The beaches of Santorini are a blessing on this enchanted island. It managed to survive all kinds of calamities, and despite its appeal to millions of tourists from all over the world, it stays true to its beauty in the azure of the Aegean.
The Wine Tours of Santorini
Santorini is a living vineyard as you will soon discover when you visit our beautiful island. From the many pastimes enjoyed by tourists, wine tours count among the noblest and fascinating.
We have already introduced you to the best boutique wineries of Santorini and you can always ask your Guest Experience team at Santo Maris Oia Resort & Spa to arrange a wine tour of the island you will never forget. We also offer wine tastings at the resort if you don’t have enough time to explore our favorite vineyards during your stay.
When you stay in Oia, the closest boutique wineries to your locations are Domaine Sigalas – which is also one of the most famous Santorini winemakers, not only for their wines, but also for their beautiful setting, and fantastic sunset views – and Vassaltis Vineyards, a new winery, which opened in 2016. Most other wineries are clustered in the south of the island in Megalochori, Pyrgos, and Episkopi.
There are different types of tours available for travelers who appreciate wine, the world’s second most popular alcoholic beverage after beer.
The standard tours usually will take you to three family estates where you can appreciate a selection of artisanal wines paired with local cured meat and cheeses or other bites. A sommelier or the winemaker will explain the wine-making process and introduce you to the particularities of each wine you will consume during the tour.
Connoisseur tours are more in-depth and usually more expensive. They can be either designed to impress or customized to meet the demands of the oenophile who ordered the tour. These may not be limited to visits to local boutique wineries and may include tastings of other Greek and Cycladic wines.
Sunset wine tours are in high demand as they end it a winery with spellbinding views of the celebrated Santorini sunsets. They may include visits to up to three traditional wineries ending in a relaxed sun gazing evening with wine and local food.
Private tours are exclusive and can be customized to the needs of the guests. They can last as long as you want them and can take you up to five wineries. Private winery tours, with tastings, and snacks. A few stops at other attractions in the countryside may be included.
History wine tours are interesting because they combine a wine tour with a stop to a historic site – usually Akrotiri. Due to their complexity, they may last as long as half a day, so be prepared to spend time on the road and to enjoy a truly unique experience.
Wine and food tours are designed to satisfy both the oenophiles and the foodies.
Finally, for island lovers who just cannot find the time for a wine tour, or simply don’t enjoy organized tours so much but still want to learn about the winemaking traditions and winemaking history in Santorini, a visit to the Koutsoyannopoulos Wine Museum can be a rewarding experience. The museum tour ends with wine tasting.
If you visited Santorini and took a wine tour, we would love to hear from you. Use the comments form to send us your thoughts or join the conversation on Facebook where our guests share their most exciting Santorini moments, learn about our new offers, and all the fun you will have when you stay at Santo Maris Oia Resort & Spa.
Santorini: A Prehistoric Land
Seven thousand years ago the Santorini as travelers know it today was a vastly different human habitat. What must have begun as a collection of Stone Age fishing and farming villages, soon became a trading center between Minoan Crete and Cyprus sometime after 3000 BC.
Scholars think that ancient Santorini became significant because of its strategic location first, and later because of critical trading with goods like copper. For these and other reasons, Santorini and its most famous ancient settlement of Akrotiri must have been a shining example of culture and civilization. Today visitors can still see remnants of paved streets, a cutting edge (for the time) drainage system, multistoried buildings, and artifacts of indescribable beauty and innovation. As part of the Minoan Civilization, Akrotiri and ancient Santorini flourished for more than 500 years, until the catastrophic eruption of Thera sometime between 1642–1540 BC.
Archaeologists estimate the first settlements on the island date back to the Post Neolithic Period. Akrotiri today is a kind of time capsule, not so different from the Roman city of Pompei, where the volcanic matter that covered the city and the whole island ended up protecting and preserving the buildings. Some historians contend that Santorini was the inspiration for Plato’s story of Atlantis, as mentioned in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias.
