VACATIONING TO SANTORINI ISLAND: THE 5 W'S

WHO?: My boyfriend and I

WHAT?: Taking a vacation together for the first time

WHEN?: After we graduate from UWO in 2012. We will be departing May 1st 2012, and returning May 8th, 2012.

WHERE?: Santorini Island, Greece. We will be staying in the city Fira.

WHY?: After four strenuous years of university, we both deserve a vacation of a lifetime. I have wanted to go to Greece for many years, and now that I have done some research, I definitely know that I want to spend my time off on the most beautiful island in the world.


The best time to go to Santorini is in May, June, September and October. The tourist infrastructure tends to shut down around November.  It is not a coincidence that we are planning to go in May; it was planned this way so that we are able to enjoy the sun, and it will be guaranteed that the weather will not affect our planned activities. 


Greece has been using the Euro for their currency since 2002, and this change in currency has caused the prices to drastically increase. It is said that prices are much cheaper if you travel in the months of May and June, and this is another reason why we want to travel when we are.
Currently, the exchange rate stands at: 1.00 EUR= 1.38384 CAD, but there is always a chance that the rate can change drastically in the next year, causing the cost of my dream vacation to fluctuate.

WHERE IS SANTORINI?

Santorini is the most beautiful volcanic island in the Aegean Sea and is part of the Cyclades islands. The island is located 200 km southeast of central Greece and is the remains of the biggest volcano eruption ever to be recorded. 

A TOUR OF SANTORINI

DAY 1: ARRIVING

To get to the island, we will be flying Air Canada from from Toronto Pearson Airport to the Athens International Airport. After a ten hour flight to Athens, we have the option of taking either another 40-minute flight to Santorini or taking a 5-hour high-speed boat. We will be flying Aegan Airlines and taking the 40-minute flight. 


Round-Trip Flight: $4998.33 Each
Second Flight: $89.78 Each 


Once we arrive on the island, we will take a taxi to Fira, which is both the capital of the island and where the Volcano View Villa is located. We will be staying in Villa Erotas, which is known as the ‘Romantic Villa in Santorini’.


Taxi: $10.00 

VOLCANO VIEW VILLA: VILLA EROTAS

Villa Erotas is a five star luxury villa that has a magnificent view of the sea. It is a one-bedroom, two-bathroom villa with hydro massage tubs, and a sea view balcony. It contains a kitchenette and living room with a sofa bed. The Villa offers free laundry and airport service, as well as 16-hour room service and 24 hour concierge service. Wireless Internet is complimentary and a private phone number is available if needed. 


7 Night Stay: $2,932.89  |  Volcano View Villa

DAY 1: CONTINUED 
Once we arrive at Villa Erotas, we will spend the rest of the day unpacking and getting to know our way around the villa. For lunch and dinner we will take advantage of our complimentary room service and have a relaxing night in with perhaps a movie, if we can stay awake long enough. 

DAY 2: THE RED BEACH

Whether we are rested or not, the first thing we are going to do when we wake up is go to the Red Beach. The Red Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Santorini because of its red volcanic rock. It is located near the village of Akrotiri with is in the southwestern part of the Island, meaning we will have to take a short taxi ride. The beach is quite small, so we will have to get up early to make sure we get a good sun-bathing spot. There is no food or drink available so we are going to have to pack a lunch and beverages, as well as towels to lie on. I would like to spend the entire day there because we are only on vacation for seven days, and this will probably be the only time we will visit the Red Beach.

Breakfast: Complimentary Room Service
Taxi: $10.00 
Snacks: $20.00 

For dinner we are going to a restaurant in Akrotiri called Ammos. Ammos is a fish tavern famous for creating unique dishes. According to the reviews, they are known for being very friendly and having quick service and reasonable prices.

One Entree and Beverage: $14.00 Each 

DAY 3: YACHTING

As we adapt to the time change, we will have more energy to get us through the day. On the third day we are going to go yachting in Fira with the well-known and trusted company Dakoutros Boats & Yachts. This would be very enjoyable for the two of us as we would get to see the beautiful landscape of Santorini. Dakoutros offers many different cruise itineraries, but we are going to do a Glass Bottom Half-Day Cruise Tour which entails a close up of the volcano, swimming in the Hot Springs, lunch in Thirassia, and viewing the underwater rock shelf.


Breakfast: Complimentary Room Service
Price of Yacht Tour: $35.00 Each 
Lunch: $15.00 Each 

Dakoutros Boats & Yachts

After the tour, we will be going to a restaurant called Archipelagos, which serves Mediterranean Greek cuisine. This restaurant used to be an old captain's house and was later restored to what it looks like today. According to the reviews, Archipelagos sounds like a fantastic restaurant, as it offers a gorgeous view of the volcano and the Aegean Sea, and is known for having a romantic environment. 

