Showing posts with label Travel Guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel Guide. Show all posts

And my Greece Adventures are coming to an end. This is my last Travel Guide for Greece where I take you through my time in Paros & Mykonos. I spent most of the time on boats with minimal sightseeing so, they both are getting combined into one post!

📍Paros, Greece

CLIFF JUMPING

 If you find yourself on a boat (and you know how to swim and are not afraid of heights) and the boat stops at a place for Cliff Jumping- JUMP! The cliff I jumped off of - my very first cliff jumping!- was 32 feet and wow what a long way down.

If it'll also be your first time cliff jumping:

GENERAL TIPS

  TIP #1: I'd recommend wearing swim shoes of some sort. I had to climb up the cliff and it was a bit hard with just bare feet.

TIP #2: Do not climb all the way up there if you have a fear of heights. Odd tip but the person in front of me climbed all the way up there and said he had a fear of heights. He eventually did take the express elevator down - i.e. jumped - but it took a lot of convincing.

TIP #3: When jumping, you must land like a toothpick. STRAIGHT! So keep your hands to your sides. If you even move a bit to the left and land on your thigh you're going to have a massive bruise there, so please please please make sure you land as a straight as a toothpick so you don't get hurt.

 PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

  TIP #1: If you have an iPhone, your best bet is to hand someone your phone and have them take a video and you can screen-cap from there. If you attempt to have your photo taken as you're in mid-air, chances are the person taking the photo won't capture you.

TIP #2: If you have a go-pro strapped to your head for the jump, I would take some precaution. The person in front of me who eventually jumped had a go-pro strapped to his head and on the way down it unclipped. Thankfully it wasn't so deep and a few skilled swimmers managed to get it for him.

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If you're interested in seeing me jump in action - you can check it out on my YouTube Channel at minute 1:49 on this video -  HERE
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HOTEL

Aegeon Hotel

The address:
Peripheral Road of Parikia, Kakepetra, 84400, 844 00, Greece
Their Website

⭐️⭐️
2/5 Stars

What I Loved:
- The Hotel was family run and the family was so warm-hearted and so so sweet to talk to. Although there was a language barrier, they were so kind to speak to.
- There was a beach a short drive away


-  The Hotel was very close to a bakery, so if you weren't feeling the small selection for breakfast they had, the bakery was right there for you:

Directions to the Bakery
Exit the hotel and walk to the right for a little bit.
You'll see a bakery right across the street! 

I also want to note that this bakery had a massive slice of baklava for 2€. Best 2€ spent.


(split it in two for my sister and I!)

Now, I really wanted to find the exact location however, when I went on Google, the street view hasn't been updated since 2011. If you find yourself at this hotel, just remember there's a tasty bakery for breakfast extremely close by!

What I Didn't Love
-  The rooms were extremely tiny. I shared with my sister and another roommate and walking-space was not a luxury. What I mean is that when it came time to actually get ready for dinner, we literally had to hop onto our beds if someone needed to take a quick look in the bathroom.

- The Shower: Our tour guide mentioned that the water pressure here in Paros is not the best, we saw that with the shower we had. It was pretty low pressure.

- There was no place for us to dry our bathing suits. We had to hang them in the bathroom and even balance some on top of a hook by the window - they weren't the driest the next day but it's better than having it be soaking wet!

- The Elevator takes a while to come down so when you first arrive you are better off carrying your luggage with you up the stairs.

📍Mykonos, Greece

Ah yes, the party island. My EF Tour had an excursion for my tour group for a Beach Party and seeing as my sister and I don't drink we opted out and decided to spend the day on our own.


 The Windmills (Kato Milli)

 GENERAL TIPS

 TIP #1: Wear closed toe shoes/comfy footwear. In order to get to the Windmills there is a lot of walking, some on sand depending on if you take that route.

TIP #2: The best time to go is right before sunset, your photos will have nice lighting and you get to see an amazing view.



last time I did this jumping pose - for those who haven't read my last Travel guides, I do this jumping pose at every major place!

