Santorini, Naxos and Paros, June 2023

Day 1 

Heathrow to Santorini airport terminal, flight time approx. 3 hours 20 minutes. The area around Santorini airport looks ropey, with rubbish and building works.

Dinner at the Five Senses restaurant in Imerovigli, north of the island, is part of a luxury hotel. The cocktails, delicious food, location and beautiful sunset were exceptional. It’s the most expensive meal we had, but worth every penny.

We stayed in a beautiful apartment, although the bathroom was tiny, and there was no room to swing a cat! However, it was clean and nicely designed, and the staff were terrific. We booked Casa Bianca through Booking.com, and it was rated 9.2, deservedly so. It’s a small boutique-style property offering stylish accommodation in the centre of Imerovigli village. There are nine guest rooms and suites at the Casa Bianca, all beautifully furnished in a classical style. A continental breakfast is included in the price and can be served on your private balcony or veranda each morning. The Casa Bianca is approximately a 10-minute drive from Fira, the island’s main town.

Day 2

Full-Day Santorini Sightseeing Bus Tour with Sunset in Oia

The air-conditioned bus tour is a great way to see the island, €47 each for 10 hours. Pick up from 10 am from various locations in Santorini and 9 pm departure from Oia. It’s excellent value for money, and Christina, the guide, spoke perfect English and was brilliant with the timekeeping. She was highly knowledgeable, and we enjoyed her commentary.

Bus Tour booking details

Below are some of the places we visited on the bus tour.

Near Akrotiri, in southern Santorini, is a 17C BC Minoan City which, like Pompeii, was buried in ash following a catastrophic volcanic eruption until it was discovered in 1967. Miraculously preserved, it retains its streets, paved squares and houses. The city was likely evacuated before the catastrophe because no human remains have been found. Since the16C, seismic events have transformed the Santorini landscape, most recently in 1956, when a massive earthquake destroyed and killed around 50 people. 

A beautiful little town called Emporio, tranquil, no tourists highly recommend a wander away from crowds. It has a Venetian fortress with a stunning church in the middle.

Parissa Beach has black sand and a lovely seafood restaurant called Fish Taverna. We had deliciously fresh Sea Bream and Greek Salad overlooking the black sandy beach. The beaches aren’t spectacular, but the sea is lovely to swim in.

Profitis Ilias Mountain – up to the go of the mountain for incredible views of the entire island.

Santorini Winery – Try three of the best local varieties and indulge in a fine wine-tasting experience.

Our final stop on the bus tour was Oia for its breathtaking sunset. The island’s gem is the picturesque Oia village, known for its incomparable sunset and admirable architecture. Pastel-coloured houses, blue-domed churches, great cafes, and restaurants are built on the staggering caldera cliffs and create an idyllic setting. The world-famous sunset, which can be witnessed from the debris of the Venetian castle, highlights the romantic atmosphere. It was jam-packed, and I can’t imagine what it’s like in high season. There was over an hour’s queue to take a photo of the blue dome church.

We had supper at the Red Bicycle in Oia has terrific views and delicious food.

Some Santorini facts

All the roofs are doomed because they’ll help withstand the weight of heavy volcanic ash.

All the buildings are white because traditionally, the white colour was from lime, a disinfectant and in ample supply, and they are designed to pick up any rainwater and store it underground and stay sterile. There is little rainfall, so they must save as much as possible.

You must not put toilet paper down the loo in only some hotels and restaurants. Use the pedal bins and get on with it. Glad our teenagers weren’t with us; they would find it “gross!”

Conclusion

We wanted to love Santorini, but some areas were so congested with people and every conceivable type of transportation, making it noisy, polluted, unpleasant and slow to get around. This took the edge off it a little. We are big swimmers and walkers and found the beaches underwhelming, although the sea was gorgeous. Walking anywhere other than the town you’re staying in is tricky as only some roads have pavements. Two nights felt like enough time for us. If you can visit the island in May, June, September and October, travelling around will be more pleasant than in the high season (July and August).

