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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO OIA, SANTORINI
A couple of weeks ago myself and my sister, Lydia had the pleasure of travelling to the beautiful Greek island that is Santorini, and when I say beautiful, I mean BEAUTIFUL!! It was a paradise of colourful buildings, winding pretty paths and warm, wonderful people. If you’re thinking of honeymooning here then I would highly recommend it! Here I’m going to share where we stayed, the best local restaurants andΒ let you in on the little hidden gems of Santorini!
STAY
We stayed at the most incredible airbnb accommodation called Rose’s cave and I have to say it was incredible! Let me start with the views, every morning when I surfaced out of the cave it would literally take my breath away! Gorgeous seas in front of me & to my left and right an array of colourful houses built into the side of the island! We had the perfect place to sit outside eat our breakfast & read plus we could sunbath on the loungers provided for us too! One of the things that really struck me about the accommodation too was how close it was to everything, yet how private it was! We were literally a 5 minute walk up the steps onto the Main Street of Oia, it was perfect.Β
Inside the cave was so much more spacious that I imagined, it had an open plan living/kitchen/eating area when you walked through the door & a back room which had a double bed & wardrobes. The sofas in the living area could also be made into beds if wanted and we then had an awesome shower which embodied the cave theme too!Β
Our airbnb host Rose was absolutely fantastic! He arranged transportation to and from the airport for us, had someone meet us to carry our suitcases to the cave & greeted us there with a bottle of wine when we arrived! He then told us all about the local area, his favourite restaurants, where we could shop and even gave us a Greek mobile phone that we could take with us everywhere to call him on in case we had any questions or needed help with anything! I seriously can’t recommend airbnb enough you guys, it’s a much more personal experience and you get to know the best spots recommended by the locals!
OIA
Oia is the small town where we stayed and is the the most famous part of Santorini for it’s colourful buildings built into the island, this is where you’ll get those perfect photos that literally look like a postcard! There tends to be one main footpathΒ through Oia filled to the brim with restaurants, shops, market stalls and view points! Me and Lyd spent most of our days wandering through and admiring all of the greek creations, if you wander off the path you’ll find supermarkets, ice cream parlours and more wonderful restaurants! The one thing about Santorini is that it’s a maze of beauty, no matter which road or path you take you’ll be greeted with amazing places, sights people and sometimes donkeys!
WHERE TO EAT
Santorini is in no way expensive when it comes to meals, everywhere we ate was super reasonable and the food tasted incredible!Β THE TAZHIKI! Oh my god the tazhiki, we ordered it at the beginning of every meal with bread and it was just, to die for. I’ve been craving it ever since I’ve been home! One of the first things we also did when we got to Oia was pop to the supermarket and buy the biggest tub of natural greek yogurt you’ve ever seen! Every morning when we woke up we would sit outside of our cave and eat fresh fruit and yogurt while we read, it was so beautiful.Β
Our favourite restaurants on the island to eat at wereΒ Scala, Roka and Thalami. Scala had a great selection on the menu and a beautiful balcony that looked out over the island, it was so good, we ate there twice! Roka was a little harder to find but it’s definitely a hidden gem, we walked through the gates and it was like a secret garden! It seemed to me like a family ran restaurant which I really love and was one of the preterites restaurants we ever ate in! Once again we indulged in tazhiki, olives and sun dried tomatoes! On our last day we ate at Thalami, don’t be put off by the photos on the menu, the food really was delicious and I would highly recommend the halloumiΒ salad!
If you’re after ice cream I’ve heard AMAZING things about Lolitas! Unfortunately for us it was closed for the season when we were there but a lot of people had been ranting and raving about their wonderful flavours and smiley faces!Β Rose also recommended we eat at Melitini but this was also closed while we were there.
WHAT TO PACK
Flat shoes, flat shoes and flat shoes! No joke guys, don’t even think about taking anything with a heel or a wedge, it will just be a waste of packing space! The steps and streets can be very steep and bumpy atΒ times and believe me you’re going to want to be as steady on them as you can, not to mention comfortable! Obviously light weight clothes to keep cool because it get very hot in Santorini! Even when we were there in November we were sunbathing in the mornings in our bikinis! In the evening it went off very chilli so if you’re visiting the same time as us make sure you take a cardigan or a jacket for the evening and a maxi skirt or dress to keep your legs warm! If you’re going in the summer then you should be good! Obviously pack a camera because, hello, have you seen the views?! A hat is also a very good item to pop in your case, it’ll keep the sun off your head in the middle of the day when it can get a little tiring climbing up and down the steps, so anything that can keep you cool is handy!
FINAL THOUGHTS
There’s an awesome boat trip you can do which we paid around β¬90 each for, you’re on it for most of the day and you get to visit an active volcano, swim in the sulphur water (my skin felt amazing!) and you get an amazing buffet and drinks on board! The staff were awesome and you get to learn so much about the island and see sides of it you wouldn’t normally, finally you watch the sunset on board which was beyond beautiful, it’s definitely worth getting on board! Make sure you take cash (euros) with you, I only saw one cash point the entire time we were there, they are definitely few and far between!
