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View of Santorini volcano

Ferry Prices to Santorini:

We took the"Highspeed1" ferry which makes the trip Piraeus-Paros-Santorini in 5.5 hours (instead of 9 with the regular ferry). These are the prices we paid in June 2003:

Adult: €41.50, Child: €21.00 (children up to 4 years old travel free (make sure your agent gives you a ticket though to ensure that the child gets a seat), Car: €84.00

The travel agents around the port of Piraeus and around Santorini can provide the tickets which must be purchased in advance. I noticed that some agents do not accept credit cards, so it would be wise to make sure that you have enough cash before they issue the tickets.

What was also impressive was how efficient and swift the embarkation and disembarkation process was with the ferry we used ("Highspeed1"). The boat made a stop at Paros before reaching Santorini or Piraeus, and I was amazed to see that the entire stop lasted about ten minutes.

Food and Drink Prices on the Ferry

Buying beverages on a ferry en route to an island can get expensive in Greece. Here is a sample so you can get an idea how much drinks and food costs on the ferry.

Exclusive Gifts and apparel

You can of course bring your own food and drinks on board to save some money.

Our Santorini Hotel

There are plenty of hotels and apartments for rent in Santorini, but staying at a place with full view of the volcano caldera is the best way to experience the unique character of the island.

We stayed at the Hotel Keti in Fira town.

It was an excellent value since it had unobstructed views of the caldera as good as you would get from any other hotel, and it was located at the edge of the town where the music from the numerous bars faded enough to allow some sleep at night. Hotel Keti had ample balcony space, air conditioning, bathroom and shower (with the best water pressure and temperature we have encountered in a hotel) in the room, telephone, television (though we barely turned it on), refrigerator, a safe for valuables, and the unique island architecture. Above all it was clean and Yannis, the owner, and the staff were extremely accommodating and friendly. It lacked restaurant facilities and a swimming pool, but we did not miss them at all since the "Art Cafe" was right next door, and when we did not go to the beach we could use the swimming pool at a bar nearby, with full view of the volcano, for the price of a drink or two.

The triple room cost us €72.00 per day in June, which is about half of what the other hotels around the town of Fira would cost for comparable accommodations (plus a restaurant and a pool). We were very happy with Hotel Keti and its staff, and we would definitely return to it on our next trip to Santorini.

Santorini Beaches

Most of the beaches of Santorini are lined with black volcanic smooth pebbles. The black color retains an incredible amount of head and as a result most swimmers end up high stepping as they speed through the short distance between the umbrella and the cool waters. Speaking of umbrellas, most of the beaches we visited were lined up with umbrellas and beach beds for which bathers paid a fee for their use. You can choose any beach umbrella you like, assuming it is free of occupants, and an attendant will arrive shortly to collect the money. We found the prices to be extremely high, as we paid €5.00 at the Perissa beach the first day, and the very next day we paid €7.00 at the Kamari beach for the same kind of accommodation. The way the beach umbrellas are organized they give the impression that one must purchase an umbrella to use the beach, but in reality anyone can secure their own umbrella (assuming they bring one) at any part of the beach. Beach umbrellas can be purchased at any beach shop around the towns for anywhere between €5 and €15 -- an excellent value if you plan to visit the beach more than once during your visit (unless of course you like parting with your money for no apparent reason).

During our stay of four days we visited Perissa beach, Kamari beach, and Red beach. All three provided the excellent, clean, and cool aegean waters that were very refreshing after hours under the summer sun.

Perissa Beach

Perissa beach was our favorite swim spot because it provided ample space so it did not feel crowded, a nice sandy sea bottom shallow enough at the shore for our children to play, and more pebbles than sand which left our feet clean at the end of the day. It is lined sparsely with fish tavernas, beach shops and cafes, and the south end of the beach continues around the bend far beyond the road's end.

Kamari Beach

This beach suffers from being too narrow, and too busy. The water was excellent once again, but the large rocks at the surf break made it impossible to get in and out of the water if you didn't wear beach shoes. I think I broke one toe on my way in, and another one on my way out. The interesting part is that Kamari beach is near the airport so you get to encounter low flying jets every five minutes as they approach to land at the airport nearby. That's great if you are into airplane watching, but not so good if you just want to relax by the waves. The novelty of the low flying airplanes gets very old after the third landing.

Red Beach

Red beach offers spectacular scenery and crystal clear waters. It is crowded during the day, but the deep dark red cliffs that frame it offer a visceral volcanic landscape that can only exist in Santorini. There is a ten minute demanding climb over huge red boulders and precarious pathways, but we and our small children managed the route with little problem. There is a little shed that sells drink on the beach, and the ubiquitous and expensive umbrellas line up the beach (although by now you know better to buy your own umbrella).

Restaurants and Dining in Santorini

There is no shortage of restaurants in Santorini, and most of the ones that line the caldera in the towns of Fira and Ia are of the expensive variety. As a rule of thumb restaurants with a view are pricey. We had a couple of gyros overlooking the whole caldera from Ia and we paid around €34.00, while on our last night at Santorini we had a lush dinner overlooking the sunset at a fish taverna in the Amoudi harbor and we paid around €27.00. No matter the price, everywhere we ate the food was excellent. During our four day stay we usually ate lunch at a taverna near the beach where we happened to be, and had a light dinner in our room, with the exception of a couple of outings at Ia.

Useful Santorini Telephone Numbers

Tourist Police: 22860-22649

Hospital: 22860-22237

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