One week in Santorini, Greece

For eye-gasms... visit Santorini.

Who to go with?

The wife/hubby - Absolutely. This is a big honeymoon spot. Go and watch the sunset and you're pretty much guaranteed to see a proposal.

The lads/ladies - Probably not at the moment. Although there were a lot of trendy bars beginning to establish themselves - so I wouldn't be surprised if it became a boozy-destination sometime in the future (unfortunately).

Where to stay in Santorini?

We spent a week in Santorini (early August) and split our time between two places; Firostefani and Fira. Only a short walk from each other but we wanted one accommodation with the views and another with a little more luxury.

We stayed at Agnadema Apartments for our visit to Firostefani. Amazing views of the sunset which you can watch from the hot tub or pool. It's located down a fairly long descent of steps, so away from the main drag of tourists - but does mean you're fairly knackered leaving/getting to the hotel. Probably best to avoid this completely if you're unfit or elderly. Although the hotel does usually send a member of staff to carry your luggage up/down (well worth the tip).

Views from the hot tub

We then moved onto Fira - away from the sunsets, but had similarly amazing views of the sunrise instead (although we only managed to drag ourselves out of bed for it once). Here we stayed at Astro Palace Hotel and Suites. If you email them in advance, they'll send their driver out to pick you up. This hotel didn't offer the views of the sunsets, but instead offered a relaxing and more luxurious stay whilst only being about a 10 minute walk away from the main drag. It's worth trying your luck and seeing if there's any free room upgrades available when you first check in. The staff are massively accommodating and whilst they didn't upgrade us for our first night, they did offer us an upgrade the next day when space became available.

What to do in Santorini?

Santorini is branded as a laid back destination; sunbathing and sunsets. However, if you fancy a bit of a challenge with some more amazing views on the way, tackle the Fira to Oia hiking trail.

Get up early. Have a good breakfast. Put on decent footwear. Stock up on plenty of water. Then follow the route from Fira to Oia, hugging the coastline.

You'll sweat, swear and catch sunburn - but the views offered are well worth it. We managed it in 2 hours 45 mins with a few breaks in between - but this could be done much quicker/longer depending on your determination.

When you reach Oia, there's plenty of places to eat/drink and recharge. You can then turn around and hike back the way you came (we didn't), or you can grab a bus back to Fira. However, the bus was quite difficult to work out. There was no clear bus station, or timetable, or advice. Just look for a mass of tourists who look exhausted and irritated - that'll be the bus stop. Be warned... when the bus does eventually arrive - don't be polite - make sure you get onto the bus and grab yourself a seat. We found that the bus couldn't accommodate everyone, so there were plenty left behind waiting for the next unknown bus arrival. It's a 15 minute claustrophobic-bumpy-ride-from-hell, but well worth it if you don't fancy tackling the hike home.

Fira (left) to Oia (mid-right in distance)

For evening entertainment, try the outdoor cinema at Volkan. Volkan itself is a cliffside bar/cafe with awesome views. But opposite the bar, they have an outdoor cinema. The film choice is fairly limited (we watched Rogue Nation: Mission Impossible) but the experience is quite fun. You get given some headphones and a little light - which you use to get the waiters attention for drinks/food. Apparently, booking is advisable as seating is limited.

Where to eat in Santorini?

Apart from the views, my favourite thing about Firostefani was the food. Particularly the Chicken Gyros. I pretty much lived on these for a week! Incredible. I'm sure you can find them all over Fira - but our favourite was Why Not.

For a casual evening meal, check out Chefs Garden. Admittedly, it is situated alongside a fairly busy dusty road. But the food is well worth it. We booked in advance and were glad we did as a queue began to form outside whilst we were tucking into our starters.

Chefs Garden

How to get to Santorini?

We sailed into Santorini on the local ferry from another island, but we flew home. It's worth pointing out that whilst Santorini has increased in popularity and has benefited financially from the tourist trade - the airport has not received any improvements over the years and struggles to accommodate the numbers which travel to Santorini. It was awful. Easily the worst airport I have ever experienced. Small, unorganised, hot and choatic. Good luck flying home!

Efharisto'.