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Santorini Travel Diary

Sweeping dramatic ocean views, culturally charming architecture and pristine beaches…….all just a three and a half hour flight away from London.`

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‘Located in the cyclades group of the Greek islands, Santorini has luxury pasted across it’s curve with all the warm touches of traditional Greek hospitality. It’s an ascetic hotspot and it’s easy to see why!’

Santorini has been on my bucket list now for a number of years, one of my close friends travelled there for her honeymoon in 2013 and it has been on my lust radar ever since. I have travelled to a number of fab places in Greece; Mykonos, Costa Navarino, Tinos, Crete, Zante, Athens and I have always been a big fan of the food, culture and scenery. The greek islands are especially beautiful.

Santorini is that picture perfect location, in fact it’s quite possibly one of the most instagrammed locations in Europe! For me, it’s right up there with the unique beauty of Positano. Those stunning white cliff sides, the beautiful caldera views and the perfect size to be able to explore the entire island in a day.

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We stayed at the stunning Aqua Luxury Suites, which to this day will be right up there with one of my favourite hotels in Europe.  It’s situated in the middle of the island in Imerovigli, the perfect location for the ultimate caldera view in my opinion. We were lucky enough to book an executive suite with private pool/hot tub with a balcony overlooking the caldera.

The outside space was absolutely breathtaking, the rooms themselves are spacious and cool and the service was incredible. We had breakfast outside on the terrace at our request every morning and the team were always on hand to help us with our day to day exploring 😉

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The views from your hotel room are of course, as with all travel, based on your budget. The pricer the pad, the bigger the outside space and the prettier the view in most cases, however this does not stop you exploring the small towns to find that perfect peekaboo spot 😉

There is so much to see and do in Santorini, as lush as it was to enjoy our days at this stunning suite, if your budget doesn’t stretch to a caldera view or cliffside hotel don’t let that put you off. If you stay somewhere more affordable you can always enjoy the other sights and activities this amazing island has to offer.

The best thing to do is hire a quad bike, they are super inexpensive to hire and really safe to drive around the island day or night. The island is so stunning I would suggest exploring the majority of it without the restrictions of a car roof, also, taxis are really expensive in this area.

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If you are looking for a a great beach day or swim in the sea I would highly recommend Ammoudi Bay , although there is no beach as such it’s a great place for a dip in the sea and there’s everything you need for a great day out. This great little cliff diving area is at the lower end of the island, geographically it sits just below Santorini’s main town, Oia.

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This was one of my favourite locations in Santorini, you can head down by car or quad and simply walk your way round the coastal rocks to get to nature’s biggest swimming pools 😉 As there is no beach you simly lay your towel where you please and jump on in! We left our bags on the side and felt totally comfortable in jumping into the sea regardless of our valuables essentially being on display, there’s something about nature that brings out my trust in humanity 😉 There’s a sense of community at this bay and it does get very busy so I would recommend exploring a little to find your own scattered rock spot. We had no issues finding ours and the sea, was simply perfect!

On the way back from our swim we stopped for a spot of lunch in the bay, it’s a great place to watch the sun go down with salty skin and sunnies 😉 The restaurants here are all a similar style, fresh fish, greek mezes and that gorgeous sea view.

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To travel further into the nooks of the island, you can take one of the daily catamaran trips. We jumped on one of the sunset sails and travelled to the famous red beach and the mud baths. It was such a beautiful way to enjoy  the evening on the water. The boats leave from Ammoudi Bay, we booked via our hotel and had dinner and drinks on board, it was perfect.

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If you do want to head to an actual beach there is an area on the other side of the island called Perissa. They have a number of plush beach clubs, the vibe is  super cool and they have sun chairs and day beds etc. We spent a few hours at JoJo’s under the tahitian style umbrellas. I’m not the biggest fan of shingle beaches but it was nice to be so close to the water for a change.

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Another thing I loved about Santorini was the constant panoramic views, just a few steps away from our hotel room there was a famous trek, you can walk all the way from Imevrovigli to Oia and it was one of my favourite hikes of all time. Make sure you walk it early in the morning or late in the afternoon as it’s sweaty work! So worth the views though. As I did a little workout on the way I didn’t take my camera unfortunately, just my iPhone, so those of you that watched my snapchat story can share my secret on this one, otherwise you’ll have to trust me and go see for yourself 😉

It was on this particular walk that we stumbled accross the stunning luxury hotel West East Suites, another fab find! This place is such an opulent escape with stunning views and an amazing infinity pool looking out onto the Caldera.

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The vibe here is very cool, calm and collected. The cocktail menu is extensive and the food is soooooo yummy!! You don’t have to be staying at the hotel to be able to enjoy the pool and grab a spot of lunch which was great and would be perfect if you were staying in a less expensive hotel but want to enjoy a swim with a view for the day.

The staff here were great and I hear the sunsets here are absolutely spectacular, if I return I’ll be doing so later on in the day to see for myself 🙂

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We stayed in Santorini for 4 nights and it was everything I had dreamed and hoped it would be!

You can spend your days wandering and your evenings in one of the many traditional restaurants enjoying some delicious Greek Cuisine. The scenery is breathtaking and if we had of stayed in a shack I think we would have still loved it! That being said, I am so please I was able to enjoy some of the luxuries this island has to offer and I can promise you now, I’ll be back to explore some more very, very soon!!

Santorini Travel Blog - Sabrina Chakici - Clutch and carry on - uk travel blogger 1

Thank-you to my amazing hubby @memzychak for such a lovely get-a-way and for being such a fab photographer for you guys!!

See you next Sunday for our next escape 😀

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I am pleased to be able to offer a 15% discount for anyone booking Aqua Luxury Suites – Simply quote CHAKICI at your booking stage for the discount.

*I paid in full for this hotel, it was not a collaboration but during my stay the hotel learned of my vocation and wanted to extend this kind offer to all my followers.

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6 Comments

  1. Twocogsinawheel
    August 14, 2016 / 1:14 pm

    Totally loved Santorini too – you’re right about the better the view the higher the price, but so so worth it !

    From Melbourne, Aus it was a 30 hour flight to Santorini so we are very jealous that it is so close to you in London!
    From
    Eliza,
    @twocogsinawheel

  2. Becki
    August 15, 2016 / 11:19 am

    Your photos are stunning! Santorini has shot right up to the top of my bucket list!

    http://Www.goaskbecki.com

  3. Melodie
    August 28, 2016 / 8:21 pm

    Sabrina your pictures are incredible! If I ever get the chance to go I am definitely going to stay at the Aqua suites that private pool is TDF! Take me with you next time? X

  4. Gabby
    September 1, 2016 / 1:04 pm

    One of my all time fave posts! These pictures are breathtaking – well done hubby! x

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