We needed to get back to Santorini from Naxos in order to get our plane back to Timisoara so we thought we wouldn’t risk ferry delays and stay our last couple of nights back on Santorini. This would also mean we would be a short taxi ride away for our early flight. We had booked a guest house on the opposite side of the island from our previous stay the week before so we were looking forward to seeing another area of the island.
As the ferry headed back into the port at Santorini it was clear that the main holiday season was in full swing. The bay was home to several large cruise ships now and when we got off the ferry the place was chaos. No sign of a pandemic here. We had planned to get a public bus but that didn’t seem to be happening so we were forced to get a mini bus taxi to take us to Perissa beach. It was over priced and we knew that, but it was going now and direct so we went for it.
We got dropped off at our hotel and again we had found a nice spot with a pool about 10 minutes’ walk from the sea front. What we did soon realise was that this side of the island was really windy, in fact you could surf in the pool as the winds was creating tidal waves. As usual we dumped our gear and went to explore. We wandered down to the black sand beach, however you couldn’t really see the beach as it was totally taken up with restaurants, loungers and brollies. Our appetite for beach holidays was getting less and less. We wandered into the small village and found a really nice taverna on the main road serving up delicious cheap food. It was the semi finals of the Euros so we had to find a bar for the England v Denmark game and luckily we found the perfect place. A nice chilled bar with a lovely garden, a friendly owner, the football on a big screen and best of all, pints of Mythos for 2.50 Euros. It really was a lot cheaper on this side of the island. We enjoyed the football and the beer, although we could have done without extra time and a thunder storm which took out the signal at several points during the game, but with England somehow winning we had a very good night indeed.
At one end of Perissa beach there is a huge headland which just begged to be walked up. So the next morning to clear our heads we climbed up the rocky path. We were going to visit the ancient ruins on the top but when we emerged on the ridge we were blown away, literally. The wind was hectic and you could barely stand up so we retreated back down the track. As we were not too enamoured with the beach we decided to have one last look at the caldera view so we took the bus to Fira. This really is the main reason that Santorini is so stunning, so I would say stay on this side of the island if you ever visit. We enjoyed taking in the view one last time and enjoyed a Greek meze for our last meal of this Greek odyssey.
The next morning we were picked up at 6 am for the trip back to the airport and our flight to Romania. We had really enjoyed our island hopping trip especially Folegandros and the stunning views on Santorini. The food was great and we definitely got heavier while our wallets got lighter. If we visit again I think we will try to visit off season and to get to some of the lesser known islands to experience the small quintessential villages and to do more hiking in the stunning scenery.