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

 TIP #1: You are going to have to pick and choose which Windmill you want in your photo, you can't really get all of them in one photo. And if you do, you'll be this lil tiny thing in the photo.

TIP #2: Make sure the person taking the photo is slightly crouched in place, leaning back a bit, so they can get the full view of the windmill(s) behind you.

TIP #3: When having your photo taken, have the person kneeling down on your righthand side/left hand side to get a photo of you with the windmills at an angle.

TIP #4: Getting a picture without people behind you may be a bit difficult, so you're going to have to wait a few minutes to get a less crowded photo.

FOOD

Rouvera Cafe Restaurant
Mikonos 846 00, Greece
$$

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 Stars

At this restaurant, my sister and I got a fish and a bowl of clams to share. I really wish they had their menu online so I can tell you exactly what I got and that I actually wrote it down. Although pricey, it was honestly the best fish we've both ever had.

The person who served us was actually the person who went on the boat fishing that morning. So, your food is quite literally fresh. The cost of the fish depends on the weight of it - I believe the fish was about 14€ for us, it also came with a small portion of rice.

You may be wondering, well where's the picture of the perfect meal? Well, you see, I was really hungry and didn't think to myself oh maybe I should take a photo of this.

Also, best part? FREE WIFI!

_____

We went to another restaurant near the Windmills however we weren't too in love with. You are mainly paying for the view of the windmills not necessarily the food if that makes sense. So, if you find yourself by the Windmills, I'd recommend finding a place to eat where the start of the walkway is rather than near the windmills - you'll get better food and a better view!
_____


DESSERT

Gelarte
Mikonos 846 00, Greece
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5/5 Stars

For some reason the address is the same as the restaurant however just keep walking straight all the way down the path.

We actually found out about this ice cream place when we saw so many people with their little ice cream cups walking around. So we started walking down the path after eating at Rouvera and found it. Now, please drumroll for this ice cream flavor I am about to tell you about.

Baklava ice cream! I didn't know this was actually a thing but it tasted like heaven. You'd think the baklava might get soggy however, it still has its nice crunch to it! It was nicely priced at 3.50€ for a cup.

Funny story: After my sister and I tried this place we mentioned it to our tour group, and everyone in our tour group went to get ice cream and we all basically finished their baklava ice cream.

_____

HOTEL
Alkistis Hotel
Agios Stefanos, Mykonos

Their Website
⭐️
1/5 Stars

What I Didn't Like:

- You see those stairs in that photo above? Yep, so imagine having to climb that + 3 more of those daily because there is not an elevator. Oh, and climbing up those stairs with your very own luggage up all those steps. That itself was a workout. It made me really upset though because it wasn't wheelchair accessible. Although yes I am able to walk up these stairs, I kind of got upset that they didn't think of making this hotel wheelchair accessible.

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If you're interested in seeing me walk up my hotel room in action- you can check it out on my YouTube Channel at minute 1:25 on this video -  HERE
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- The water smelled odd in the shower and from the faucet that was outside of the bathroom.

- The air condition stopped working, and there was a quick blackout on the island. When the generator kicked in we put the air condition back on and essentially the air condition had an identity crisis because it turned to heat. Why there is a heat function on this air condition, I have not the slightest clue. So we had to sleep without the air condition that night.

- I didn't get the best vibes from the people at the front desk.

What I liked:

- The beach in front of the hotel was free for you to go to.

- There was a convenience store right near by, just walk to the right hand side for .5 seconds and you should see it.

- The bus stop was nearly right in front of the hotel. Right by the convenience store, you'll see a bus stop. It was I believe 2.50€ for a ride.

_____

 AND THERE WE HAVE IT - the end of my Greece Travel Guides. This Travel Guide was supposed to be up last week however I was attending a hack-a-thon and prepping for my race, so it ended up getting pushed around to this week instead.

