Amongst the islands in Greece, Mykonos and Santorini are possibly the two most visited islands. By the end of the honeymoon I wished that we spent more time exploring the other islands instead of having more time in Turkey.

The islands are accessible via domestic flights or ferry which I would advise against since schedules to the Greeks is unheard of. Online reviews have suggested that it can take up to a day of waiting for a ferry to be considered full before the ship would start its voyage.



It was either Olympic Air or Aegean Airlines that flew regularly to Santorini.



In that under hour plane, we were served nuts and juice. Pretty decent for a domestic flight at budget prices and the stewardesses were actually good lookers too!



Hovering about the clouds.



With just one conveyor belt for luggage, you can imagine how many flights are operated daily.



I have never seen another airport as empty as this.



The skies were so blue!



Nobody in sight and we were left stranded because our arranged transport had "forgotten" about us. We booked it via Kamari Tours who claimed that the website and their system did not sync and hence our booking fell through. After what felt like eternity and my english almost sounded like greek, they finally sent a fumbling driver in a humongous bus to send two of us to our hotel in Imerovigli.


 

Rocabella Suites would be our home for the next 3 nights.  Full review here! The original plan was to stay at Astra Suites which in photos seemed like a perfect place but they were sold out. We stayed during their low season hence scoring a really good promotion of stay 2, free 1 night stay.
 


The most unlikely reception area, resembled another of their guesthouses.



The inviting pool.



There was actually an IT corner - but who would bother with connecting with social media in a resort like this!



Over looking the Aegean sea. It was most certainly blissful spending every waking moment with a view like this.



Catching sunsets was a must, definitely breathtaking and trumps the ones caught in Bali.

 

The hotel left us daily treats which made our stay super welcoming! 





Rocabella is not only great for honeymooners but also a favoured place by brides and grooms. We actually chanced upon a wedding! 

There are a number of main areas within Santorini -

Imerovigli - Less touristy, very tranquil
Oia and Fira - Nearly every tourist makes his or her mark there and sunsets are crowded affairs. Between the two, Fira is almost a mini chinatown of its own.



We could spend days just gazing out at the neverending seas...



Right smack outside the hotel was a path meant for trekking. We attempted the trek to Skaros Rock, a magnificent fortress that oversees Santorini from a different angle. There are almost no railings and the path is treacherous, appropriate foot wear is a must.

 

Roses have never been more gorgeous, and they were all wild!
 








The view to die for. Waters were soooo blue!

 
More of the splendid beauty.





Almost every one in Santorini drives or rides an AV. While trekking from end to end would take 8 hours with Imerovigli being the mid point, I would definitely not advise that.

The short distance from our hotel to some form of civilization took almost 30 minutes and we headed for the first car rental shop available.



The rates for a car and AV are vastly different. There are also options of manual and automatic.



Looking like a bull dozer.

We scored a car and travelling for the next few days were just a breeze.

Oia is a small town and former community in the South Aegean on the islands of Thira and Therasia, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it has been part of the municipality of Santorini, of which it is a municipal unit.



Hello Oia.



More of the blues going on.



The famous white and blue landscape.





Oia by night is as charming, infact, more charming than the day.



Spot Naoussa, one of the best places to witness a sunset. Food was affordable and delicious!



We trudged further into the town and decided to purchase our day's excursion to the volcanoes. This travel agency was the cheapest we found so far - always go by the logic of the more prominent and accessible the agency, the higher the prices.



At the edges of Oia is a cable car station that takes you all the way down!



A mandatory fee of 5 EUR (if I remember correctly) was slapped on us to take the cable car, otherwise risk walking down the steep steps amidst aromas of donkey manure. While donkey rides were part of the culture of Santorini, the conditions they are subjected to are far from ideal. Save the donkeys, don't ride them!



The cable ride lasted all of 15 minutes maximum and try to arrive at least 30 minutes before the tour begins just in case the crowds jam up the cable car system.



Onboard the Hermes for our day trip to see the calderas and volcano!



There were other cruisers docked and facing us was an endless sea of blue. It was only until this trip that I truly enjoyed the sun and sea so much.

Please load up the sunscreen though, we ended up terribly burnt. The sunrays during winter without clouds is alot more harsh than on cloudy days.



The clouds seemed fluffier on a holiday.



Waters so clear and blue, the rocks can even be seen. This is hardly the case in South East Asia. The seas I have encountered are murky and to even see my toes takes some difficulty.



The boat ride was decent and I did not suffer any motion sickness - hurray! The condition of the boat was not great for toilet visits I must say.

At the entrance of the site, we all had to pay a nominal entrance fee from this makeshift counter under a shady tree and warned not to remove anything from the volcano.



Remains of the most recent volcanic eruption at Nea Kameni. It was an island's worth of black stones. The trek around the volcano took at least an hour an a half, scorching hot and best of all, the fumes were still spilling out of the volcano. I could really just cook a meal from the sulphuric fumes. For the acrophobic like me, this was a challenge to conquer since the paths were not only narrow but rocky.



Seeing this view again was a sweet finale to my almost 2 hour trek. 



We then made our way to Thirassia for a lunch stop. All the restaurants on the island sold the same food at the same prices. We were recommended Captain John's as did most of the other tour operators. Seafood was really fresh and it was a right decision to pick that.



The only restaurant at the top of the hill. Out of curiosity's sake, we decided to take on the 300 step trek up for the view.



Still, I refused to pay to sit on the donkeys and suffered on the way up - getting abused by both the manure stench and the heat that was getting to me (I stupidly wore my thermal wear and the weather chose to take a turn for the worse by getting hotter).



To say I have been there and done that was utmost satisfying. There! We made it all the way to the top and back.



With a souvenir to boot and remember this leg of the trip too.These are the cheapest where we boarded and alighted from the boat, if I remember correctly it was retailing for 2 EUR when the rest on the island proper were going for at least two to three times the price and the most expensive was at 10 EUR.



Armoudi Bay was an area that the resort recommended we give a try and truly, it was the best lunch I had in my life. Go for Dimitri's Tavern located right at the end of the street of seafood restaurants. Waters were sparkling blue, the sun rays were shining down on us, the food was incredible and so was the view - both the Hubba and I secretly made a wish to come back when we retired - or better still, retire with a view like that.

Also on the agenda was a trip to the vineyards and there are plenty to choose from except in the month of May not all are open, neither are all open to public. We settled for Domaine Sigalas that was reasonably well located and even had a wine tasting! I would definitely recommend a visit at least once and since then vinsanto has been a regular in my wine list!

The days in Santorini ended so fast and we bade our wonderful resort goodbye and trudged onto the second country - Turkey!