic dinner and even ordered desert.
On the walk back to our room, we stopped at a little market for a bottle of wine and some snacks and then watched the sky turn pink from our balcony. It wasn't the most spectacular sunset that I've ever seen, but it was special nonetheless.
A little while after the sun had set, we heard fireworks going off on the other side of the island...we couldn't see them, but the echo of them bouncing off of the water and rock was really cool.
Can you spot our kitty friend down there? He ended up making himself cozy at the end of our bed that night. Eventually, I kicked him out because I'm pretty sure he has a family that spoils him and would be worried sick if he wasn't coming home.
The following morning was spent relaxing. We had an incredible breakfast next to the pool at the motel and then we changed into our swimsuits and relaxed. We hiked down the path near our motel to the marina and had lunch in the newer side of town.
After a full day of doing next to nothing, we ventured off of the main drag to the backside of town and found a quiet little Thai restaurant that was definitely more of a local's spot and made it just in time for Happy Hour. We had more food than we could eat and plenty of cocktails for 1/3 of what dinner the previous night had cost. It was the perfect way to end our time on Oia.
The following morning, we awoke early, checked out, and our motel made arrangements for a taxi to take us back to the airport. A 45 minute flight later, we were back in Athens and the sun was out once more. We got our Covid tests and then I found a really nice beach resort a little ways out of town so we Ubered straight there. They let us check in early, upgraded us to a really beautiful little bungalow, and we spent the day relaxing in the pool.
We soon got a call from the company that took our Covid tests that the nurse had messed up Brian's test and we needed to get to the airport early so it could get fixed. Luckily, they were both negative so there'd be no issue getting back into the States.
For dinner that night, we walked off of the resort's grounds into the nearby village and sat outside, next to a church, right on the water. It was perfect.
We Ubered back to Athens the next morning and flew home, rested, invigorated, and so happy to be able to travel overseas again in way too long.