I really hope everyone enjoyed reading my Travel Guides, I had a lot of fun writing and remembering what I did in Greece - I think of them now as massive diary entries with tips I wish I knew before. If this is the first one you're reading from me, you may want to check out the others as those have a lot of sightseeing, photography and general tips!

Travel Guide: Athens, Greece
Travel Guide: Santorini, Greece [Part 1]
Travel Guide: Santorini, Greece [Part 2]
Travel Guide: Santorini, Greece [Part 3]

Thank you again for reading, I mentioned in my last Travel Guide that doing Travel Guides were really outside of my blogging comfort zone and I'm so happy with how they turned out!





So, in Part 1 and Part 2 of my Santorini Travel Guide I took you sightseeing, now what's the final stop? FOOD. Well, food, transportation, weather and hotel. But Food is pretty much what you need for fuel to see all those sites, so we'll start with food first!

WHERE TO EAT IN SANTORINI 

LA PAREA

Fira, Santorini, Greece, 847 00

€€
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/5 Stars

My sister and I spent a day & an evening in Santorini and when we asked the driver for the evening what the best place to eat was he answered without hesitation this place. And, when I tell you my mouth was in heaven at this place, I'm not even exaggerating here.

Now, of course you can't go to a place to eat and NOT get Greek Salad. Something that surprised my sister and I was the Feta Cheese. You know how usually when you get a Greek Salad there are pieces of feta? So, in Greece that's not actually how Greek Salad works. Their Greek Salad is styled with a feta cheese block.


Now, let's get to the main meal. So I actually never tried Octopus before, but the way it was described on the menu had me and my sister gravitating towards it. There was just the right amount of crunch to it 10/10 would recommend getting this if you find yourself in Santorini anytime soon. It comes with a side of grilled red & yellow peppers, zucchini slice and a hot pepper (ya girl loves a good spice but not in public because hello tears from eating the hot pepper. So, that hot pepper stayed chilling on that plate.)


I have good news too, they have a website! And on the website they have the menu there. 

And, the best part is that it's pretty nicely priced. 
Grilled Octopus: 14.50€ [enough for two people to share]
Greek Salad: 7.50 €

SKALA RESTAURANT

OIA, SANTORINI
Oia, Kikladhes, Greece 84702

€€
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4/5 Stars

In Travel Guide: Santorini [Part 2] I mentioned I opted out of viewing the sunset in Oia at the Castle because I didn't have a chance to eat all day. So, this is where this food place comes in! From this place, I ordered Calamari stuffed with cheese (not sure which one, sorry!!) and peppers. This was a very heavy/filling meal. It's the type of meal where you feel you need to walk 3 miles to fully digest. So although it tasted amazing, it's a bit on the heavier side. If you want something filling but light I'd opt for a standard fish. My sister ordered the fish and they even gave her a plate to put all her bones in (which is y'know great because who wants their bones getting in the way of everything else on the plate).


_____


DESSERT

Lolita's Gelato
Oia, Santorini, Greece
Oia, Kikladhes, Greece 84702

 €
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/5 Stars

When I was on my day-tour, the tour guide said this specific gelato place was the best in all of Santorini. So, once I walked off my stuffed calamari above, I walked straight into Lolita's Gelato. The tour guide mentioned that the best flavors to try are the Pistachio & Hazelnut!

I just wanted to show you guys the sign they had above because I was straight up laughing for 20 minutes:


_____

TRANSPORTATION

There are two types of transportation:

Take a private mini bus from your hotel to town - 10€

Take a taxi from town to your hotel - ? 
{we were told by the hotel that the price largely depends on the driver}

There are two sides of Santorini - The Mountain side & the Beach side.
My hotel was on the Mountain side and for my sister and I to go to town - Thira - it was 10€. That is the standard price, there is no price inflation during different times of the day. Once you're done, you just call the number back and they come and pick you up. 10€ going and 10€ coming back.



Now, something I saw a lot of tourists do was get on a bike/buggy and explore the island that way. Now, I would have loved to do that except the road was extremely bumpy and the road loops around constantly. Knowing myself I would have turned a loop and found myself down into the sea. Also, my mom told me specifically (because she knows who I am and I love adventure) not to ride the bikes/buggies for my own safety. 