When visiting the island, travelers should be aware there are actually two settlement sites from ancient antiquity. Akrotiri is the oldest known settlement, but Ancient Thera (Αρχαία Θήρα) on top of Messavouno dates to the time of the Spartan settlers who came to the island during the 8th century BC. It is from this high dwelling place that Santorini tourists will capture the most stunning views anywhere on the island.
We also recommend visiting Fira, where you will find several museums that are worth seeing. First, the Prehistoric Museum holds many exhibits from Akrotiri and other archaeological sites on Santorini. There’s also the Archaeological Museum, that presents findings and artifacts from Ancient Thera. Also, a must-see is the Gyzi Megaron and the Museum of Local History, situated in the Kontochori Quarter.
Finally, there is indeed something magical about Santorini, and something more than the visual of a vanishing sun in the West. Certainly, the dramatic landscape of jagged hills plunging into the blue Aegean is stunning, and the picturesque whitewashed houses with blue roofs create a living postcard for visitors. Great people and remarkable cuisine make the island special too. However, one cannot help but sense there is something more here. Something magnetic that compelled those adventurous settlers to make the journey into what would become the new world.
Maybe an ancient Greek myth serves to explain the island’s distinctive character. According to old Greek stories, Santorini was formed out of a miracle connected to the famous Argonaut expedition. According to the legend, Jason and his shipmates were on their way home, when they landed on Anaphe, a small island of the Aegean Sea.
It was here that Euphemus had a vision of making love to a nymph, a siren who was the daughter of the messenger of sea god Triton. After their union, the woman told him she had become pregnant with his child and chided him over how her father would be angered. She begged for a place to hide so that she might escape the wrath of the god, to which Euphemus responded by throwing a clod of dirt into the sea. This speck miraculously re-emerged from the vacant sea and turned into an island. Euphemus named it Calliste, which means the most beautiful, but the name “Thera” is from his son of the same name, who was born there. And so, it seems clear that Santorini has been beloved by the gods from the dawn of times.
The Little Boutique Wineries of Santorini
Santorini wines are famous all over the world, in fact, many connoisseurs suggest they might be the best in all Greece. This is good news for oenophiles visiting the island, and even if you are not that passionate about wines, you can still appreciate the quality of the libation brought to man by Dionysus, the Greek god of grape harvest, winemaking, and wine.
Unlikely Mediterranean Fantasy: Hiking Santorini
In Santorini, Five Castles Worth Traveling For
Santorini is famous for its iconic landscape that looks ethereal under the colorful tones of the sky at sunset. The island is on almost everyone’s “bucket list” of places to see. But glorious sunsets are just happy endings on days so full of potential. Among all the treasures of Santorini, five castles still stand to tell the tale of a glorious past of bravery and endurance.
8 Must-See Museums in Santorini (With Pictures)
Santorini is the iconic Greek destination with the most fascinating sunsets and postcard-pretty cliff houses carved on the slopes of the caldera, coated in sparkling white, which contrast with the light cobalt blue of the church domes and with the vivid magenta of the bougainvillea in bloom. It’s an island with a rich past, albeit checkered at times, a brilliant example of human endurance in challenging conditions. So, we’ve rounded up eight of the must-see museums in Santorini that show some of the historical trials that make the island great.
Celebrating Outstanding World Spa Awards Recognition for Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa
At the 3rd Annual Edition of the World Spa Awards™, which took place at JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay in Vietnam on Saturday, December 10, 2017, Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa received its trophy for the “Greece’s Best Resort Spa” 2017 award.
This accomplishment positions Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa among the truly outstanding achievers in the Global hospitality and spa tourism industry.
Voting for the 3rd edition of the World Spa Awards™ closed at the end of September, with a record number of ballots cast by leading spa and wellness professionals. These were tallied alongside the votes of hundreds of thousands of spa and wellness consumers from around the world.
World Spa Awards Managing Director, Rebecca Cohen, said: “The 2017 World Spa Awards has been our most successful to date, firmly cementing our position as the global benchmark for spa and wellness hospitality. It has been a pleasure to recognize so many industry leaders here this evening and I hope their recognition, both by their peers and members of the public, will inspire them to aim ever higher in the pursuit of excellence.”
