Come with me to Greece for my 30th birthday! A dream of mine has been to go to Santorini with my best friends, listen to ABBA, go to a winery tour, and end the trip with a sunset boat cruise, all of which I was able to accomplish in May! I feel incredibly blessed that I was able to celebrate this milestone birthday with my friends in a beautiful place. There was a lot of planning and coordination for 15 people, but I found the BEST Airbnb because our hostess regularly hosts large groups and was able to plan most of the big events for me. I could not recommend Hara’s Houses enough – the Airbnb was 5 separate studio apartments all interconnected via the outdoor pathways, including a pool and a hot tub. The Airbnb was in Imerovigli, which is about a 20 minute walk from Thira and you can also catch a bus/walk to Oia, as Imerovigli is situated in between both major cities. She planned our wine tour, boat cruise, and gave me lots of recommendations for restaurants and bars.
friday
We arrived for check in and had shuttle service from the Airbnb provided, which was fantastic because they also carried our bags to the rooms and if you have ever been to Santorini, you know how key that is! There were SO many stairs as the Airbnb was on the cliff, with unobstructed views of the Caldera, so we were a bit far down. After settling in and reconnecting with friends (four of my friends from the US came over, which was so kind of them), we went for dinner at Aegean Restaurant. I love Greek food and this was just the beginning of a long weekend full of great food. After dinner, we went back to the Airbnb for an ABBA themed party night! We dressed up in disco clothes and listened to ABBA through the night!
saturday
On Saturday, the weather wasn’t the nicest, so we had a late start & walked down to Thira for lunch and some shopping. We took a van down to Perissa Beach, which is a black sand beach and got drinks at Visanto. It wasn’t warm or sunny, but we got to enjoy each other’s company and take in the views from the beach! We went back to the Airbnb to hang out and get ready for a night on the town. We stopped at Jimmy’s Souvlaki for gyros, which were fantastic, and walked back to Thira. We went to Murphy’s Bar (of course we find the Irish pub in Santorini…) and then Tropical Bar. Tropical Bar had the BEST music and we were dancing all night. The bartenders were friendly, the vibes were a 10/10, and my friends surprised me with shots at midnight when it became my birthday. It was hands down one of the best nights of my life.
sunday
The weather cleared up and I went out to breakfast with George for my birthday. We went to Pink Sophia Maria for some delicious fresh food to recover from the night before. After breakfast, we got ready to spend Sunday on a wine tour of the island with the group! Before the wine tour kicked off, we had lunch at Fish Taverna Perivolos on Perissa Beach and then we started the tour. We went to three different wineries, which were selected by the wine tour company. The wineries had their own unique aspects, one was a wine museum, another was an art gallery, and the last was more modern / industrial. All of the wine was delicious and it was interesting to learn how the grapes are grown since Santorini is very dry and exposed to the elements. After the wine tour, we grabbed more gyros and drinks at Akàstus Cafe & Cocktail Bar, this bar had beautiful views of the caldera and was right above our Airbnb. We went back to the Airbnb and had a nice evening by the pool – we were all a bit wiped out from the last night & lots of wine! It was the best birthday day I could have asked for!
monday
Most of the crew had been going to this brunch place called Confetti every day for breakfast, so George and I finally went and WOW lived up to the hype! The food was amazing, beautifully presented, and delicious! We spent the rest of the morning by the pool, enjoying the sunshine, before getting ready for our sunset boat cruise. We had a private catamaran tour of the caldera through Santorini Sailing Center and I cannot recommend this company enough. They were extremely attentive, the captain was very safe and our steward & stewardess were incredible. The day was absolutely perfect and our crew cooked us a delicious Greek dinner. We had swim stops (though the water was FREEZING), unlimited wine / beer, and gorgeous views. The sunset was breathtaking and it was the perfect final night in Santorini. Upon returning to our town, we also had some cocktails at Bar To Navagio and enjoyed our last few hours together.
tuesday
The hangover I had on Tuesday was one of the worst in my life and I had a rude welcome to 30, because I had to get on a plane to Athens! George, myself, and three of my friends from the US decided to extend our Greece trip to see Athens for a day and a half, before heading back to London. We stayed in a cheap hotel with a view of the Acropolis and went on a free walking tour of Athens. It was a great way to see the city for a low cost (we tipped our tour guide – he was the kindest old Greek man!). After the walking tour, we bopped around Plaka, a historical neighborhood that is so adorable, we had food at a restaurant that I can’t recall the name of (plus my friend’s chicken was not properly cooked, so I wouldn’t recommend anyway…) and we went to a cocktail bar that George had been wanting to try called The Clumsies. We ended the night at a rooftop bar called Olympias with gorgeous views of the Acropolis. We were all desperate for a good night’s sleep, so we called it a night early to be up for our tour in the morning!
wednesday
We booked an early morning walking tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon through Get Your Guide because we wanted to beat the crowds and the midday heat. We were able to skip the lines with our tour and I felt like it was worth it – overall it was a bit long, but our tour guide was friendly and the sights of the ancient temples were very cool to see. We went back to Plaka for lunch and enjoyed our final rounds of Greek salad and yummy Greek food! We walked to the Olympic stadium, which was very neat, and then walked back to do some shopping. At this point, I had felt pretty sick & nearly lost my voice! My friends flew back to London earlier and George and I were stuck on a 10 pm flight. We bopped around a few different cafes to kill time & found a pharmacy to get some medicine. The weather was gorgeous, so we soaked it in before returning to rainy London!
Overall, this was a trip of a lifetime and I couldn’t be more grateful to have shared my thirtieth birthday with my friends in such a beautiful country!
aventuras de alyssa 