During this review process, Airbnb asked whether there was anything particularly outstanding about our stay – I can without doubt say that every single thing about our stay was outstanding. Jannis and Adriana are the warmest and most inviting hosts you could ever hope for. During what is an extremely painful year for all, we decided to take a chance a get away to Santorini for a very much needed break, even though we knew we’d have to quarantine on return. I can wholeheartedly say I’d do it again without hesitation. Santorini was absolutely glorious – the weather was outstanding (apparently even nicer/hotter than usual), the food was consistently excellent, and the locals were beyond welcoming. It truly felt like home from home. The apartment complex that Jannis and Adriana run is fantastic; so easily accessible but so quiet and calm. Not to mention that you are literally steps from the beach down a private path accessed by only the house. We booked the studio, but they kindly upgraded us to the 1 bedroom apartment as it was empty for our stay – we would have been happy in either let me assure you! The facilities are everything you need and more. Adriana always checked with us to see when we would be out so she could come and clean the flat/change the bedlinen. We had fresh towels every other day and beach towels almost daily, an absolute luxury for an 11 day stay, you wouldn’t even get this level of service in a hotel. The kitchen was great, fit with a fridge, kettle, pots, pans, cutlery, and even a Nespresso machine with capsules. Adriana had left us some delicious local white wine and water to get us started, and offered us tons of delicious things throughout our stay – homemade Greek pasta bake, fresh tzatziki (wow!!!), and the most scrumptious Greek rice pudding. I can’t forget to mention the absolutely incredible fig trees everywhere, and I mean everywhere. They were picked straight off the branch and were the sweetest figs I’ve tasted in my entire life. Needless to say Jannis and Adriana spoiled us well and truly.
There is a ton of wonderful restaurants around – Adriana leaves a selection of recommended cards which is a great place to start. Captains Corner very close by is great value with delicious food. We also loved Il Forno for pasta, To Pinakio for traditional Greek meze (try the island traditional dish of tomato balls), Ariale, Varkes (excellent ice-cream), and Mango Bar for cocktails! So many lovely restaurants to choose from, but we tried to go somewhere different every night to spread the love. The promenade in Kamari is just the right amount of liveliness, and the best bit of the house is that it’s in walking distance but tucked away in a lovely quiet corner, which suited us perfectly. There is a Cretan bakery nearby called Erotokritos which has everything you could ever want and at the best prices – fresh sandwiches, desserts, chocolates, homemade biscuits, breads, fresh coffee, ice-cream – it literally has it all and is run by the friendliest woman, we went there nearly every day, such good value. I would also 100% recommend taking at least one visit to Cine Kamari, an open air cinema about 15 minute walk from the house. It is the best open air cinema I have ever visited – the facilities and technology are outstanding, better then some indoor cinemas in London. You’d think the sound would struggle outdoors, but not even a little bit. There was plenty of space and a fully functioning bar serving all kinds of fun drinks and snacks – it’s truly a magical place. Cash only, but tickets are only 8 euro. Highly recommend, we went twice and would’ve gone more if we could’ve.
We came to mainly relax, but we also did a day in Thira/Oia which has to be seen to believe it’s so stunning (if you don’t plan on renting a car, take the local bus as we did - so cheap and very reliable); a boat trip to hike the volcano, swim in the hot springs and lunch in Thirassia (Adriana can organise this directly for you, which was SO great); and climbed the mountain right next to the house to Ancient Thira which was tough but so worth it (perfect for a cloudy day, of which we only had 1 in 11 days!).
We feel so lucky we got to visit Santorini, especially during this tough time. Like most countries, it was extremely quiet compared to normal, it’s hard to ignore. A lot of the restaurants were closed by the time we left as many couldn’t justify staying open until the end of the season (usually early November), which was truly sad to see, but all of the locals very positive despite the difficulties this year has brought. While it’s terrible to see the effect on businesses, we’re still so grateful we had the opportunity to see the island in a way that probably is once in a lifetime – imagine, people-free pictures in Oia, one of the most famous and busiest caldera’s in the world… a local said she had never seen it like that in her life.
My review is much longer than I intended it to be, but there is so much to say about this listing and the island itself. We couldn’t have hoped for a better holiday. I already miss our conversations with Jannis and Adriana, talking about everything and anything, eating fresh figs, sitting with their lovely cat, and admiring the incredible views over the beach. If you’re an early bird, I’d most definitely recommend getting up to watch the sunrise with a cup of coffee, there is nothing like it. To Jannis and Adriana themselves, we can’t thank you enough for everything – the space is incredible but it is your hospitality that puts you above and beyond everyone else. You went the extra mile