A GUIDE TO VISITING SANTORINI, GREECE

Santorini is one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. It is one of the many beautiful islands in Greece. My perception of Santorini is that it was filled with only white and blue architecture as many pictures on social media portrayed (not quite, only a particular village in Santorini reflected this). I always also had the impression that Santorini was one of those islands meant for honeymooners and couples and having spent a few days there on a week tour of the greek islands, I could see why. My trip to Santorini followed my trip to Ios and was before my trip to to Mykonos. Make sure to check what I got up to in these locations too.

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Capturing a cute boat after arriving at the ferry harbour

I arrived in Santorini by ferry, after spending a few days in the interesting and lively island of Ios. The streets of Santorini where windy and hilly. I went along this trip with one of my girlfriends and we stayed at the Ira Hotel & Spa. The hotel is located in Firostefani about 1km from Fira, the capital of Santorini (which is away from the bustle of Fira but close enough to walk to). Ira hotel is a stunning hotel with an incredible view of Santorini (Did I mention the pretty decent breakfast?).

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Arriving at the Ira Hotel

 

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Our beautiful balcony at the Ira hotel

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The view from our balcony at the hotel

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Poolside at our hotel before we went to explore the beauty of Santorini

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We spent the day taking strolls in Santorini

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Art work was very prevalent in most of the shops in Santorini

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Post dinner vibes in Santorini with my room mate in business school

We spent our last evening visiting Oia, an village in the north west edge of Santorini where most of those stunning pictures we see online were actually taken from. Oia is the perfect backdrop for the beauty that is in Santorini so this is where you want to make sure you are camera ready.

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Donkeys in Oia

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A church in Oia

One of the most popular things to do in Oia is to watch the sunset from one of the bars on the cliff in Oia. Certainly a must-do if you decide to visit Oia. Because it is a must-do, I suggest you find yourself a spot early as its a popular tourist destination that gets packed very quickly.

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Watching sunset in Oia

Before I forget, the food in Santorini was phenomenal especially if your thing is seafood. My favourite restaurant hands down was Sea side by Notos. It is located by the beach of Agios Georgios. The beach here is filled with dark sand and is home to many gorgeous beach bars. Memorable thing happened on our arrival at the beach when our car got stuck in the sand. Within minutes, people came to help to pull out our car. I had thought we would be stuck there for hours.


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Food at Sea Side by Notos

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Fish based starter at Sea Side by Notos

In summary, if you are single and visiting Santorini, ensure to bring your single friends along (at least 3 people), fill your days with beach activities, venture to the many amazing restaurants and beaches and of course, don’t over stay your welcome in Santorini (The many love birds may make you depressed after a while).

Getting around: For the most part we walked for the most part but hired a two seater vehicle when we ventured to Oia and to other beaches.

What I liked: Food Food Food and of course the spectacular views. That I stayed two nights, any more days would have been boring.

What I didn’t like: That I didn’t eat enough lol. I also felt Santorini lacked much to do in terms of activities aside from beach related ones hence why its a perfect honeymoon destination

Travel Tip: Worth getting a car when in Santorini or even a quad bike if you want to explore the island. You don’t have to book in advance as there were many hiring companies to choose from. I also felt it was cheaper to book when on ground.

 

Hope you enjoyed the write-up. Have you visited Santorini before? What were your highlights? and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

A GUIDE TO VISITING IOS, GREECE

The truth is when the world mentions Greece, most of us think “Santorini” as if to say it was the only island worth visiting. Today is not about Santorini but about another little gem Ios. Ios is an island in cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is only about 18km long and 10km wide. If there is one thing that the island is known for is that it is a party island. I went to Ios as part of a trip where I visited other islands in the group from Santorini to Mykonos (Stay tuned for my write-up on these other islands). Below is my visual diary of what I got up to on the island #Enjoy

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Arriving by ferry to Ios

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Enroute to our hotel

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A view from the balcony in my stunning hotel (Dionysos Seaside Resort)

