When some visitors, after sailing through the Aegean Sea, arrive at the port of the island of Santorini and climb the slope of a winding narrow road that takes them to the top of the island, they may not be aware that the 300-meter high cliff unevenness they are climbing is the caldera wall of a volcano. A volcano of which last known activity was in 1950.
The island and the three volcanic islets that surround it, Nea (“New”) Kameni, Palea (“Old”) Kameni and Thirasia, were part of the submerged cone of a volcano that erupted in the 17th century BC. That eruption caused an ecological, climatic and cultural catastrophe in the eastern Mediterranean. Volcanologists estimate that it reached an eruption rate of 7 (in the VEI scale), the highest ever recorded in history. The eruption caused a large tsunami with waves that exceeded 100 meters in height that devastated the north coast of the island of Crete located 200 kilometres south of Santorini.
Such was the energy that spit out the bottom of the earth that some archaeological, seismological and volcanological theories maintain that the mythical island of Atlantis was Santorini before the volcano destroyed it, as described in the Timaeus and Critias dialogues, by the Greek philosopher Plato.
Santorini from a bird’s-eye view has a certain resemblance to a large asymmetric croissant with an area of 75 square kilometres. That is what was left from a huge volcano that was transformed into a haven of luxury and relaxation and has become one of the most wonderful holiday destinations in Greece and in the whole Europe.
Santorini is located at the southern end of the Cyclades islands, which make up about 220 islands. To get a better sense of this archipelago it is worth to make a journey through these wonderful islands: starting with Mykonos, the most well-known, and then visiting Anafi, Ios, Amorgos, Naxos, Delos or any other. You will be delighted!
The island, originally Théra, was baptized as Santorini by medieval Venetian merchants who named it Santa Irene, to honour the patron saint of the island, Saint Irene of Thessaloniki. Although its official name, Théra, was restored again after the unification of the islands to Greece in 1840.
Santorini, or Théra, has the extraordinary beauty of those little white-walled villages that spread out on the slopes of the mountain and reflect the sun’s rays in contrast to the intense blue of the sea water. Here, the life has its own pace. What a better way to enjoy it than to stay in a hotel with views to the caldera? Picture yourself in the Suites of the Gods Resort, taking a bath in your private plunge pool while observing the scenery where almost 4,000 years ago a cloud of smoke rose, that could be seen even from China. What a pleasure to contemplate it now so calm!
Not enough excitement? For those who enjoy sailing, we suggest a discreet cruise through the Santorini caldera visiting the two Kameni islands. Their seabed can be seen wearing simple diving goggles and fins. One of the best companies to hire is Caldera Yachting.
The God’s mouthful on the plate is in the north of the island, Oia, the most charming village among all charming villages in the world! And the icing on the cake is the Canaves Oia Resort. The origin of this hotel dates back to the 17th century, when the people of Santorini dug caves in the rocks to store and protect their wine. It was in 1985 when the Chaidemenos family introduced tourism to the fishing village of Oia and transformed the caves into suites, each one with breath-taking sea views. Yiannis and Anna Chaidemenos turned a wine cellar into a refined and comfortable hotel built into the cliff face. They have succeeded in combining traditional qualities with the highest-level modern comfort.
Volcanic memories are trapped in black sand Santorini beaches. One of the most interesting places to enjoy the beach and the sea is the Yalos Beach Club. You can enjoy a gorgeous lunch or a dinner just in front of the sea, savouring a tasty fresh fish of the day and products grown in the island’s orchards. We suggest you to choose your favourite signature cocktail prepared by the expert bartenders at Yalos to enjoy it with fresh local seafood. And if you plan to celebrate your wedding and you are still looking for the most original place, look no further, you have already found it!
Santorini has many more surprises like this. Another recommended black sand beach is Perissa, where you find a beach club called Demilmar. It offers a Mediterranean cuisine combining fish, Italian pasta and Greek dishes, tasty and with excellent quality ingredients. They also have a great choice of hookahs.
The best online service to manage your activities on the island is the Diamond Club Union. Through their website and application you can quickly and efficiently manage the rental of helicopters, yachts etc. with all kind of discounts and special services in restaurants, hotels, or beauty salons. You will feel as if you had hired an excellent butler on the island, since their service free up your management time so that you can enjoy it 100 percent. After all, you are on vacation and there is not a minute to waste!
Santorini is an ideal place to celebrate a wedding, but also to propose to your loved one during the most breath-taking sunset of your lifetime! To picture that we recommend the best photographer on the island SantoMuse, she does a one of a kind portrait and art shoots. You can be sure that your masterpiece wedding portraits will be passed down from generation to generation as a relic. She’s also really good in art and fashion shoots.
To shine bright like a true diamond on your very special wedding day or any important occasion will help you the best Santorini stylist JuliArta. She is one of the top professional wedding stylists & bridal experts of Europe, well known fashion makeup artist & hairstylist with more than 10 years of experience. She has a great portfolio of weddings, fashion shows, magazines, music and video productions living and working in Santorini and all around Europe, Asia and Central America for 7 years now. Her philosophy is to show the uniqueness of every woman, and she keeps her promise with more than 900 happy brides all over the world, and counting!
Make up & Hair by JuliArta, Photo by SantoMuse.
For the best wedding and Santorini lifestyle video memories we recommend Showtime Films. This videographer really knows how to turn any video shooting to an epic movie with amazing angles and stylish arrangement. You’ll be really surprised what this extremely talented camera man can do with your event or any occasion you want to stay with you forever. After all, the spectacular Santorini really worth it!
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