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades and is not volcanic. Different feel to Santorini, which sometimes felt very hectic with lots of people, especially from the five substantial cruise ships docked in the harbour, adding to the busy vibe and the traffic of coaches ferrying them all to shore. It must get very congested during the high season. Naxos feels a little bit more laid back and less busy.

The taxi ride from the port to Plaka, where we were staying, was €40. On arrival, we had a glass of rosé with our wonderful host, Nikolas, by the pool at the beautiful Valena Mare Suites and Apartments, where we stayed for three nights. Highly recommend this gorgeous place; other hotels do not surround it, so it’s quiet. However, you’ll need to walk along the beach for about 200 metres to get to the path along the coast to the main area of Plaka. We didn’t mind doing this even at night; we used our phones as a torch.

Then we headed to the beach, a 5-minute work along a narrow dirt road. Plaka has golden sandy beaches and beautiful crystal-clear water, and it was wonderfully quiet as the Villa is located at the end of the beach and not where the main drag of restaurants and hotels is situated.

Day 4

Beach beach beach

We took a taxi from the port to our hotel, Almira Suites which is across the road from the beach. Great big room with a kitchenette, a big bathroom and plenty of parking. Marissa was a brilliant host, and super helpful.

We walked 40 minutes to the main area of restaurants. We ate at a popular beach taverna about 40 minutes from our Villa. The Greek salad and red snapper at Paradiso Taverna were delicious, and our table was on the lovely sandy beach with the best view of the glorious sunset. There was live music too, which was quite good!

Day 5 – Highlights of Naxos Day BusTour

The bus tour started at 8.30 am. Ours was the first stop, and it took over an hour to pick everyone up. There are six places we visited on the tour:

1. Temple of Demeter – you will walk uphill through a beautiful garden to one of Naxos’s most significant ancient monuments.

2. Damalas At the small village of Damalas for a talk on olive pressing and a pottery demo.

3. Chalkio is Naxos’s old commercial centre and one of its most beautiful villages. Try the local ice cream; I had rose and peach, which was scrummy!

4. Apeiranthos is the most famous village on the island due to its unique beauty and nostalgic ambience. We had a delicious lunch here of lamb chops, Greek salad, baked aubergine and rose wine at Taverna Platanos.

5. Apollonas Beach in the picturesque, small fishing village of Apollonas, you will have free time to unwind, have a coffee or swim in the beautiful bay.

6. Apollonas Kouros to see the half-completed statue over 2500 years old.

Highlights of Naxos Day Bus Tour details here

Day 6
Morning on the beach, lots of swims!
2 pm ferry to Paros, 30 minutes

Conclusion
The bus tour is an excellent way to see many islands in one day if you are short on time. However, at times and you did feel more time at each place would have been better and for there to be fewer pick-up points as it took 90 minutes to get back to our Villa in the evening. LOVED Naxos more than Santorini for its laid-back vibe and beautiful clean white sandy beaches. Ideally, 4/5 nights would have been better so we could have explored Naxos town fully and travelled to other parts of the island for swims and walks independently.

Day 6

We were staying in Naousa, a beautiful picturesque fishing village located in a vast bay in the north part of the island, 10 km east of Parikia – the capital town. It is considered one of the prettiest villages in the Cyclades.

Day 7
By far my favourite day! We got a little boat from Naousa to Monastiri (runs every hour), which is €10 for each return. When you arrive, turn right, and you will walk past many beautiful little coves to swim in and a breathtaking nature trail. I highly recommend walking; the circular routes vary from 40 minutes to almost three hours.

We had an excellent meal at Fistikies in Kamari. I would highly recommend it for the food, ambience and service.

WHAT TO WEAR

You must pack a breathable straw or cotton hat, trainers, walking sandals and water shoes (not just for rocky pebble beaches and in the sea but for walking on hot sand)—goggles or something similar to help you see the beauty of the sea.

Shorts! They stop the top of your thighs from rubbing/chaffing together, and in cotton or linen, they will keep you cool and easy to wash and dry. And great if you’re hiring a scooter or bike.

Before setting off for the day, take a jacket or jumper to keep your shoulders warm in the evening.