Funnily enough, I then saw this boat sign and UH MAMA DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT DRIVING A BOAT


My sister kind of wasn't on board because to her we would have re-created the Titanic even though there wasn't an iceberg in the sea.

Weather

Now, if you couldn't tell by Part 2 of my Travel Guide, Santorini is WINDY. I'm not talking light wind, I'm talking this is Mary Poppins flying weather. So, when choosing what to wear just make sure it's something the wind can't play with too much!

Hotel

Nautilus Dome Hotel
Address:
Sgia Irini
Santorini


I loved how spacious the room was - I was sharing with my sister and there were two beds, a closet, and a little section with a mirror before the bathroom where you can stand to see if everything looks okay before you're out the door. Also, just to note! The bathroom in my room did not have a bath, just a shower - just incase you're a bath lover I just wanted to give a heads up!

What I loved:
- The people at the receptionist desk were really kind and even when I had WAY too many questions, they answered all of them.

- The room was nice and spacious, we had leg room to actually maneuver around the room which was great because what I don't love are rooms that are teeny tiny and don't have any room to walk inside.

- THE VIEW. See below and you'll see why I wrote that in Caps Lock:



- Since this hotel was on the mountain side, what was great was that there was a pool right in front of the hotel. Although obviously if you're in Greece you want to go to the Sea, the pool was nice if you just wanted a nice evening in to relax and go for a quick swim before calling it a day.

- There is a convenient store about 1 minute away by walk! 

- It was a small but nice selection for breakfast - they had great sunny side up eggs & fruit. When in Greece eat all the fruit, it tastes amazing!

What I didn't love:

Places to eat were all in town - Thira. Which meant that in order to get any sort of lunch/dinner I had to take a bus to town. I would have much preferred there to be a few places to eat nearby in walking distance.

SOMETHING A LIL EXTRA 

THIRA

So, I kind of didn't know what to call this section. You may be wondering where this photo was taken:

also yes those are pineapples on my hijab/scarf 

This was taken in Thira. If you want to take a similar photo / go to the same exact point, when you get to Thira, follow this path right up:



You'll see a church in about .5 seconds. Right across there's this area to see the sunset.

I'll just leave you with this tip for this area:

There are a lot of people, so getting a photo of just you in it will be difficult. What you don't see in this photo is a selfie stick trying to make it's way into frame.

So, I think if you really want to get a nice photo and there's someone in your way, ask them politely to move a bit to the side until you've taken your photo OR wait until they're done. Everyone generally speaks a few words of English, so you should be fine if you ask them to step a bit to the side for you to take your photo.

AT THE HOTEL

 At the hotel I stayed at, there was a little roof section you can walk up to. On that roof my sister and I watched the sunrise. I spoke a lot about sunset, but sunrise is honestly just as beautiful. Though, please wear glasses because that sun will great brighter and brighter before you know it!


OIA

So, do I have any cliff lovers here? Well, I should say Cliff-jumper-lovers here. Although I didn't get to, one thing Oia has is a cliff to jump off of (y'know, safely into the water).

Here is a blog post I came across that details how exactly to get to said cliff & safety tips!


Another thing to write on your list of things to do in Oia is riding a Donkey. This is probably not what you expected me to write, but a few people in my tour group spent the evening on donkeys and it sounded like so much fun! 
_____

I genuinely wish I had more time for cliff jumping & riding a donkey - though seeing as Santorini took 3 Parts for me to discuss it in all it's entirety, if I had an extra day something is telling me this I would have a 5 Part Santorini Travel Guide instead of just 3 Parts.

I really hope you enjoyed reading this last part of my Santorini Travel Guide. This travel guide for Santorini (all three parts) took me a lot longer to write out than I thought it would. I didn't realize I did so much until I was writing everything down + giving tips on each location!

