Greece – Discover Santorini with Jet2Holidays
Discover Santorini with Jet2Holidays
Following winning a blogger cocktail making masterclass which included a trip to any Jet2Holidays new Greek destinations I set off to the Greek island of Santorini.
Right from the start, from checking in at London Stansted Airport I couldn’t find any fault with the Jet2Holidays staff. They welcomed us into the check-in area and helped make the whole checking-in as easy as possible.
Once on board the aircraft we settled in for our flight to Santorini. Santorini is a Greek island that has been on my ‘bucket list’ for some time. I was very excited to finally be on my way.
Whenever I have seen TV commercials for Jet2Holidays I never thought I would be going on one since we usually book our flights and hotels ourself. Jet2Holidays have recently added Greece, both mainland and many islands, to their list of destinations. I had such a tough decision to decide which destination I wanted to go to however finally settled on Santorini.
Santorini is one of the Greek islands I have always wanted to visit so can you imagine the excitement in our house as we got closer and closer to the departure date.
Aqua Blue Hotel:
We picked the Aqua Blue hotel on Perissa Beach to stay at which is on the south east of the island. The hotel was absolutely gorgeous with typical white building and blue doors and shutters. We arrived in the dark and the lights made it look completely magical.
The next morning and the view of the hotel and surrounding area was breath taking! I never got bored of looking at the view right outside our room.
The staff at the Aqua Blue were so friendly and treated us like family right from the moment we arrived until we said our final good-bye.
We had a delicious buffet style breakfast each morning and tried the restaurant one evening. The other evenings we strolled along the beach and tried lots of different restaurants and tavernas. They all offered local dishes which were all as delicious as each other.
The Caldera:
The whole island of Santorini was once a complete land mass. However following several volcanic eruptions and earthquakes over time a deep hollow was formed which eventually broke up allowing the sea to flow in and surround the remaining high points with sea. The largest side of the crater is the island known as Santorini.
The main towns of Fira and Oia are mostly situated down the side of the cliffs with many dwellings directly in the side if the cliff itself.
When you first look at the centre sticking out of the water you are struck by the vastness, the white colours of the buildings and the deep intense blues of the church roofs and shutters on the buildings.
Fira:
Fira is the capital town and is very busy and touristy. It looks out across the caldera and you can see Oia in the distance. You get the most beautiful views of the white buildings and churches with the intense blue domes, roofs and shutters. With the sun shining and the waters glistening it is truly an instagram paradise!
Parking can be a nightmare especially on market days and around sunset when most tourists want to come for great sunsets.
Oia:
Oia, known for it’s absolutely stunning sunsets is at the northern most point of the island. The village square and narrow side streets get very crowded.
The whole place is steps. Steps up to the town square then steps down to the various hotels and homes build on the side of the cliffs of the caldera.
Narrow streets full of souvenir shops all wanting you to stop and look at their wares lead to the end of the town where minutes leading up to sunset are crowded with people wanting to get the perfect photograph.
Because of the number of steps and my knee problem I stayed a bit away from the crowds and tried to get a shot of the sunset that was different and I think I did!
Perissa:
Our hotel was right on Perissa Beach. This beach was not crowded when we visited however I am sure that during the main tourist season it would be. The sand is black from the volcanic soil and the sea crystal clear.
There are a load of restaurants on the other side of the road from the beach with many restaurants and bars to eat local food or sit with a drink and just relax.
Excursions:
Our Jet2Holiday rep met with us a day or two after we arrived to see if we needed anything and if we would like to book any of the excursions they offered. We both felt they were a bit expensive and it would be easy for a family to add quite a few pounds to the cost of their holiday.
We booked one tour through our hotel reception because it was only a half day and was quite a reasonable price. We also hired a car for the following two days because we prefer to take ourselves around.
I would always recommend taking a full day or half day excursion to get the feel for the destination and then we are better able to make our own way. However if you like the feeling of someone else driving and taking you to the main points of your destination I would recommend organised tours.
Travel to Santorini:
You can fly directly into Santorini with Jet2Holidays as well as other main airlines or you get ferries from mainland Greece and other islands.
I loved our visit to Santorini, the climate, the food and drinks, the blue and white of the island and so much more. I couldn’t stop taking photographs and if you visit I doubt you will be able to either.
Further reading:
Here are some other travel posts if you would like to see where else I have been lately.
I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions and photographs are my own. No photographs may be reproduced in any manner without my written permission.