Dinner: $23.00 Each  Wine: $50.00 

         

Archipelagos Restaurant               

DAY 4: WINERY

Although there are a few wineries in Fira, we are going to venture out of Fira and into Pyrgos, which is in the southeastern end of Santorini. We will be taking a taxi to visit a winery called SantoWines, which is the most modern winery in Santorini and has more than 80,000 visitors per year. In particular, we will be visiting the Oenotourism Centre, which was created to promote Santorini’s finest wine. There are three parts to the tour: the winery, which entails a tour of the winery and an explanation of the vinification process, the wine bar, in which visitors can taste samples of their award winning wine, and lastly, the viewing room, which plays a documentary about the history of Santorini wines. 


Breakfast and Lunch: Complimentary Room Service
Taxi: $10.00
Entry Fee: $25.00 Each 
Purchase of Wine: $100.00
Dinner: Complimentary Room Service

                                   “Wine for us is art, made with love and care”

DAY 5: DIVING

On the fifth day we will be making our way back to Akrotiri to visit The Santorini Dive Centre to partake in some scuba diving. Neither of us have ever done this before so we are really looking forward to this opportunity. We have the option of choosing where we want to dive from, and we are going to choose the New Volcano Dive Spot, which is diving from the edge of the Nea Kameni volcano. Underwater we will be able to view the beautiful aquatic life of crab, shrimp, octopus and colourful sponges. But first we are going to take the Discover Scuba Diving Program, which is a two hour program that teaches you the basic principles of diving, the underwater hand signals, how to use the equipment, and of course, a few practice dives.

Breakfast and Lunch: Complimentary Room Service
Taxi: $10.00
Discover Scuba Diving Program: $76.00 each

New Volcano Dive Spot: $55.00 each
Dinner: Complimentary Room Service

The Santorini Dive Center

DAY 6: CINE KAMARI

There is no better way to spend our second last night than at the Open Air Cinema in Kamari. Cine Kamari has been around for decades and is famous for showing both locals and tourists a relaxing and entertaining evening at the movies. Being an outdoor theatre with modern sound and projection equipment and classic movies, Cine Kamari has developed into a thriving business and we absolutely cannot wait to have a relaxing night under the stars.


Breakfast and Lunch: Complimentary Room Service
Tickets: $12.00 each
Dinner: Complimentary Room Service


Cine Kamari

CINE KAMARI

DAY 7: ERNESTO WORKSHOP

We want to venture out too much on our last day on Santorini Island, so we are going to stay in Fira. Since we haven’t been shopping yet, we are going to take a trip to Ernesto Workshop, which is one of Fira’s newer stores. The workshop's styles and designs differ from every other store in Santorini, as all of their items are handmade, and are made from genuine leather, natural wood, copper, sterling silver and natural materials. According to many reviews, the storeowner is really passionate about what she does and pours her heart and soul into her creations. Although the prices are said to be a bit steep, we are not planning on doing too much shopping anywhere else, so we will be able to splurge a bit in Ernesto Workshop.

Ernesto Workshop 

Breakfast: Complimentary Room Service

Souvenirs: $200.00 Each

After spending the day shopping, we will be going to Stani Tavern for dinner, which is a family owned Mediterranean restaurant. My boyfriend and I are not accustomed to Greek food, so this will be our final opportunity to try real Greek food. Stani stands 900 feet above the landing port and in order to get up the zigzagged steps we can take a ride on a donkey or on a cable car. The view from the top is breathtaking as it overlooks the water and volcano. Preferably I would like to take a ride on the donkey since we are not presented this opportunity in Toronto.


One Entree: $25.00 Each 
Wine: $50.00

                                   
                                                      

  

Stani Taverna

DAY 8: DEPARTURE

Since we want to enjoy our last day on the island, we are going to book our flight in the evening so that we do not have to spend our last night packing. This means that we will have all morning to pack up and say goodbye to the beautiful island. It already makes me sad to think about our departure, so I can't imagine how I am actually going to feel when the time comes. But who knows, maybe a few years after this trip we will be lucky enough to go back again!

Cost of My Dream Vacation: $7049.475
*If my boyfriend and I split the cost of absolutely everything on the vacation, this is what the cost of the vacation will be for each of us. 

By: Daniella De Santo 

Sources

Aegean Air
Air Canada
Air Canada Plane
Ammos
Archipelagos
Archipelagos Restuarant
Cine Kamari
Daoutros Bros Sailing Yacht
Ernesto Workshop
Erotas Villa
Fish
Greece Beaches Santorini
Greece Map
Lonely Planet
Mountain View Santorini
Oia Santorini Greece
Octopus
Open Air Cinema Kamari, Santorini, Greece
Poet House
Santorini-Greece
Santorini Sunset
SantoWines
Scuba Diving
Shrimp
Stani Taverna
Sunset In Santorini
Travel Math
Universal Currency Converter