A memoir of journeys made

1. Ride a donkey
€5 per person

It’s not everyday that you’re in the beautiful island of Santorini where riding one of the donkeys (or mule) had been done since who -knows-when-but-might-as well-do-it-coz it’s-definitely-an-experience! It’s a quintessential Santorini experience along with watching-the-sunset-wearing-gorgeous-clothes-for-those-picture-perfect-shots (we weren’t since we’ve just come from a boat tour)! I would recommend it despite the fact that while atop my ride, another mule (accidentally) spewed spit on my foot or that other mules’ tails flicked my leg or that my ride can’t make up it’s mind if it’d gallop up the staircase (I had to hold on pretty tight!) or just munch on grass while we’re on a turn hence blocking the traffic (I was trying to coerce it to get moving again to no avail). It was so entertaining I didn’t mind any of those! It was a different story while we were walking down earlier that day though. Ugh! lol

Gregory on his donkey. :D

2. Eat – and drink!

Daphne Taverna

So many things had been written about Santorini and its sunset that I had no clue that they’ve got amazing foods! My bad coz it IS a Greek island and that should be reason enough, Back in the Philippines, I’d always want to eat out in a Greek/ Mediterranean restaurant. As almost always the case, the authentic ones are better – plus cheaper! Also, this 2013, the island is celebrating a year of gastronomy thus highlighting their rich culinary heritage.

In Fira, we ate in a place called Daphne Taverna. They had really good food at affordable prices. We love their tzatziki! Greg had a plate of sea bass cooked with lemon and other herbs for €9 while I had lamb cooked to such tenderness that it was falling apart for only €6! I wanted to order more but it’s impossible to do so – we were stuffed!

In Oia, there’s a place called Lotza. Their view was amazing. Food portions were generous. Price wasn’t as cheap as those in Fira but still more affordable than most restaurants in Oia. We were walking along the alleyway when we smelled the enticing aroma coming from their kitchen. It made us curious and definitely caught our attention. What’s entertaining to see was how everybody else stopped mid-stride in front of their entrance coz of the delicious smell! Mmmm! It’s worth it. :D

3. Go on a boat tour
Caldera roundtrip tour with Pelican Travel Services – €19 per person

Why? You’ll get to visit the volcano in the middle of the caldera that is in almost every picture that you’ll take of Santorini.  You’ll get to swim in a hot spring – or in our case, a slightly-less-cold-than-the-surrounding-area’s-water. And also, you’ll get to visit the island of Thirasia. You could also go on a sunset tour and have dinner in some island but you can only avail of it during peak season. Plus, it’s affordable!

4. Rent a motorbike/ ATV/ car + Explore the island
We rented our motorbike -with helmets -in Tony’s at Fira for €20 per day.
We paid €5 for full insurance coverage.
A full tank on our bike costs around €8. It was more than enough for 2 full day.

There are many rental shops in the island so just keep looking (and/or bargaining) if you want a deal to suit your budget.

I would advise against renting transportation if you haven’t had any experience in driving. Haha Well, people do attempt to rent vehicles even if they don’t know how! :p Anyways, there IS public transportation in Santorini. There are buses plying the island. It’s just that nothing beats the convenience of having a car (or in our case, a motorbike) at your disposal. Santorini has quite a number of places to visit… red beach, white beach and black beaches; monastery; archaeological sites and vineyards.

Our trusty 125cc motorbike

I love how he’d pull over every time I make a remark as to how beautiful the view is so that I could appreciate it!♥

Gorgeous Red Beach

5. Watch the sunset

You could basically do it anywhere on top of the caldera. You’re spoilt for choices. There’s Fira, Imerovigli and Oia to name a few. Oia would be the most popular choice. It’s a very picturesque small town perched at the edge if a cliff. We were told though that during peak season (summer months: late June til early September), the whole island has got tons of visitors that if you’ll go to Oia for the sunset, you will be crammed with other tourists and might end up stuck in some narrow passageway for an hour! We encountered many visitors but not enough that we got some nice spots all to ourselves!

Fira sunset

Oia sunset

Having a memorable trip to Santorini – priceless! ;)

Any other suggestions on what would be a nice thing to do in the island of Santorini? I’d love to hear from you! :)

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