6. Amsterdam to Santorini with Transavia with a few days in Santorini

The next morning we were at Schiphol for an early flight to Santorini. It was a short flight so we used low-cost carrier Transavia for the first time. The booking experience was easy and they offered some affordable extras for purchase like seat selection and priority boarding. We also purchased extra baggage on the app and found everything to run very smoothly on both our flights with them.

Soon we were off in our all-economy 737-800 for this short 3h flight down to the Greek Islands.


Oof... tight but survivable.





After a very smooth flight, we approached Santorini before doing a sharp left turn and landing. With only two nights in Santorini, we decided to check in quickly and then start exploring.

There were numerous great hotels on the island but we also found great Airbnbs and decided to settle for one of those. As I soon discovered in Santorini and Mykonos, addresses are a nightmare because there are hundreds of little streets that crisscross one another. Therefore on both islands, the owners met us in a public place and took us for a short walk to their suites.

We were really happy with our choice as we settled into a typical 'cave house' that is made almost entirely of stone that has a knack for keeping cool no matter how hot it is outside. With ample space, a great location and daily cleaning service we were very pleased with everything.


The pool was heated, and while this could potentially have been inconvenient, it was their coldest summer in years and we often used it to get warm.


Incredible views of the caldera







Being on this side of the island (Imerovigli), everything was mostly perched on a cliffside. On the one side we had Oia which was a significant hike, and considering we'd visited it a few years prior we decided to rather head the other way towards Fira. With beautiful views, good shopping and great restaurants, what was not to like?







After a good few hours out we remembered some of the restaurants that we liked and headed back to the villa for a short rest. On the way back I stepped into a store to get some wine. The Greek rose I picked up turned out to be one of the all-time worst wines I'd ever tasted, and the gold standard for what to never buy again. I guess that's the penalty for falling for a €7 'special'. The cheese was good though, as we'd brought it along with us from Gouda.


Our timid friend enjoyed the view with us.


An amazing view with delicious cheese and preserves, with the offending wine.

That evening we headed down to Aegean, a restaurant we passed by that was recommended by the host that also resonated with us when passed by earlier. The dusk views were to die for and I settled on a delicious fish on a potato puree, and then baklava with ice cream to follow.


Dusk views





The next morning we were up and walking again. With no specific plans we explored further and found a lovely place for breakfast pancakes.


Delicious!


Cheese and wine... this time with a better wine!



That evening we walked a little further into Fira to a place we saw and wanted to eat at, Remvi. With beautiful views and a relaxed atmosphere it was spectacular eating a wholesome and tasty dinner while watching the sun set for our final evening in Santorini.




Baklava again... so good!


The view on our walk back to our villa