I visited 2 more islands Paros & Mykonos however since I was on a boat for both I don't have much sightseeing to give tips on. So, it'll just be a Travel Guide on Hotels in Paros + Mykonos & places to eat dinner & dessert.
_____

also ps. I can't tell you how happy I am that I have one Travel Guide left, I've missed writing crash courses & reflection posts. Don't get me wrong I love writing these Travel Guides. I actually wouldn't have ever written them if over on Twitter people didn't respond when I asked if it would be helpful to write about what I did + tips.

 These guides have been a massive step outside of my blogging comfort zone + I love helping others - so any tips I would have loved to know, I'm writing them down to help others get a better picture of where they may be planning a vacation.

Crash Courses & reflection pieces are what I love the most to write though, so I'm really excited to get back into writing my crash courses & reflection posts.

OK SORRY FOR MY LONG EXIT OUT OF THIS POST SEE YOU IN MY TRAVEL GUIDE FOR PAROS & MYKONOS! 



And we're back with Santorini - since I happened to do a lot in Santorini it's getting split into three parts. If you haven't read my first part, you can read it here: Travel Guide: Santorini, Greece [Part 1]. Now, let's get onto more of the sites to see!



Emborio Village

GENERAL TIPS

TIP #1: This village was actually a fortress once - this fortress was meant to confuse foreigners so, everything looks the same. Essentially, it's a maze and if you don't know your way around, you're not getting out.

So, the tip here: KEEP YOUR EYE ON YOUR TOUR GROUP!

If you are not here with a day-tour, I'd recommend getting an in depth map of the Emborio Village to ensure you won't get lost.

TIP #2: Once you get to this village, there is a church. You are not allowed to take photos in there, so please be respectful and don't try to take a photo.

TIP #3: In this fortress, people actually live in there. There are homes within it. I found this really surprising because I had not the slightest clue if there was a supermarket nearby. So, this is more of a tip to remind you to keep your voice at a conversational volume - not too loud.

TIP #3: The walkways are a bit narrow in some parts, so if you're with a group of friends, you're going to have to go in a single file a few times. Also there's a lot of walking, so comfortable footwear that is not the color white is a must.

I say this as a person who wore white shoes :



TIP #4: If you are on a day-tour, PLEASE do not try and have a conversation with someone as the tour guide is talking. This happened when I went and I didn't hear half of the history crash course the guide was giving.



PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

TIP #1: When taking a photo near the doors, do not knock literally on the doors you see. As I mentioned above, people actually live there!

TIP #2: Taking a photo of the church in front is actually difficult. At one point, I just took a video because no photo could do it justice. However, if you aim to take a picture of it, you're going to have to stand far from it to get it all in frame. Since there are a lot of people there, you probably won't get a clear photo of just the church.



TIP #3: If you want to take a photo near the church, you're going to either:

A: Take a photo with the whole church in the background with a tiny you in there

B: Take a photo with you in the center + the church being half in there but also you'll know it's a church behind you by glancing at the photo.

As I was running short on time, I only had time to take photos of my sister there.


TIP #4: Depending on the door you decide to sit in front of to take photos, there may or may not be a line of people waiting for that exact spot. When I took the photo below, there were people waiting. So, I didn't realize that my bag would be in frame when my sister took the photo. So, this tip is to make sure your bag isn't in frame & to be mindful of others waiting.



Santorini Winery

GENERAL TIPS

TIP #1: As I mentioned in Travel Guide: Athens, Greece I don't drink beer/wine. If you also don't then not to worry! They have an interesting apricot & orange juice mixed drink.


Not really a tip, but I wanted to mention that if you don't want to go to this place PURELY because it's a winery and you don't drink, no worries they've got you covered.

TIP #2: The word for cheers in Greek is YAMAS - regardless of what you're drinking, you may be clinking for glasses saying YAMAS multiple times. So, if one of the servers says YAMAS, you say it back to them and raise your glass.