Finally, soak it all in! We were only there for 5 days and it went so quickly, there’s so many places to explore and paths to wander down, just make sure you cherish every moment of this gorgeous island! xxx
Oia was my favorite place in Santorini. Your pictures of it are amazing!
The post and photos are absolutely delightful. The colors, mamma mia! I leave to Greece in 2 months, I can hardly wait.
Thanks for the recs! It’s a shame that Rose’s cave is booked when we are there :'( π
Do you remember the name of the boat tour that you did?
Ahh I’m so sorry I don’t remember, Rose who was our Air b&b host arranged the trip for us! There is quite a few boat trips though and I hear that all of them are great!
Hi Jessica!
I’m so happy I stumbled onto your post!! I am highly considering visiting Rose’s cave and have already messaged Rose to possibly book!
Of all the photos you took, are they all close by to Rose’s cave? Were there any moments where you had concerns? What was the most expensive part of your trip?
Do you think 4 days is enough to experience the best parts of Oia?
Thanks!
xo,
Cecile
Hi Cecile,
I’m so glad to hear that you’re considering Rose’s Cave, it truly is beautiful and Rose is so helpful! Yes all of the photos we took were in walking distance of Rose’s cave, everywhere we went was really accessible by foot and the most expensive part of our trip was the boat trip that we took. We spent 5 nights in Oia and I think that was a good amount of time to experience the place so I would say 4 days is great! If you wanted to, you could spend 4 days in Oia and then get a boat over to Mykonos for a few days, I hear it’s absolutely beautiful there too!
I hope that helps π
Jess xoxo
Your photos are stunning and has given me lots of inspiration for planning my trip to Greece! I’m just in love with your pink flower crown and purple gladiator sandals! I have to know–where did you get them!?!
Aww thank you so much! I’m sure Greece will be unforgettable for you! I actually got the gladiator sandals from a market stall in Cancun, Mexico and my pink flower crown is from Primark and the black flower crown is from Crown & Glory, and so is the red one π I hope you have the most amazing trip! xx
I love this post!
I’m going with my boyfriend in August, thank you for the recommendations π
Hey, your photos are fab! What camera and photo app or editor do you use? Please and thanks in advance X
Aww thanks so much! We used a Canon 7D and a GoPro Hero 4 then edited them in Adobe Lightroom π I hope that helps! xx
Do you use adobe lightroom free app on your phone? Or do you pay?
I use adobe lightroom on my laptop, but on my phone I use the app ColorStory π
Great blog enjoyed your fantastic photos and are there opportunities to island hop by day ?
cheers
Hi Julie, yes there is but I believe the ferry only runs through the summer months π
Great photos!
*Tzatziki
Great Photosss. Can you please tell me which camera model did you use for such an amazing photo quality?
Great photossss can you give me a link to this camera (canon 7d) because when i google it i get a lot of models. I want exactly your model!
Hi Dalya, it’s just a Canon EOS 7D π
WOW!! your photos are stunning, loved all of them, the colors so bright!! It made me want to travel to Santorini like right now!!!
BEAUTIFUL pictures!! And such cool style you both have…. Your blog really makes me wants to go to Santorini, asap.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post.
Hi! First thank you for all great information and pictures! I loved all your picture. We are headed there this year and wanted to ask what camera you used for your picture? I want to have great pictures too, so would like to plan ahead! Thanks much!!
Hi Amy, aww thanks so much! I used a Canon 7D for some shots, others were taken on an iPhone and some were on a GroPro. Have a great time when you go! x
I came across this while looking up Croatia info. We went to Santorini summer of 2016 and I often find myself dreaming about being back there. It’s such a magical place. My favorite time was either first thing in the morning when the sun was rising and it was so quiet you could only hear the wind lightly blowing. Night was magical too, all the flickering lights, faint sounds of diners across the way having dinner….ahhh I can’t wait to go back. Loved your pictures π
Thanks so much Michelle! And you’re so right, it’s so magical there! I hope you have a great time when you go back π x
Loved your pictures. So colourful. You mentioned you stayed in Rose’s cave. Does the owner lives locally ? Did you hired a car while you were there. Thanks a lot?
Hi Nidhi, yes the owner lives an apartment right upstairs π He was very helpful and even gave us a phone to call him if we needed any help! We didn’t hire a car because everything we wanted to see was within walking distance for us but alot of people hire quad bikes out there! Or there are buses to take you to the other side π I hope that helps,
Best wishes
Jess x
Just wondering where I could learn more about the boat trip. I didn’t see a website. Thank you!
Hi Naomi,
I’m so sorry I don’t have that information it was just a boat trip recommended by our air B&B host but I didn’t catch the name.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help,
Best wishes
Jess x
I know this is an older post, but my dad and I are headed to Santorini in April and I was wondering if you had an tips or doβs and donβts !
Hi Megan,
I don’t have any new tips because I haven’t been back since but all the tips I had are in the post π I hope you and your Dad have a great time!
Iβm heading to Santorini in 2 weeks and I love your auggestions! Thank you ??