Roasted Hamster

Santorini - Amazingly Pretty & Pretty Amazing

Michael and I honeymooned on the island of Santorini, an excellent location for such a romantic holiday. Unfortunately, we couldn't take our honeymoon right after our wedding (because we were married at a time of year when Santorini is not precisely hospitable to sun-worshippers, and most hotels are closed); so, when we finally got onto the flight, we were both exhausted from three months of non-stop travel (for work).

We arrived on Santorini - finally (I say finally because despite the fact that we flew into Athens from another EU country and connected to a domestic flight, we had to go through passport control and security, where we had to take out not only our laptops, iPads, and phones but our camera and every single one of the lenses - yes, the search procedures are really that draconian!) - and I knew at once that I would love it. The sun was shining and, after a rainier than usual German spring, this in and of itself would have endeared it to me but it was also an island that looks even better in reality than the postcard images of itself. Then we pulled up to the hotel, The San Antonio, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and I knew not only that I was going to love Santorini but that this would be a wonderful vacation. The hotel doesn't look like much from the road, consisting, as it does, of a short, whitewashed wall with a door, in the middle of a mountain. However, after traversing a long, cool tunnel - home to reception, a chapel for weddings, and the offices - we, with the glasses of Prosecco they gave us on registering, exited the tunnel and looked down on the caldera.

The hotel consists of a handful of suites (26 to be exact), all overlooking the caldera, which, at 7.5 miles wide, is one of the largest in the world. The colors were white and blue - white buildings, blue sea, blue sky, blue pool . The only other color was the brown of the mountain, rising behind us.
The nicest thing about this hotel though for a honeymooning couple, is their no children under the age of 12 policy (they do allow not yet walking infants). The reason for this is that there are only half walls along the edges and the drop is several hundred meters into the sea below and kids being kids… well, you get the idea. As for the suites themselves, they vary from the merely luxurious to the over-the-top. We had one of the simpler suites: white, airy, with a comfortable Queen-sized bed, a sitting area, a bathroom with a jacuzzi and open shower, and an outside terrace with a build-in lounger/sofa and a table with an umbrella, a necessary means of shade when the sun is at its highest in the sky.
Our stay was idyllic. For the first three days we hibernated at the hotel, decompressing. We arose late, luxuriated in the jacuzzi, and finally drug ourselves to the superb breakfast buffet, usually only moments before it closed. We lingered over our cappuccinos and/or champagne, gazing at the deep, soothing blue of the sea. We enjoyed mornings lying by the infinity pool, doing nothing but enjoying one another's company. We enjoyed afternoons escaping the sun in our suite, lying around on the couch, reading, decompressing, and discussing dinner.

The hotel's restaurant was magnificent and we could easily have eaten every meal there but we decided, finally, that we should perhaps make a brief foray into the principal town, Fira (you may see this spelled Thira or even Thera on maps. This is a result of writing a word from the Greek alphabet phonetically into English). We approached it by foot, as the sun rode low in the sky, turning the white and pastel colored houses bright yellow and rose in the evening light. We wandered through the lanes together for a while and then sat in a restaurant snapping photo after photo of the reds, oranges, and purples of the rapidly darkening sky. As I remember, the food at this particular establishment was purely tourist (read, mediocre) but the view was incredibly stunning. It is hard to say whether the best part of the sunset view was the ball of fire setting into the sea or the yellowish glow it cast onto the white houses that extend far down the hillside.
The next day we picked up a rental car and began three days of exploration. Our first stop was the town of Oia (also sometimes spelled Ia), clinging precariously to the edge of a cliff, literally hanging over the sea. We spent the next day exploring the coast and Fira, the principal city, under the light of day. Fira is lovely but it suffered under three cruise ships that particular day so we did not enjoy it as we had Oia.

We enjoyed Oia so much that first day of exploring that, after driving through the rest of the island and checking out the beaches, we returned the last day that we had the car and this proved to be serendipitous. The main route was crowded with cruise ship passengers so we wandered down a back alley instead. Suddenly, the most fantastic smell - lamb, garlic, tomatoes, and spices - struck our nostrils. The restaurant, Candouni Bar and Restaurant, was at the end of the passage, completely empty of guests but there was that smell so we went in and asked if they were open. I don't think that they really were but the lady of the house seated us anyway and her husband conjured up the most amazing meal. We feasted on lamb and fish under a canopy of flowers - the front room of the restaurant was open to the sky with only a trellis to provide shade and candles in wall niches to provide light (in the evenings). The food was so good that we returned the next night for tagliatelle with rooster and pork medallions in a mustard sauce. We were full to the point of absolute discomfort so we ended the evening with a glass of ouzo at the hotel's restaurant (a second glass because we had one at the restaurant as well), sitting at the edge of the precipice, gazing up at the myriad stars, and enjoying the breeze that wafted across the water.

We decided that we couldn't spend every evening eating at the same restaurant in Oia, though it was tempting, so we did a search of my secret weapon for good restaurants. Hey! It's a secret! If I tell you what it is, it won't be a secret anymore! The recommendation we decided to check out was Ambrosia. We chose it because it was described as a fantastic place to view the sunset. It isn't. However, the food was beyond spectacular and we had already enjoyed watching the sunset several of the other nights of our visit so we enjoyed one another's company and the food instead. We had the fava puree because, frankly, it had become a goal by that point to find the best on the island. The best that we found was (NAME) in Fira. I like fava beans and I adore hummus. These fava beans managed to be almost sweet and, given a choice in future between a fava bean puree from Santorini and hummus, the fava bean puree would win every single time (check our article on how to make fava bean puree). I ordered the sea bass and Michael, who was going through beef withdrawal at this point (he is a self-proclaimed “steakavore”) had the beef filet. We skipped dessert here because the hotel had a dessert of strawberries, chocolate, mascarpone, and mint that I was addicted to and had managed to eat almost every night we were there.

As for the island itself, Santorini is roughly U shaped. The inside curve of the U is comprised of mountainous terrain and possesses the two largest towns, Fira and Oia, while the outside of the U is relatively flat and contains the beaches. When one stands anywhere along the inside of the U, one will see other islands, in the middle of the caldera and another on the other side, forming a rough circle with the island of Santorini. These islands used to all be one but it was one island with an active volcano that blew such a large hole in the center of the island - which subsequently filled with water - that the current geography is all that is left (Don't panic. This happened about 3,600 years ago). The caldera left by the volcano is one of the largest in the world and it is a beautiful deep, calming blue. The remaining topography is extremely arid (the island has a water desalinization plant that provides non-potable water for the swimming pools and jacuzzi tubs of the hotels). This aridity is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because the few fruits and vegetables that do grow there have an intensity of flavor I have not experienced anywhere else in the world. It is a curse because very few things will grow there so a great many things must be imported. We did still manage to eat mostly locally grown food though. We enjoyed several lunches of the local fava bean puree with caramelized onions, a salad of local tomatoes and cucumbers with feta and olive oil, and local wine - crisp and refreshing on a hot day.
Santorini's only disadvantage is that it falls on the itinerary of a great many cruise ships. This is a disadvantage for two reasons. The first of these is that Fira, where the bulk of the ships port is geared towards day-tripping cruise passengers (read cheap, crappy souvenirs and lots of mediocre restaurants). This makes it a horrible place to stay if you, like me, don't enjoy crowds of tourists who are trying to get in and out and see everything possible in the very short time they have on land. The second of these is that the bulk of said cruise ship tourists miss out on the many things that Santorini has to offer anyone who takes the time to come and actually see the island. This might be a good point to say that I personally don't enjoy cruise trips. This is largely because I don't like spending my holidays surrounded by hordes of other tourists, making any ship that holds more than about a 100 passengers, entirely too large and, even more so because I like to take my time and to follow the path less travelled at my own pace. The need to be back on board right around the time I am starting to enjoy myself on land, has pretty much put almost all forms of cruising off of my holiday things to do list (there are a very few notable exceptions).

For those of you who are contemplating a trip to this fabulous island, I will provide just a bit more information. First and foremost, if you like to party late into the night, though Fira has nightclubs, I strongly suggest that you go to Mykonos, in the same island chain. You will likely enjoy it more. Come to Santorini to detox afterwards and to catch up on your sleep. Second, the most luxurious hotels and those with the best views are in Fira and Oia and between these two towns. I recommend The San Antonio, where we stayed, if you don't plan to travel with children. If this does not appeal to you, then I recommend Immerovigli, if you want the best views on the island of the sunset and to be close to Fira without having to deal with the daily hordes of cruise passengers; or Oia, if you want to be in town. Third, try the local food and wine. It is unparalleled and the flavors will blow you away. The other thing you should try, food wise is the honey with walnuts sold in some of the tourist boutiques. We brought home a bottle and it was magnificent spread on toast. Fourth, you can get anywhere on the island quickly and without breaking the bank; however, if you do want the independence of a car, you should know that Greece, like most other European countries, mostly only offers manual transmissions. If you aren't comfortable driving one, I suggest that you spend some time practicing before you leave for your trip. You should especially practice extremely steep hills because Santorini has some that even my German husband had some problems getting up. Fifth, even if you are not religious or your faith is not Christianity, you will find the churches beautiful and a cool place of escape in the middle of a hot afternoon. Which brings me to my sixth point, which is that you will find the island at its most comfortable and also cheapest in the shoulder seasons. We went the second week of May and even then the afternoon temperatures made it into the high-80s (29-32 C) more than once. If you go in summer, you will find it crowded (even in May there were two to three cruise ships in port at once several times) and too hot to do much more than float in the pool or hide in your room most of the day.

Last but not least, enjoy your trip! And save some of the fava bean puree for me.