TIP #3: Wear something that will not fly up with the wind. The shirt I was wearing was pretty lightweight which meant the wind was having WAY too much fun with me.  I'd recommend perhaps wearing a romper? At least that way you won't have to worry of your top/skirt going up! (or, if you realllly want to wear a skirt, make sure to wear lining/shorts!)

my sister was 110% done with me after I took this titanic-y photo

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

TIP #1: hi remember the wind I mentioned? Yes, the wind. It will play with you. So, if you have long hair, I'd recommend putting it half up/in a bun? Just to that way your photos aren't just of you with your hair in front of your face.

If you wear the hijab like me, be prepared to hold your scarf down with one hand.

TIP #2: If you're wearing a flow-y top, be prepared to hold it down.  If you're wondering how that went for me:


TIP #3: The view here is absolutely incredible - in order to get a shot of it all you can step back about 5 steps and capture it. However, I would recommend MAYBE using the panorama if you're using an iPhone. Also a video too because I felt like a photo couldn't capture all it's beauty.

TIP #4: If you're the one taking the photos there are three views to get:

VIEW 1: The cliff you are currently on in the background.

VIEW 2: The water with boats in the background.

When doing view 1/2:

You can either take a photo of your back to the camera & you looking out

or

Take a photo looking at the camera - though, if you look at the above photo that's how that went 

Back to tip #1 

VIEW 3: Both View 1 + 2 together.

When doing View 3: 

You: Stand towards the right hand side 
(not completely! Make sure you are 10 steps away from the end of the line on your right) 

Person Taking the Photo: Stand all the way to the right, and take the photo at a slight angle to get both the cliff and water in the background.

Because that may have sounded kind of confusing, here's the photo from above to show you what I mean; I hope I explained that well: 




Profitis Ilias Mountain

GENERAL TIPS

TIP #1: This is a bit rocky, so sneakers or Toms is a must here.

If you're wearing flip flops, it'd start to become uncomfortable on the feet!

TIP #2: If you have children with you, keep an eye/hold their hand. On the way up to the highest point (in the beginning) there isn't a barricade from the edge of the cliff.

TIP #3: If you are on a day-tour, you better move those legs fast up that mountain to get the perfect photo up above - time is not a luxury!

(The good thing is that there aren't a lot of people here at once!)



PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

TIP #1: On the way to the highest point, there's a small cliff where you can sit and take photos there.
If you're feeling a liittle risky - take a jump shot! I was taking photos of a young American couple & when I asked if they wanted me to take a jump shot of them the guy was like OH HELL NO HAHA.

TIP #2: For this small cliff, I'd recommend getting a sitting down photo! The person taking the photo should be kneeling on the floor and leaning back to get the entirety of the view.

TIP #3: Now, for the top of the Mountain, there is a ledge there. And you already know what I'm going to say - get on there and take a jump shot! 

TIP #4: You see the whole of Santorini up there, although yes you want to be in the photo, be sure to take some stand-alones of just the view!





Oia 

GENERAL TIPS

TIP #1: Most people are here because of the view of the Sunset from this point. So, there are a lot of people. If you're there with someone, make sure you have your eye on them or are holding their hand.

TIP #2: This is Tourist Central. So, there are a lot of shops here. A LOT. So, make sure you look around before settling on getting something for XYZ price. Chances are, the same thing you're looking at is cheaper at another lil shop.

TIP #3: Keep your purse/bag close to you. As I mentioned in TIP #1, there are a lot of people. Be careful with your things.

TIP #4: If you are there for the sunset, make sure to start making your way to the Castle (the best place to see it!) at least 30-40 minutes before Sunset. 

If you opt out of viewing it at the castle, which I ended up doing because ya girl did not eat all day as I mentioned in Part 1, you can also make your way towards the castle and go in the lil side streets/walking areas. Still a great view!

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

TIP #1: If you're in a side walking area, there a lot of people. So, when you get the chance to take a photo, make sure to get every angle you want.