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My room at the hotel

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My gem of a hotel – DIONYSOS

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How I spent my day (Relaxing)

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Beach vibes at the Milopotas beach a short walk from my hotel

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Milopotas beach

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My favourite restaurant in Ios (You literally pick the fish you want cooked from the sea) 

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Some of the amazing heavenly food delicacies 


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Me and my travel partners at Drakos

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Almyra by the sea

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One of the many divine seafood meals in Ios

What I loved about Ios: The seafood (especially the restaurant Drakos) was just AMAZING. And our hotel, it was such a little gem that I would love to replicate once I open my own hotel (some day, some day lol)

What I didn’t like: The island was somewhat taken over by children i.e. teenagers who were seeking freedom so was a little bit irritating in some locations on the island.

Would I go back: For the food, 100%

Travel Tip: Book your ferry to the islands in advance to avoid any disappoint as they get very packed especially in the summer months

Getting Around: Some people rent cars but we simply booked cabs given we were only on the island for 2 days. I don’t think it’s necessary to rent a car on the island as least for us as we walked around a lot as we were close to beaches and restaurants.

Hope you enjoyed my write-up on Ios. And hopefully it inspired you somewhat. Do let me know if you have any questions.

A GUIDE TO VISITING MYKONOS, GREECE

Mykonos is not only the most known island in Greece but the most glamorous of them all. The island is located in the Greek islands of the Cyclades group, situated in the middle of the Aegean Sea. I went to Mykonos as part of my post MBA graduation trip in the summer and to be honest, I couldn’t fault my time there. If you are the beach type that loves classy nights by night and want to be a beach bum by day whilst eating great food, Mykonos was made and created for you. Here is my visual diary of all what I got up to in Mykonos, where I stayed and the inbetweens.

I stayed at the Palladium hotel in Psarou in Mykonos. This 5* boutique hotel was simply amazing and I could not fault much about it (A great tip about affording this hotel was booking a triple room with my girlfriends which cut down costs dramatically whilst increasing bonding time). The hotel is also located very close Psarou beach and Nammos restaurant which is one of the most famous beach restaurants in Europe.

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The Palladium, Mykonos

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Pre-lobby vibes at the Palladium

We spent the first day exploring the quirky cobbled streets of Mykonos which is not heel friendly so I would suggest for all ladies to dress comfortably for long windy walks.

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Still exploring the streets of Mykonos town

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My and my girls out in the streets of Mykonos 

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Art pieces spotted in many shops in Mykonos 

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One of my most memorable time in Mykonos was actually when we ventured for an afternoon to JackieO’. JackieO’ is a beach club with a beach spa, a pool and jacuzzi, a restaurant and even a church just in case you decide you want to get hitched. What I loved about JackieO’ was the energy and down-to-earth vibes of many there (and of course the entertainment provided). I actually left the beach having made new friends. Did I mention I danced the daytime away? As you can tell I loved my time at JackieO’ and as such it is a MUST!

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Selfie at JackieO’

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Performances at JackieO’ were phenomenal, nothing like it. 

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The beach at JackieO’

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Trust me to make new friends

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img_1487One of the too many amazing meals I had in Mykonos. Use trip advisor for references in Mykonos,  you won’t be disappointed

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Post a night out with a few of my classmates

What I loved about Mykonos: JackieO’, the food, the friendliness of locals and of course the night life. Trust Mykonos to play some Nigerian Afrobeats.

What I didn’t like: That I didn’t stay a bit longer. We were only in Mykonos for three nights.

Would I go back: Yes, Yes, actually take me back right now!!

Travel tip:

  • You need to drive around Mykonos to enjoy the whole island so best to hire a car rather than pay for cabs everywhere.
  • If you are a large group, choose to book a luxurious villa rather than a hotel (Likely to be cheaper too). So impressive the kinds of accomodation you can get on this island.

 

.Have you been to Mykonos before? If so, what was your highlight? If you haven’t, please just go. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask