Hi Everyone!
I have been religiously reading all the messages about Oia and Santorini these last few weeks in preparation of my 1 week visit in August. I am planning a trip for our 8 adult family members. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you brotherleelove2004 and beanweb24 for all your insight! We have decided to stay at Esperas. Yvonne has been very prompt in responding to my e-mails and great to work with thus far. Based on everyone's recommondation, I also booked flights on Aegean Air to and from Santorini. I hope that we are not going to miss the experience of taking a ferry. (FYI- I got tickets for 68E one way-- not as cheap as I had hoped, but still cheaper that the quoted 120E).

My question is...
what are some of the best things to do while on the island?
Is there hiking on the volcano? Anyone know of good hikes? How about wine tours? Anyone know of good snorkling? Any recommondation on a village that has a more local flair to visit? Would you recommend any day trips to other islands nearby? We've got one weeks and although we will hit the beaching and the ancient ruins, we would like to do some other out-of-the-ordinary things.

Thanks!
Beth

Santorini is a small island. Activities are mostly limited to water sports, a few small museums, two archaeological sites, and a couple of hiking trails. One is from Fira to Oia along the cliff for part of the way. The other is from Perissa to Kamari by way of Ancient Thera. If you take the boat excursion out to the volcano you will have some time to walk on it, but it's an organized tour with time limits. Snorkelling isn't very good on Santorini. It's not a tropical island with undersea coral. Because it's a volcanic island most of what you'll see is rocks covered with algae, and very few fish. Oia is the best village to visit. Day trips to nearby islands will be limited time-wise because of ferry schedules. Ios is closest, then Naxos and Paros. Expect to have only about 4-5 hours maximum, enough time for lunch and a quick look around the port area.

If you are looking for an island with many activities and sights to occupy your time, perhaps Santorini is the wrong choice. Santorini is a good island for relaxing and enjoying the views to the sea. Naxos and Paros have more to offer as well as better beaches. Crete is much larger and hiking the Samarian Gorge is always available, along with visiting the Palace of Knossos and the Archaeological Museum in Heraklion.

Wherever you do go, August will be extremely crowded and busy. Santorini will be one of the busiest. Be prepared for it.

Thanks for the input. R&R are definately a high priority on our "things to do" list . I was just wondering what other people enjoyed doing in the greek islands, specifically Santorini. I am very excited to stay in Oia.

You will love Oia and your stay at Esperas.

Our one week visit in Oia was by far the most relaxing trip we've ever had...we did not "do" much of anything except for enjoy our surroundings. Relaxing, I think, is the best thing to do in Santorini.

Yvonne will be very helpful in giving you recommendations of places to see (or to avoid). She helped us rent a car one day (delivered to the hotel) and we loved driving around Santorini.

You might want to check out Pyrgos as another "traditional" village to explore. We enjoyed our brief visit there and I felt like the only tourist.

There are some day "cruises" around Santorini that include a swim, but we did not do them.

We did stop at Boutari for our own wine tasting, and they do offer tours:

www.boutari.gr

There are a few other wineries on Santorini, but we only stopped at Boutari.

Have a great trip!

Our family hiked from Oia to Fira. The trail is along the edge of the caldera, and was one of the most beautiful hikes we have ever done. The trailhead is a little outside of Oia. Your hotel can tell you how to get there. We left in the morning for the hike, had lunch in Fira, and then returned to Oia by bus. A wonderful day!

We are going to Santorini in June and were wondering if we should rent a car or not. We are staying at Katikies Hotel. I admit that I haven't done much research yet on what we plan to do while on the island - so any advice would be appreciated.

Depends on what you think you want the car for... I wouldn't rent one specifically for the purpose of having it at your disposal during your stay. You'll find that public transport, buses, and your feet will get you to almost anywhere you'd like.

We were there for a week and only rented a car for one day. We probably could have used it for 2 days for further exploration, but didn't find it necessary.

Thanks. We are used to public transportation (are from NYC). We will decide when we get there - it sounds like it is easy enough to rent a car for a day if you want to.