Beaches and Boat Trips
Beaches in Santorini
Perivolos Beach
Perivolos Beach is one of the most well known of Santorini’s beaches.
It is located between Agios Gerogios and Perissa rock about 13 kilometres from Fira and is easy to get to from our Santorini Luxury Villas. Perivolos beach is generally lovely and calm and offers a great choice of water sports. There is a life guard on duty in high season but if it is windy, it is best to avoid the beach. The sand is black and as a result can get very hot in the months of July and August so it is wise to bring flip flops or some casual footwear for walking down to the sea.
One of the best aspects of Perivolos beach is the fact that there are so many bars, restaurants, and beach clubs to choose from. The best of these is Sea Side by Notos. The food gets outstanding reviews and there is a very nice beach club which has been completely renovated. Booking well in advance is essential in high season so please do contact our complimentary concierge department to arrange before you go.
We also loved Tranquilo Restaurant and Beach Club. It is really laid back and advertises itself as a vegetarian and vegan restaurant although they do serve chicken also. The salads are absolutely amazing but don’t over order as they are huge and generally one is enough for two people.
Perissa Beach
Perissa Beach, which is connected to Perivolos Beach, is one of Santorini’s most famous and liveliest beaches. It has the distinctive black sand found on this side of the island which may not be to everyone’s taste but the water is crystal clear and wonderful for swimming.
There are a huge selection of all types of restaurants, bars and beach clubs to choose should you decide to spend a day here. There is also a good selection of water sports available. Perissa beach is the only beach on the island that has a water park. It is also possible to walk the whole length of the beach.
Akrotiri Beach
Akrotiri Beach is located just below the ancient town of Akrotiri on the southern coast of Santorini. It is largely a stone and pebble beach but the water is lovely and clear. It is worth investing in some swim footware and taking a dip here.
One of the nicest aspects of this area are the lovely waterfront tavernas located just to the right of the beach. One of our favourites in this area is The Cave of Nikolas where you will be able to enjoy good traditional Greek food in a lovely setting with great views. The warm pita with tzaziki was delicious as well as the vegetarian moussaka.
Boat Trips
One of the best ways to get a feel for Santorini, the islands, and the volcano is by boat. There are many boat charter companies on the island and our Exceptional Villa concierge department will be happy to recommend some to you.
One of our favourite trips involves visiting the three islands in the caldera. The boat departs from the old port at Fira around the caldera or crater.
You will get to moor at the uninhabited tiny volcanic island of Palea Kameni. If you are a strong swimmer you will be able to swim from the boat towards the shore and over the volcanic hot springs and to the therapeutic mud. Don’t wear a white bathing suit as it will be sure to turn yellow!
The boat will then stop in Nea Kameni which is now a national park and is where the live volcanic crater may be seen. It has the largest crater called Daphne. As you walk around the crater, you will get a strong smell of sulphur in the air and you will get to see many different colours of lava rock.
It is possible to walk to the top and this takes about 30 minutes. It’s rocky and quite steep in parts so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and take some drinking water too. The views from here back to Santorini are spectacular.
The third stop on this trip is to the very traditional island of Thirassia. This is where you go back in time an “Older Greece” . It is undeveloped and almost untouched by tourism. It does have several very nice seafood tavernas with lovely views of Santorini.
Thirassia actually comes under the jurisdiction of Oia. Architecturally, it has very narrow pathways full of flowers, white washed houses and lots of churches with their traditional bell towers.
Thirassia has several oceanfront seafood tavernas also affording fine views of Santorini. The capital of Thirassia is Manolas. From here you can take a pathway up to the monastery of Koimiseos where you can get great views of the whole island. There are also two nice villages on the island called Potamos and Agrilia. They comprise largely of cave houses that have been built into the rock.