In just 2 days!
We started our journey from the island of Kos, which is the closest Greek island to Turkey. And how would we know, this 5 islands Greek trip memories will be blessed and remembered during every single day of quarantine…Glad we made this trip!
The second we got on the Blue Ferry, the blue magic started.
Ever since I watched the movie Titanic, I dreamed of getting on a big ship…
The day is today.
The Blue Ferry was a rather large and majestic ship. The place where we just handed the suitcases was the size of several basketball courts. The kind of ship with cafeterias, movie theaters, casinos on every floor…
Because the windows are huge, watching us gliding through the Aegean Sea, feeling of the endless blue, going that far from the land…it was an extraordinary feeling.
Here is a couple of things to know before buying the ferry tickets, and the website of the ferry firm:
https://www.bluestarferries.com/en-gb
- There are regular and VIP options when buying your ticket. I don’t know the VIP one, but the regular tickets has several categories as well. We bought the 5 euros more expensive one, just in case we could sit in a nicer place. But everyone sat where they wanted, we did not come across any control. So i think there may no need to pay more, just go and get the most suitable one 🙂 The casinos and cafeterias inside the ship are so big, the windows are huge so almost all the seating areas are great. You may also spend most of your time wandering around the ship instead of sitting.
- On the islands, on the ships, etc.. cards may not be accepted everywhere. Have cash with you.
- Prepare yourself to print tickets and be ready on board at least 40 minutes before the ferry. Packing of suitcases, access control etc. Very exciting!
Suddenly we were surrounded by people of all nationalities. We found ourselves a nice window seat right away, put our bags on our seats and toured the ship for a long time. Souvenir shops, receptions..huge!
When we got back to our place, I looked out the window; and what shall i see!
The sun, in the way I have never seen in my life, was so big and with all its glory, was sinking into the water, right in the middle of the blue, right in front of us, that is, directly on our lap…
You know, we always watch the sun go down from the horizon from the land we stand… But it is very different to watch it sinking in the middle of the sea!
Even as I’m typing right now, I’m getting goosebumps.
Earth and sky were one, sea and sun were one. Everywhere was red, we were all tiny red dots in a huge ship, in the bluest parts of the map. Feeling only a tiny part of the earth, I watched this feast until the last second.
This was the most impressive and the biggest state of the sun I had ever seen… But throughout the trip, the sunsets would continue to fascinate me with their beauty.
SANTORİNİ (THERA=THİRA)
This is a completely volcanic island. A cove was formed in an area of 73 kilometers, which collapsed as a result of a volcanic eruption, and this is how Santorini was established. We climbed the steep cliffs of the island, surrounded by steep cliffs at 200 and 400 meters high, by bus 🙂 Yes it was quite horrifying!
Where to stay?
There are 2 centers in Santorini.
One is OIA and the other is FIRA.
OIA is exactly where you see the pictures of those white slopes and blue domes on Instagram. The most iconic and most romantic district. At the same time, this is the place of honeymoon hotels, which are flooded with tourists at sunsets and cost hundreds of euros per night.
FIRA is the other center. While OIA couples watches the sun, dine and go to their sleeps, FIRA is alive, full of light at night. All the entertainment venues of the island, evening walking, shopping streets, the kings of discos and bars, eating and drinking places are always here. And this district also has the affordable hotels with more alternatives.
How to decide?
- If you want to experience romance all day long in an iconic hotel over the pure white coastal scenery, drink your martini in your small pool across the bluest cliffs, dine in the most romantic way in the evening with a breathtaking sunset and retreat to your room, then OIA.
- If you want to stay at a more reasonable price or choose from more accommodation options, go for a trip to OIA on sunsets make your romance and return back to the lively crazy nightlife at night, then FIRA.
Whichever you decide; what you need to know is that the distance between these two centers is very long. So you will need a vehicle. There are also buses, of course, but I think the best thing to do is to rent a car, because this is a hilly island, there are distances between them that cannot be walked.
OUR HOTEL
We made our choice to stay in FIRA and go to OIA for sightseeing.
Our hotel was called Georgia Studios. I highly recommend it. I leave the Tripadvisor link below:
We had a clean room, not very big, but quite adequate, a cute balcony, and a cute stone bathroom. I’m pretty meticulous about liking rooms, the performance of this place was pretty good for the price. (You’ll see the prices when you search anyway.)
We also had a small cooker and glass bowls inside, we made our coffee every morning and woke up with this crazy little birds extraordinary loud voice in every morning! 🙂
We spent a total of 3 nights here, paid a total of 510 euros for 3 nights only for accommodation (no breakfast).(2019 August) But we made the reservation almost 6 months ago! Prices were increasing day by day, we saw this with our own eyes, for your information.
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ATV? Motorcycle? Car?
While we were researching the island, we were very envious of the ATV riders. 🙂
As soon as we settled in the hotel, we found the nearest ATV rental place. (Right across from our hotel!)
We entered the shop and a sweet uncle greeted us.
We think we’re going to pay for the ATV immediately and leave. But no! That sweet uncle made a POP QUIZ and asked us how questions like how does it start, where is the brake, show how do you do ride 🙂 We have ridden ATV a few times, but to be honest, we could not pass this sudden test 🙂 Made a few tries, but we braked a little hard. He looked at us…and said no! 🙁
Although we wanted to experience it a lot at, we realized later that choosing an ATV under these steep slopes, sharp bends and the burning sun would not be a comfortable option at all. So we rented a car.
Chevrolet Aveo, which is not very flashy but does our job, bargained to 40 euros per day. ATV rents: 20-25 euros per day. I certainly suggest car but the decision is yours, of course.
MUST SEE BEACHES
PERISSA – PERIVOLOS BEACH
After a hard research, the beaches we decided to go to in 2 days were as follows:
This is a long one. These two names actually represent the north and south sides of the same coast.
A beach with black sand, mixed with stony sand towards the shore. But the inside of the sea is just sand and delicious. It is very pleasant to swim in the shade of a rock.
Perissa part is a cozy and comfortable where no one asks for money, throwing a towel on the ground and swimming, while the Perivolos part seems to be getting a little more luxurious. There are beaches of luxury hotels and upscale beach clubs in this side.
To tell the truth, this was my favorite beach in Santorini. It is a cool, peaceful option where calm, naive, low-pitched beautiful songs are played, you can throw your towel and swim in the sea and everyone is at their own pace.
After visiting all of the beaches, we even came back here again 🙂
RED BEACH
I think this place should be seen as well ‼ ️It is a very exotic beach in red rocks. Small and crowded, but I would say a unique view.
KAMARI BEACH
Actually, this is also a beach connected to Perissa by sea. So they’re right next to each other. There’s just a cliff (Mesa Vouno) between them. Some were climbing. There was also a sea taxi by the way. It is also very short, 20 minutes by car. Along the beach, there are places to eat and small shops. Buses from Fira also arrive in 15 minutes.
OIA
Let the photos speak on behalf of me….
I recommend just to walk every single territory, take thousands of photos and get in every single mini shop..When tired have a lemonade in ‘Red Bicycle’, as you see the number on the picture. This is a fantastic cafe with the best view.
Here we learned that Santorini is famous for its donkey and wine.
People have always used donkeys to climb these slopes, and there are still many people who take pictures with donkeys. There are also those who ride horses.
The wine is famous; produced from grapes grown with the taste of the unique texture of the volcanic soils of this island. There are many vineyards and winemaking was very important on the island. Take it, enjoy it.