TIP #2: Be mindful that others are waiting to take photos as well. When I went this girl must have been a blogger because she had a full fledged photographer with her, and she kept taking photos for about 30 minutes in that same spot - which was THE SPOT to take a touristy photo. Yes, I said in TIP #1 to make sure you take every angle you want, but please be mindful of others - half my photos are in the dark because I couldn't take any since she was hogging the whole section.

TIP #3: I'd say to take a photo with your back against the view - this is great if you want to get a literal postcard-vibe photo. (I took a photo with my back to the view but it's just way too dark, no editing can save it).

TIP #4: This is to the person taking the photo: Watch your footing. The side walking area I was in, was narrow and I had to keep watching the way I stepped.

TIP #5: To take a photo of all the shops, in y'know that aesthetic way, and not have a bunch of people jostling you around for standing in their way, there are a few less crowdy areas - the further you are from the entrance & Castle you're fine to take a photo without being bothered.

_____

AND THERE WE HAVE IT - the end of Part 2 aka the end of sightseeing in Santorini! I saw all my sightseeing in Santorini with NST Travel! 

Pros of Day Tour: 
You see every part of the Island.

Cons of a Day Tour: 
You are short on time so, although you see every part of the island, you kind of don't get a chance to truly admire it all (if that makes sense) because you're already being bused to the next location before you get the chance to take it all in.

If there's one thing I wish I had more of it's more time in each place.

And, I promise Santorini is almost done! Now, all I have left is Places to eat, Hotel, Weather, and Transportation - which you'll read all about in Part 3!

SEE YOU ALL IN PART 3!



And the Greece adventure continues. In my last post - Travel Guide: Athens, Greece - I mentioned that I would be doing a Travel Guide for Santorini next. I'm so glad to hear you all enjoyed the format of it! Without further-a-do let's get into Santorini aka the place you probably see on your twitter timeline WAY too often.

📍Santorini, Greece

As I mentioned in my Travel Guide: Athens, Greece post I went with EF Tours Ultimate Break. Included in the tour for Santorini was an excursion but I decided to opt out.

Now, I am going to tell you what my dad told my sister and I (Fun fact: My dad actually used to live in Greece):

 Ask the hotel if they have any day-tours happening.

Chances are, they do have something happening. Best part? IT WAS ONLY 50€ TO SEE EVERY PART OF SANTORINI - my wallet was doing a happy dance.


Red Beach
I overlooked the beach from a cliff

 GENERAL TIPS:

TIP #1: It is a bit of a rocky climb, so wearing sneakers or Toms is a must here so you're guaranteed not to fall/misstep.

TIP #2: As you walk back down from your climb, there is a small little souvenir shop there. It is actually normally priced -although a touristy area, it wasn't anything too crazy.

TIP #3: Our Tour Guide for the day mentioned that you can swim there however, he advised against it because mudslides occur often.

TIP #4: This cliff is child safe, there is rope lining around the cliff itself so no one can actually go all the way to the edge.



PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

TIP #1: There are a lot of people there trying to get their perfect shot, so you're going to have to wait your turn - when you have that turn, take your time with taking a photo. Chances are, the opening won't come up again.

TIP #2: Wear your sunglasses for photos, if you feel like opting out of wearing sunglasses please take a look at how that went for me:

I can confirm I couldn't actually see out of these glasses because of how tinted they were but! great for a photo

my eyes were blinded by the actual sun 

TIP #3: Taking a jumping photo here wasn't really the best, I'd recommend taking a photo of you standing with your back to the cliffs and water. Here's how my jumping photo went:

I'm not the HUGEST fan of this photo, partly because my 5'5'' 1/2 self couldn't jump higher (Ok my doctor said I'm 5'6'' but everyone I know tells me I am not 5'6'' so 5'5 1/2 is what I'm going with)

TIP #4: For the person taking the photo of you, make sure they get each angle. What I mean is have them take a photo of you with them standing directly in front of you, then have them take a step to the left and take a photo, and lastly have them step to the right.

Straight in front of you: You get the view of the water and a cliff behind you.
Standing to the left of you: You get more of the cliff you are on behind you.
Standing to the right of you: You get the full view of the vast amount of water behind and maybe even of people canoeing in the background!

