36 Hours in Santorini

So before I begin, I already know what you’re thinking:

“…36 hours in Santorini, is that really enough?”

For me, yes. I’ve traveled to lots of countries for long weekends and I love it. For most places, it’s just enough time to see and do what I need to and more importantly, I get to maximize my leave by traveling on holiday weekends and only using 1 or 2 days of leave.

The key to success (for me) is to be strategic. I can’t be spontaneous with these trips. I have to make sure my itinerary is realistic and covers all that I can in the time that I have.

Greece has always been a dream destination of mine, but I traveled A LOT in 2018. So for Labor Day weekend I decided to get a quick “taste” of Greece, and went to Sensational Santorini.

No Regrets!

Day 1

We arrived in Thira on Friday afternoon and stayed at the Irigenia Hotel; a family run hotel located in a quiet area very close to the Perissa Village. There was a complimentary breakfast available, and the employees were warm and friendly. One employee even drove us to a bus stop when we returned to the hotel frustrated after getting lost.

I have a friend who is from Greece (hi, Krystina!), and was a great help when putting together my itinerary. She highly recommended Ouzeri for dinner, and I’m so glad that she did. With over 1,500 reviews equating to a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor, I needed little convincing. The food was reasonably priced, the staff were super and we got to dine while enjoying a view of the sea.

I had the Pork Fillet Souvlaki…top 5 meal I’ve ever had on vacation!

For the rest of the evening we walked around, enjoying Greece at night and took the convenient bus back to our hotel.

Day 2

As I discussed in my most recent post, I love catamarans! So doing a catamaran in Greece was a no brainer. The cruise offered a full BBQ lunch that was outstanding, and the opportunity to snorkel at the Red Beach!

The tour came with transportation to and from our hotel and complimentary drinks. It made for a perfect full day in Santorini.

That evening we had dinner in Perissa…I can’t remember the name of the restaurant but, as with all Greek dishes, it was fresh and fantastic. I had fish!

Day 3

For our final day, we took a day trip to see Santorini’s natural and historic beauty. We took a day trip to explore the volcanoes and returned to the boat to visit the Paela Kameni where we had the opportunity to dive into hot springs. Finally, we visited the traditional island of Thrassia for free time. I had another cheap, delectable lunch and got acquainted with some locals.

My Greek friend also informed me of the donkeys that you could ride in the village of Manolas, and I was geared up to do it, but sadly they were on vacation that day!

This was a perfect day filled with more picturesque views of Greece and mouth-watering foods, but be advised the walk up the volcanoes is NO walk in the park. I actually let the group go without me to the very top because with the sun and heights, I was “good, love!”

That evening we went to V Lounge Fira . This is a cocktail bar that features an amazing caldera and volcano view! To be honest, I only had orange juice, lol, but this view took my breath away.

Again–I don’t remember the name of the place where I had the meatballs below, but understand this: ANYWHERE YOU GO in Greece is guaranteed to offer a memorable, magical meal!

To thank us for our service the staff broke plates and cheered OPA! Just like I’ve seen on movies…It was so special.

Know Before You Go:

Load up on bottled waters. I wasn’t aware of this before I got to Greece, but I noticed when brushing my teeth the water tasted awful! I later discovered this was due to high mineral content, so I purchased some water on Day 2.
Pack comfy shoes! Santorini is full of cobblestone and steep pathways and steps. I bought cute heels for our first evening dinner…I lasted all of two and a half minutes in them.
Raining cats & dogs! Street animals run rampant throughout Greece and the locals take good care of them, don’t be scared!

I hope you make to Greece and see the beautiful white and blue that looks just as amazing as the pictures you’ve seen!

Have you been to Greece?