Santorini needs no introduction so I’m not going to bother with all of that…
Okay, fine. For the uninitiated, Santorini is one of the most picturesque Greek Islands (some would say perhaps “the most”). After exploring the more mainstream parts of Santorini on our own as well as going on a tour off the beaten track in Santorini, we got to see a different side of Santorini, this time by sailing around Santorini with the Sunset Oia Sailing Center.
We got picked up at our villa nice and early (perhaps too early after a few glasses of wine the night before) and quickly hopped on board. Before I carry on, I almost forgot to mention – the boat trip came with lunch, all the drinks you can handle (soft and alcoholic – and not the generic brand stuff that leaves you feeling like you just drank vinegar instead of wine) and all the gear you need for the activities you’ll be participating in during the day! There are a vast range of prices as well so you can definitely do whichever one suits your wallet! 🙂 You can also choose to start either in the morning or in the afternoon so again – choice is yours!
Before long, we set sail…
But not before a cheeky (or vain) selfie! 🙂
The view of Santorini as we set off was pretty fantastic, I’ve got to say. Definitely one you can’t get while you’re on the island.
First thing we did was head over to the hot springs heated by the volcano underneath. After having been in The Blue Lagoon in Iceland, I was expecting them to be very hot but there are warm streams in between cool water so it wasn’t piping hot but it was nice to jump into the sea and swim over to them! (For those who aren’t the strongest swimmer, you get provided with life vests so everyone can take part though the distance to swim was fairly short to be fair).
After exploring the hot springs for a while, we set off for our next stop…
There were some pretty fantastic view of Santorini on our way there though… it was quite nice to just sit in the sun, get a glass of wine or two and some ouzo (it’s never too early for wine when you’re in Greece right). We stretched out on the catamaran and drenched ourselves in some brilliant Greek sunshine…
Looks like lots of people were making the most of the weather too!
Eventually, we arrived at our destination – the aptly named “red beach”! The boat stopped here and we were left to swim up to the beach or just jump into the sea for a little swim! (We did the latter).
After a nice long swim and quite a few rather graceless attempts at jumping into the water, we jumped back onto the boat – got a few drinks in and prepared for lunch (alcoholic and soft drinks were all included as was our lunch, as mentioned before).
Lunch was a full on spread of barbecued chicken and pork (freshly prepared), salads, pastas, fresh breads… the works!
But before lunch, we headed over to the “white beach” where we got provided with snorkelling gear and jumped into the sea again to go snorkelling. This was amazing!!! The water was so warm and clear and the fish were everywhere. Absolutely brilliant!
Finally, it was lunch time and I proceed to devour lunch with great gusto and very little finesse!
Like seriously, very little class… (I get excited around food way too much)
Finally, we set off sail again and were left to get our desserts and carry on relaxing and drinking in the sun!
Finally, we made our way back to the port but at this stage, we’d already made friends with three absolutely fantastic and hilarious Americans and by the time we docked, we’d had such a great time that we refused to be separated and headed over to the nearest restaurant for more drinks and some nibbles (we never got the nibbles in the end, we’d just had our fill at lunch after all).
All in all, it was a fantastic afternoon and the guys at Sunset Oia Sailing Center really put on a great day where we left, not only having a fantastic and different experience in Santorini but all the more richer for making friends (who we’re planning on seeing soon either in the States or in London). 🙂
Needless to say, when that beautiful (and famed) Santorini sunset came in when we got home, we were knackered but we’d had an absolutely BURRRRRRILLIANT day!
If you’re in Santorini or indeed are planning on visiting you should definitely give these guys at the Sunset Oia Sailing Center a call (or an email)! Trust me – you’ll have an amazing time with them! 🙂
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