Traveling is so much more than just visiting a country’s hot spot. What you see on travel guides and “most talked about” locations are not always the best. Because let’s face it, if it is most talked about we’ve all heard it before and it’s getting boring and repetitive.
You might say, well isn’t Santorini a “most talked about” place? And yes, you are correct, it is. However, when I travel, I try to avoid crowds and tourists at all costs. Tourists, in my opinion, over the years have taken away from the experience of many local
Put this into perspective: You live in a beautiful quaint town. It suddenly gets discovered and it is now the most talked about
What I am trying to say is…if you are traveling, avoid going to the same location everyone else has, it’s overrated! If you must, visit that spot briefly and get the heck out of there. But most importantly, keep on exploring. There’s so much more out there to be discovered.
We are pretty private people, so during our stay in Santorini, we opted to book a resort that was completely away from the crowd. It was secluded with a beautiful sea view from our suite. We spent most of our evenings and some mornings in our in-room cave j
Travel Tips:
When it was time to explore and eat out, we chose to rent a vehicle with all-terrain capabilities, an ATV. This gave us the luxury of being able to easily find parking as well as getting into any location we desire.
The best locations and scenery are the ones off the beaten path…
If you ever visit Santorini, I highly encourage you to rent an ATV as a method of getting around the island. This allows you to travel throughout the island efficiently and not worry about any parking issues. You can also drive up to the edge of most cliffs and enjoy the beautiful view.
Santorini Travel Tip: Remember to bring sunscreen and sunglasses! It is BRIGHT here! I forgot mines back home and had to buy one from the souvenir store upon arrival.
On the contrary to your eyes not liking the brightness, this majestic white island is a dream if you are a film photographer. There are no bad angles here – the white paint all around the island’s buildings and homes are always bouncing that soft dreamy light wherever you point your camera.
The best part of it all, is the food and view at every restaurant is to die for! You are almost guaranteed a great seat at every restaurant (without breaking the bank.) We’ve been to a handful of fine dining restaurant in California and I would admit though ambiance is nice, but it always came with a hefty bill and the food has always been blah. In Santorini, we dine at a fabulous fine dining restaurant with a gorgeous view of the Caldera during Sunset and literally paid 1/2 of what we would pay in California. Not to mention the food was fantastic!
Getting Here…
It can be a daunting task to get to Santorini. The airport here is small, so there are only two direct flights to Santorini, one from Athens and the other from London only. If you are planning a trip around Europe, consider that into your travel plans. There’s also the ferry option. I’ve heard from others who had a great experience traveling by ferry. It is definitely a more budget friendly option. Just keep in mind that it is a 4-8 hour ride. I normally can’t sleep well on vessels and knew I needed a proper bed to be well rested, so we flew in instead.
It can be expensive getting here, but once you are here, you will absolutely have no regrets. This island have so much to offer. I just STRONGLY advise that you stay away from touristy areas like Oia for Sunset. The crowd really ruins the experience.
The most beautiful Sunset is the one you enjoy with your loved ones… ONLY. Not with 1,000 other tourists trying to take a photo.
With that said, I hope you find this blog helpful. Comment below if you have any questions for me or want more tips. I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you.
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Until then…
BON VOYAGE!
