Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
town has been sympathetically reconstructed, its white and cyan houses clinging to the
cliff face. Apart from the caldera and the town itself, there are a couple of things to see,
including the
Naval Museum
(Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-2pm & 5-8pm; €3) and the
very modest remains of a Venetian castle. It is a quieter, though still touristy, alternative
to Firá except during sunset, for which people are coached in from all over the island,
creating traffic chaos and driving up prices. Public buses are extremely full around this
time (after 6pm, although in the summer the sunset occurs around 8.30pm).
Below the town, two sets of 220-odd steps lead to two small harbours: one to
Arméni
for the fishermen, and the other to
Ammoúdhi
, where the excursion boats dock.
6
ACCOMMODATION
ÍA
Much of the town's
accommodation
is in restored cave houses, with caldera views adding at least €100 to the rooms.
Andronis Suites
T
22860 72041,
W
andronis-suites
.com.
With its central location, superlative views, spa,
apartments carved deep into the cliffs, and balconies that
can induce vertigo, this may well be the most prestigious
spot in the Cyclades and the price rele
cts it.
The apartments
sleep up to five, mind you. April-Oct.
€600
Oia Youth Hostel
T
22860 71465,
W
santorinihostel
.gr.
Well signposted from the bus terminal, this excellent
hostel has a terrace and a shady courtyard, laundry, a good
café-bar and clean dormitories, but with a ver
y sh
ort
season, so call to check it's open. Mid-June to Sept.
€16
Pension Delfini
T
22860 23016,
W
delfinihotel.net.
By far the best middle-price option, this small boutique
hotel offers rooms with jacuzzis and
privat
e balconies with
calde
ra views. April-Nov. Doubles
€110
, 4-person suite
€180
EATING AND DRINKING
Restaurant prices can be as steep as the cliffs, at the older, western end of town. In general the further east you go along
the central ridge the better the price.
1800
T
22860 71485.
Regarded as one of the best
restaurants on the island, and serving highly refined, French-
inspired cuisine, its interiors have a fin-de-siècle feel and the
roof garden offers unique unhindered views over the caldera.
Its wines are excellent and, like the food (mains around €30),
accordingly expensive.
May-Oct daily 6.30pm-midnight.
King Neptune
T
22860 71294.
With a rooftop bar to
rival the best for views and dishes for €15 that don't break
the bank, this is the best-value combination of good food,
view and atmosphere in Ía. Come early for dinner before
the sunset buses invade, get a front-row table and chill.
April-Nov daily noon-late.
The east coast
Santoríni's
beaches
, on the island's east coast, are long black stretches of volcanic sand
that get blisteringly hot in the afternoon sun. They're no secret, and in the summer the
crowds can be a bit overpowering. Among the resorts lie the substantial and beautifully
sited remains of
ancient Thira
.
In the southeast, the family resort of
Kamári
is popular with package-tour operators,
and hence more touristy. Nonetheless it's quieter and cleaner than most, with a
well-maintained seafront promenade.
Things are considerably scruffier at
Períssa
, around the cape. Because of its beach and
abundance of cheap rooms, it's crowded with backpackers. The beach itself extends
several kilometres to the west, through Perívolos to Áyios Yeóryios, sheltered by the
occasional tamarisk tree and with beach bars dotted along at intervals. A new attraction
in Períssa is the
Museum of Minerals and Fossils
(summer, daily 10am-2pm, winter Sun
only; free), with exhibits that include rare palm tree fossils from pre-eruption Santoríni.
Ancient Thira
Tues-Sun 8.30am-2.30pm • €1.50 • Excursion minibuses depart from Kamári (see above); there are also donkey rides up (€20).
Alternatively, walk the interminably looping cobbled road - Archaias Thiras - starting from Ancient Thira Tours
Kamári and Períssa are separated by the Mésa Vounó headland, on which stood
ancient
Thira
, the post-eruption settlement, dating from 915 BC through to the Venetian