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Not a tip but here's a small blurb from my day-tour map about Red Beach so you have a bit more of an idea of where you'd be visiting:
Short stop for photos at the famous volcanic beach, well known for the unique color of the sand, it's soaring red lava cliffs and clear green waters.

just so you know I'm laughing at ~short stop~ for photos because you and I both know for the memories & 'gram you are taking 3902+ photos



Akrotiri Excavation Site

 GENERAL TIPS

TIP #1: This tip is for my students: Bring Your Student ID! The original ticket was I believe 14€ but for students, it is brought down to 7€.

TIP #2: There are multiple tours happening at the same time so make sure you have you eyes on your tour and aren't standing too long in one spot reading small blurbs.

TIP #3: This kind of goes hand in hand with the tip above, make sure you are close enough to the tour guide to hear what they are actually saying - there were times where I couldn't hear what was said because I was too far in the back.


PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

 TIP #1: The lighting in here is actually sunlight so rest assured your photos will have nice lighting. Not really a tip, but thought to mention!

TIP #2: When taking photos of the different artifacts, make sure to take a photo of the blurbs alongside. I have a few photos I took in here that I actually don't remember what they were.

TIP #3: Take your photos as you are walking through your tour and not try to make a mental note to take them when you have free time. I did this and wish I took photos right-then and there instead of thinking I'd have free time afterwards to retrace my steps.

I did want to note that I wasn't COMPLETELY blown away at this. If given the opportunity to see this place again, I think I'd pass it. I found it interesting, of course. But not to in a wow this is so cool kind of way. Fun lil fact though: This ancient civilization had a full draining system while the civilization at the time of discovering this didn't.


Perivolos Beach
Here! you! can! swim!

GENERAL TIPS

TIP #1: You can't just walk right onto the beach. There are taverna's lined up where there's a section to eat/grab drinks + this also includes going to the beach right in front of said Taverna. So, look for a beach section you want to go to and then go and get a drink from the place there. Win Win situation. You pay for your 3.50€ drink and get to swim in the beach!

TIP #2: The beach here is interesting. You know how on a beach you can walk and walk until you can't reach anymore and then you're floating? Yeah, so this beach isn't like that. You walk about 15-20 steps and suddenly you can't reach - there's a massive drop.

TIP #3: Keep watch of your bags while you're swimming. This might just be me being paranoid but while swimming I didn't want something happening to my money + phone!

TIP #4: Try grilled Feta cheese. (I didn't get a chance to due to being short on time on this day-tour in each area but I really wish I did.)

 TIP #5: If you also manage to find yourself on a day-tour then you may also have to decide between going for a swim OR eating lunch. My sister and I opted to swim and didn't have time to eat lunch

If you are not on time constraints, take your time here and eat some seafood. Since you're literally right by the sea it can't get any fresher than that! There are some places along the boardwalk that are expensive and some that are nicer on your wallet - so pick and choose the best one for yourself there!

TIP #6: Uh this isn't really a tip, more of a don't be alarmed by the sand being black - it's black volcanic sand!

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

So I'm just going to leave you with one Photography Tip because I'm just going to assume you all know how to take photos on a beach!

TIP #1: Remember how I mentioned you take 15-20 steps and then there's a huge drop? Yeah, so make sure you aren't walking backwards in the water trying to get a good photo of yourself and then suddenly down you go.

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This Travel Guide is being split into 2  (or maybe 3?) because there is actually 4 more places I visited within Santorini, places to eat, weather, hotel, and transportation that I want to write about + give tips on and I think this post would turn into a novel if I wrote all of that here.

I think I may do:
 Part 2: 4 other places I visited + Tips (General & Photography)
Part 3: Places to Eat, Hotel, Weather & Transportation
Does that sound okay? Let me know your thoughts!

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of Santorini - SEE YOU ALL IN PART 2!

If you haven't already, you can read up on Travel Guide: Athens Greece which is actually more of a novel than this post.