Wednesday 28 September 2011

Santorini ~ OMG!!!

We arrived in Santorini yesterday after a smooth ferry ride from Naxos.  A driver send by the hotel was waiting for us at the port and drove us up the long, winding, twisting roads with killer (literally!) views of the sea way down below.  We are staying at the Anastasis apartments, which have been voted #2 of all hotels in the world by Trip Advisor this year.  It's easy to see why from the moment you walk in the door.

Despina and her staff have elevated the art of service to the highest standards.  Nothing is too much trouble here ~ whatever you want, your wish is their command.  We were shown to our beautiful room with an incredible view of the infinity pool and the caldera.  After unpacking, we sat on the terrace to take in all this beauty and a welcome drink and cool ice cream were served to us on our terrace.






We sat back and took it all in and then moved to the lounge chairs to enjoy the sunset.  We were then served wine and little snacks and soft music was piped in to enhance what it truly one of nature's most beautiful gifts.







Dinner that night was at a simple Greek taverna recommended to us by our hotel and transportation was arranged to and from Anastasis.

We enjoyed some traditional Greek food in a simple, casual atmosphere served by warm people who were justifiably proud of their place.

When we got back to the hotel, our turndown service included little treats.  The end of a perfect day..........


Wednesday morning, we were served a gourmet breakfast on our terrace. Nicely fortified, we began our walk from our hotel in Imervogli to Fira, the main town in Santorini.  The sights we saw are indescribable, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves:


















After about 6 hours of walking and gawking, we took a taxi back to Anastasis where afternoon coffee was served to us while we enjoyed the beautifully cool pool.  Den took over 400 pictures today, so it was pretty hard to decide which to post!

Sunset was amazing once more and I was moved to tears thinking how lucky we are to be able to enjoy a trip like this.  I truly hope that my kids and grandkids are able to come here one day to see this spectacular scenery.













Dinner was at a little Italian place in the small village of Firostefani called Il Cantuccio.  We had a wonderful meal and great conversation with honeymooners from Atlanta at the table next to ours.  I guess the restaurant is pretty popular since Francis Ford Coppola and Catherine Deneuve signed the wall!








We were back at our hotel about 10:30pm and it's taken all my energy to finish this post.  Good night, Santorini!