Greece Trip | Santorini

December 06, 2016

After exploring Athens for half a day, we took a quick flight to Santorini. We stayed at Stelios Place in Perissa, which is incredibly affordable during the off-season. The hotel was very nice, though the pool was a little chilly by mid-October. I would imagine the more ideal time to visit Santorini would be the end of September when the weather is warmer, the crowds have thinned out, but many of the shops and restaurants are still open. By mid-October, many things were closed. However, we still had a fantastic time and it felt many times like we had the whole island to ourselves.

Here are some pictures of our hotel:

Pomegranate Tree

The first evening, we ate at a local place in Perissa just off the beach. We had a mixture of Greek dishes, and we were all stuffed. After dinner, a majority of the group (us included) took off to have some fun.

Dolma, Salad, Fava Beans, Moussaka, Stuffed Tomatoes, & Stewed Meat

Local Santorini Beers - Red, Yellow, and Crazy Donkey

Some of the group got to try their first Baby Guinnesses

Day 2 included a catamaran ride. Before we left, Nate and I nursed our hangovers with some stuffed squid and white wine near the beach. We also got a little tan in while we weren't being sand blasted by the wind on the beach. This time of year, wind blows off the Sahara to the Greek Islands.

Squid stuffed with feta and grilled. Delicious!

The group split into two groups and we set out on a chilly ride around Santorini. We saw Red Beach and then found a wind-blocked cove to do some snorkeling. The swimming was great, and we had about 18 feet of visibility in the water. Nate was able to dive all the way down, but the water is highly salinated and the pressure gets to be too much after only a couple feet. We also swam to a "hot spring," which I would absolutely not recommend when the water is cold. After drying off and getting back on the catamaran, we were treated to a delicious dinner made by the crew. Overall, it was an amazing experience and we would do it again in a heartbeat, but we would wear warmer clothes and bring a blanket.

I don't get seasick, so I could sit in the back and drink wine :)

Day 3 was the best day because it was the day we went scuba diving AND went to the winery. I had never been scuba diving before and I absolutely LOVED it! I'm hooked now, and Nate is really excited that I've fallen in love with this expensive hobby. We went diving with Santorini Dive Center, and I highly recommend them and their location. They have dive sites for every experience level.

Our Dive Master

After getting back to the hotel, we quickly got ready to go to Santos Winery. The winery was stunning, and I would consider it a "must-do" for any Santorini itinerary. The timing was perfect, as we sipped wine overlooking the water as the sun set. The wine was very good, and many people in the group mailed some home to themselves.