Best Western Paradise Hotel Santorini

... time to chat with the locals they told us how lucky we were to be visiting at this time of the year, how much nicer it is when it is quiet. As one shopkeeper told us 'Now you can see the real Santorini’

We had one last stroll around the laneways overlooking the caldera, one last meal at the excellent Pelican cafe and one last ice cream from our favourite sweet shop and one last soak in the Jacuzzi.

Ah Santorini, thank you for sharing your beauty with us.

... achievement - over 300 meters straight up, like climbing a 100 storey building. We celebrated by having a coffee at Cafe Classico, one of the few places on the cliff edge that remains open. That was an expensive mistake as we were treated to lousy coffee at 5 euro a pop. Yes, $8 for bad coffee.

Jess had organised a massage for me when we got back to the apartment. Ninety minutes of sheer indulgence. I felt like a new person afterwards and put on my new stylish ...

... We were headed for the ancient ruins of Thira. We couldn't get in because it closes at 2.30pm each day and we were half an hour past that time. It looked worthy of another visit so we decided to come back the next day.

We drove back down the mountain then along the beachfront at Kamari, noting the numerous trendy bars (all closed) and cafes (all closed bar 3 or 4). We continued along the waterfront for as long as we could until the road diverted us back inland. It ...

... the time we made it to Oia. Sadly, Oia was virtually shut down. It was a shame to see what is clearly a beautiful village present itself as a virtual ghost town. We eventually found one place where we could eat and we relaxed with a wine to distract us from the pain our feet were feeling. Unfortunately the famed sunset did not happen due to some low lying cloud. We’ll try again another day...

The next bus back to Fira was nearly an hour away so we called a taxi to take us home.

... we had bought a lovely ring the year before. After speaking with them about sizing options, it was decided we could have it adjusted back home cheaply, and without casuing any damage to the ring itself.

We then went thru the small but fascinating Santorini Museum, where entry just happened to be free for a few days! We were not allowed to pose in front of the exhibits but did take many non-flash photos of the various stoneware ...

... br>After "beach day", we all headed up to Oia, (ee-ah), which was rumored to have even better sunsets than Fira. Oia is all the way on the northern tip of the island, and we accidentally took the long way around. It was a beautiful drive, except for one horse along the way. He apparently did not like the sound we made, and tried to kick Pam off the ATV!
We made it to Oia about a half hour before sunset, and we weren't ...

... epic fail!! A waste of 45 mins of hiking in the heat before I conceded that it was too far, future reference you can only access these from a boat ride. A dip back at Red Beach to cool off and to have our last Greek beach swim was followed shortly by catching the bus back to Fira and do a little shopping before our last lunch.

We got to the port an hour before departure, as required, and had to waste more time just waiting. Finally catching the ferry back ...

... our free dinner which is hilarious because this is a 7 room resort and we are the only couple eating (until right b4 we leave one other couple shows up), This is gourmet food with a set menu - and we all know Jennie so I don't have to explain. I eat most of Jen's meal so not to offend but she likes the potato which the guy cautions not to order because it is small so he offers for her to order more things but cannot grasp the concept of bringing extra potato (keep in ...

... starter, fish soup to share, and Ai Ling had cod fish and I have rabbit. Nope, the rabbit is not enough for me...












The sign of the restaurant is pretty well decorated in the stone wall.

















Awww..... the night view of the Caldera...