When googling the best Greek Islands to visit, Santorini comes in at number two (after Mykonos of course which is still on my list of places to visit.) This is obviously due to its beautiful little blue and white buildings that line the cliff edge and breath taking views of the Caldera.
Santorini is only a small island at 26 miles long and we stayed in Perissa which is on the south east of the island. Chilled day to night bars and beautiful Greek restaurants line Perissa's black pebbled and sandy beach and its the perfect place to relax. We loved Tranquilo, The Beach Bar and Demilmar. Similar to Perissa is it's much prettier neighbour Kamari where we spent a few hours relaxing on the beach reading and people watching before heading to a restaurant beside the beach for lunch.
It was however early in the season (I never visited Greece in May before) which meant these two resorts were much quieter than in the height of the season. This has it's positives and negatives - according to islanders, traffic is quite bad in busier periods but bars and restaurants were quieter. That said, our stay was fantastic and made all the more better by renting a motorbike to see every corner of the Island.
We hired a Brixton 125 - I was more than a little nervous to begin with (driving on the right is scary - which direction is oncoming traffic?) but my Boyfriend is an experienced rider and after four days I felt more than safe
What I loved most about Santorini though wasn't the blue and white houses (even though they are perfectly pretty.) It was the traditional, rough and gritty places that go unnoticed to general tourists. I'm not a 'sit by the pool or beach' type mainly due to being so pale and after 29 years I finally had to succumb to the fact that I don't get a sun tan and have to wear factor 30 sun cream.
Santorini had so many places to explore either by bike or on foot. Visiting in lower season meant the weather wasn't too hot - it even rained...yes in Greece...which made it easier to get around.
Places we visited included Pyrgos, Ancient Thera (perched at the top of a mountain but worth the 6 mile hike,) Oia, Akrotiri, Fira, Imerovigli and Skaros Rock - another hike well worth doing if your visiting Santorini.
