Agent Diary: The people of Santorini are lovely, food is amazing and standards are definitely high

Thompson Travel’s Sharon Thompson shares on how to get the full experience of the island

We’ve just returned from eight nights on the beautiful island of Santorini. It’s always been on my wish list of Greek islands but other than a quick and crowded cruise stop, I had never managed to visit.

This time, we opted for an authentic villa so we could have the freedom to dine under the beautiful sunset of Ammoudi Bay or sample a fish tavern while taking time to tour the island.

On arrival in Santorini, I couldn’t help noticing how arid it looked. On the journey from the airport, white houses resembled perfectly iced cakes and sat dotted amid what looked like waste ground. The Mamma Mia! vibe didn’t spring to mind like it had from the cruise.

However, I was very wrong to judge so early. Little did I know that Santorini’s microclimate lends itself to some fantastic wineries, with vines growing close to the ground – the chauffeur enlightened us en route to our northern destination.

Harvesting was in August, so I’m sure the landscape looked much different then, with grapes in abundance. We sampled a few wines during our stay and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Island exploration

We aren’t sun worshippers, which is why we travelled in October, so it was important to have some activities lined up. Our stay included a wonderful five-hour off-road vehicle safari to lesser-visited areas of the island, as well as a boat trip to the quiet island of Therasia and a 10-mile walk from Santorini’s capital, Fira, to Oia.

Local transport easily connects to most places and nearly all routes go via Fira. The bus was pretty much €2 per journey and we never waited more than 20 minutes. There is no messing about and the bus goes when it’s full.

The pluses about visiting Santorini certainly outweigh any minuses. The airport is a doddle; the locals are lovely; the food is fresh and amazing; standards are definitely high; staff are welcoming and there is absolutely no feeling of being rushed.

Quad, buggy and 4×4 hire is readily available and there are some excellent basic roads to maximise that experience – bring your driving licence and credit card! Some private catamaran tours cost €1,600 for a few hours but semi-private tours started from around €110.

Access issues

A word to the wise, though: I found it difficult to identify anywhere around Finikia or Oia that would suit anyone with walking difficulties or needing wheelchair access. The towns in the north and west have a series of steps and climbs to get to the best views and accommodation settings, so I imagine Perissa in the south may be better for anyone with accessibility requirements – I only managed to view it down below from our 4×4 as we headed off‑road to the canyons.

To get the full experience of Santorini, stay for at least one week and slightly off-season. All in all, I would definitely recommend the island. It was full of different age groups and nationalities soaking up the views, and with one thing in common – everyone wanted a selfie at sunset in Oia. That in itself was worth the trip.

Everything we could wish for

My thinking on booking was that we would enjoy comfort close to the most picturesque – and expensive – town of Oia, so we chose accommodation in the beautiful, newly opened villas in the connected village of Finikia. Pink Freud Villas gave us everything we wanted for our eight-night stay.

Lena at Pink Freud looked after us and even organised our transfers and 4×4 tour. She had also booked a lovely Greek restaurant called Krinaki for our first night and recommended Mia’s, a rooftop specialty restaurant overlooking Oia. Attention to detail was evident in every aspect of the villa and all of Lena’s arrangements.