My Greek Vacation (Santorini - Dreams Luxury Suites Hotel and Fira)

When you wake up to a scenery that overlooks the caldera, with breakfast ready for you at your balcony at 930AM, and a warm jacuzzi bath fizzling at your back, you know you've had a taste of heaven on earth.

The Dreams Luxury Suites at Imerovigli, Santorini was home for 6 days.

When we make choices for our stays in various places, we usually look at recommendations on the internet. TripAdvsior is the most frequently googled source. I use tablethotels.com, which has only the best boutique and luxury hotels in the planet. When you combine resources, you've always got to make sure that you read the reviews well and NOT just look at the pictures on the website. Pictures, after all can be deceiving and while something may crop up as picture perfect, you may end up in some place that would be a nightmare for the next few days!

To describe my stay in a few paragraphs would not do justice to how beautiful and breathtaking the place is. From the managers Artemis and Fatima, to the butler George and the chambermaid Maria - these were the people who made this a truly memorable vacation.

Free from the spoils of civilization, and the hubris of the hectic urban life, Dreams Luxury Suites was absolutely divinely spoiling.

www.dreams-luxury-suites.com

The second to the last night was dinner at Assyrtico Wine Restaurant on Fira (the capital of Santorini). It's located right beside Koukoumavlos Restaurant. While Koukoumavlos may have more class in terms of ambience, Assyrtico wins hands down with the taste in all the dishes - from the Calamari appetizer with caviar to the main course of seafood taggliatelle and the final touch of panacotta with tomato cherry.

While I'm blogging this final entry on my Greek vacation, I'm looking out the patio of my room - watching the ships dock to port, the volcano right beneath my suite - I am spending Sunday trying to embrace the luxury of Santorini.

Someday, I will be back to luxuriate in this opulence and enjoy a slice of heaven on earth, even temporarily.

Tomorrow, I leave for my next adventure - Milan, Italy.

My Greek Vacation (Santorini - Perivolos and Oia)

What is there to do in an island surrounded by the sea? Go to the beach of course!

Amazing water, cosmopolitan shops, the "elite" people of the island. Black sand and crystal clear waters. Perivolos was the pitstop for the day in Santorini. It was a short 20 mins drive along winding roads from Imverovigli to Perivolos.

Anemos bar (situated in a yard of an old tomato factor) was where we stayed for the afternoon. Drinks were brought into the cabana as well as lunch was served in a beach basket.

Of course, the huts were not free as you needed to pay 9euros on top of the meals and drinks. But there was a service button right on the hut which had the waiters literally at your beck and call.

Unlike the powdery white sands of Boracay, the pebbled black sand at the beach in Perivolos was unimpressive. I mean, sure I am after all in Santorini. But the Philippines can compete with any of the best beaches in the world that I've been too and if we were to scale it from 0-10, with 10 as the best beaches, I probably would give Boracay an 8 and Perivolos a 5.

With that said, it was time to get back to the hotel and take a quick dip in jacuzzi, finish my book and well laze again in the sundeck with a glass of champagne.

After the laze at the jacuzzi, it was off to dinner in Oia. Oia is one of the more picturesque villages build on the rim of the cliff side which takes you all the way to a village of 79 churches. Directly below Oia is Ammoudi, the quaint fishing village I had lunch at the yesterday.

Oia is considered the cultural heart of the island as it plays host to a cultural center and art galleries as well as the most beautiful resorts in the island right at the caldera. Oia is practically the highest peak at the north of the island and thus has the best sunset view in all of Santorini. Many of the walk ways are not made of pebble stones but of marble!

Food tripping, I needed to have dinner at 1800 Restaurant situated at the heart of Oia. Distinctly reviewed and highly recommended by the New York Times, you can see for yourself why gourmet dining at 1800 was worth the 100euros just for one!

From aperitif to dessert, Greek dining was at its best and what better place than in Santorini, watching the sunset and enjoying the meal, to cap the day.

(Too bad I couldn't drink because I was driving. This would have been perfect with a glass of red wine.)

My Greek Vacation (Santorini - Ammoudi)

Santorini is a small island with many interesting villages.

How to go around in Santorini which is 35 kilometers from the north tip Oia to the south tip Akrotiri can be achieved either by bus, taxi or rent a car. With 10euros worth of gas, the rented Nissan Micra should be able to make going around the island far easier and relaxing. And while the locals complain and warn against foreigners who drink and drive and prefer to be adventurous driving motorcycles or mopeds, I told the car rental that I am Filipino. If you can drive in Manila, you can drive anywhere in the world!

On the farthest end to the north side is Ammoudi, a fishing village at the bottom of Oia.

Lunch was at Katina. The New York Time highly recommends the place and nothing gets more authentic than having the most freshly caught seafood served on your platter. With Greek Salad, Visanto wines, and 1 Kg of fresh Lobster, who could go wrong with this place?

On the way back from Ammoudi, we made a short stop in Imerovigli to get some dessert.

Who cares about the poundage I will gain in the next few days? If you're in heaven in a wonderful island like Santorini, you've got to make the most of it.

My Greek Vacation (Santorini-Imerovigli)

At the break of dawn, I was headed off to the port of Piraeus in Athens where I needed to board the Superfast ship on my way to Santorini.

There were 2 options on going to the island - take the plane or take the boat. The plane was a 50 minute ride, but you still had to be at the airport 2 hrs before the flight. The one way flight was considerably also more expensive (about 150 euros). The fast ferry took about 4 1/2 hrs (with one stop at Ios Island). Aside from the longer travel time, the pros on taking the ferry was to appreciate the islands on your way to Santorini. It was also much cheaper at 58 euros on economy class, one way.

The ferry made a brief stop at Ios, which looked like a sleepy fishing island.

Final destination was Santorini Island.

Santorini is divided into various cities within the city. The major areas are Fira-Firostefina-Imerovigli-Oia. Fira, is the capital of Santorini. It is also where the major nightlife, night spots, and anything that requires a life form to be present. It's a very touristy and noisy area - somewhat similar to the marketplace around Boracay.

The driver had dropped us off at Dreams Luxury Suites, where it will be home to me for the next 6 days. Dreams Luxury Suites has won hands down several of the awards of the most luxury hotel on the planet (for a reason I am about to find out). The Nefeli Suite has its own kitchenette, jacuzzi, champagne breakfast, a dedicated laptop, wireless internet, separate sala from the bedroom, butler service, TV, DVD, iPod dock, champagne and fresh fruits on arrival, Korres Bath essentials and vanity kit, espresso coffee maker and it's own sun deck. There are only 4 suites at this hotel, with the Nefeli Suite being the least pricey.

Overlooking each of the suites, is the caldera.

According to our hostess, the island of Santorini was born out of lava during the eruption in 1660 BC. The middle part of the volcano sank into the sea, leading to what is now known as Santorini. The massive rock formation surrounding the caldera was actually from the lava over the past several centuries.

So after getting here from Athens, this island will be a respite for the next few days and hopefully a restful one. Tonight I rest! Tomorrow, I conquer Santorini!