The state-of-the-art Spa of Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa is a space of unique harmony, with interiors that combine traditional architectural elements, which make Santorini such a unique destination, and modern amenities that inspire the guests to linger. It’s a Spa that channels the spirit of the island, reflecting its culture and lifestyle. Designed with arches and natural stone accents on the walls in key areas, the Spa deserves the best accolades for décor, but the prize won at the World Spa Awards™ 2017 also celebrates the Spa’s exclusive location, facilities, and unique treatments that are inspired by Greece and its nature.
“This award belongs to the people in the front line of Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa, who provide our guests with memorable experiences, following our philosophy for offering personalized hospitality,” said Andreas Metaxas, CEO of Metaxas Group of Companies, which operates the resort.
The award also celebrates the guests who appreciated Spa’s serene and elegant atmosphere and who praised its services and it is dedicated to future spa-goers who will choose it for a vacation of pampered luxury on Santorini. The Spa at Santo Maris Luxury Suites provides a variety of custom spa packages like:
- “Cretan Experience” – body scrub with olive oil and salt followed by a Cretan therapeutic massage;
- Detox – Slimming – Anti cellulite package “Green Detox;”
- Wellbeing, rejuvenation package “Mediterranean Wellness;”
In addition, the spa offers exclusive cares such as anti-aging treatments, cryotherapy, and hot stone massages or relaxing massages with aromatherapy and natural oils. Special massages are available for honeymooners and couples too. Guests have to book private spa therapies in advance. The highly trained Spa personnel can also customize the experience according to your special needs.
The History of the Active Thera Volcano
Santorini (Thera) today is noted for its sunset panoramas and the unbelievable caldera formed by one of the world’s most devastating events. The magnificent tourist paradise dreamed of by travelers around the world is the end product of a Bronze Age disaster of unequaled scale.
Where to Find the Best Entertainment in Santorini
Santorini is not known for a choice of entertainment opportunities beyond its lively nightlife. But there are some excellent options for culture buffs who want to experience the island doing something else. The key to navigating the entertainment scene of Santorini is knowing a local, of course. You can ask your concierge at Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa for recommendations when you stay with us too. We’ll know the seasonal programme and we are happy to help. Besides, we have our own highly-acclaimed entertainment offer too, including saxophone, piano, or harp concerts under the skies, dance nights, thematic evenings, and more.
Villaggio 3D Cinema
Villaggio 3D Cinema at the Kamari Shopping Center is the right address for action-packed international blockbusters, but also for Greek movies. Offseason they screen in Greek, but during the summer they also showcase movies in English. Their stage hosts occasional concerts, theater, and other events too. Their current programme is available on their website.
Santorini Arts Factory (SAF)
The Santorini Arts Factory is another destination for entertainment on the island. The have a rich plan of activities, with various workshops for children and adults alike, exhibitions, concerts, sewing workshops, fairytale readings, and much more. This is alsoo the site of the Tomato Industrial Museum, one of Santorini’s must-see attractions.
Live music under the full moon every summer
Most of the live events on Santorini are advertised with posters on trees, walls, and light poles. Check them out to find out where the next event takes place. Nevertheless, as a rule of thumb, every full moon in the summer is celebrated with a live concert, and no words can quite capture the atmosphere. The breathtaking views of the caldera under the moonlight are the perfect accompaniment to the music. International and Greek artists perform, although, more often, the singers will be Greek.
White Door Theatro Firá
This is one of the most acclaimed entertainment venues of Santorini, famous for its Greek Wedding Show. This is not just a show to watch, but an interactive performance with actors, dancers, singers, musicians, and you. Children are welcome.
Atlantis Books in Oia
Atlantis Books is one of the worlds’ most beautiful bookstores, yes, but it is also an entertainment venue. Their summer readings on the balcony are famous among culture buffs, but they also host fancy events, like an annual International Tzatziki Festival, an Arts & Literature Caldera Festival, and even live music (in October, The Steams performed live at the bookstore).
As you see, although there are not many entertainment opportunities outside of bars, restaurants, and clubs, Santorini still has plenty to offer. Plus, the occasional street performers under the colorful sunsets of Oia will enrich your experience too.