Santorini Day 3: Perivolos and the Deep not so warm Sea

Everyone, including our blogging hero Santorini Dave who gave me many ideas, recommends sailing while on Santorini. I totally agree with this, and if we had been there just a bit longer, I would have opted for sailing as well. However, I am a rapid type traveler...I could literally plan into oblivion...whereas my travel buddy really despises a busy itinerary. Alas, I must behave.

When faced with sailing vs. more adventurous water sports, we chose Jetski to the middle of the caldera and hot springs with a chilly swim spot near the yachts as well. Our Jetski tour started late morning which allowed a little rest time before arranging a taxi.

Note, the adventurous watersports are on the non-caldera side of the island, in Perivolos, and a taxi is about 25-30Euro. In retrospect, given our hotel location, we may have wanted to rent a smart car or similar for Santorini. Some ATV outfitters are also on the island, but after discussing with Nikos, we decided that most natives of the island find the tourists on ATVs to be obnoxious in the towns and decided to just get taxis.

Manawa watersports

A smaller outfitter on the beach in a beachy-like shack, Extreme Watersports offers a pretty extensive variety of adventures. The 2 hour jet ski tour was our choice and can be paired with a volcano hike as well, but there were tube rides, those weird flyboard things, parasailing, and more.

I attest that the jetski adventure was money very well spent. It was a beautiful 75 degree day with no wind and calm seas and a group of 3 couples including us were there for the ride. A lead boat took us out and around the peninsula, switching our orders in line so one guy could take our sexy Baywatch photos in action. I joke about the pictures, but they were quite good and are included with the package, so there's no uncomfortable thumb twiddling after the tour as to whether you buy them.

We went around the southern tip of the island, past the lighthouse, red and white beaches, to the hot spring in the middle of the caldera. There is an option to swim, but be aware that the sulfur content can discolor swimwear and make you the least fresh smelling person at the bar later on.

We did stop at a nice clear swimming hole near the yachts serving lunch. The guide had snorkel masks for use if you wanted to check out the ocean floor as well, which again, is a nice touch. Following this, we headed back to the beach shack and while waiting for our pictures, got a complementary beer or wine at the beach bar.

Really nice, easy, and classy operation and highly recommend.

Since we were already on the east side of the island, we decided to roam and lunch there as well. Perivolos and Perissa encompass a very long, beautiful black sand beach dotted with beach clubs and umbrellas for rent as well as beach bars and tavernas that range from 'unless you were a model you cannot venture in this place' to local mom and pop making amazing saganaki dishes (fried cheese with tomatoes and peppers). We chose the latter, although it would have been an interesting site to see us amongst all the chiseled folks that may have visited a few surgeons.

Filippos Taverna non-pretentious and quaint, Filippos sits amongst a sea of beach clubs. It's menu features a lot of grilled seafood and traditional Greek fare, so we decided to do both. Pictured above is mussels saganaki and keftedes (greek meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce) to share. It is a bummer that Tim and I are not huge eaters, but luckily we agree on most options so we can share and try a few things at a time!

After the beach, we chilled. For a good few hours, actually. Napped by the pool, watched sunset from our terrace, read books/news, before venturing out to dinner.

Argo I was really bummed when I tried to make a reservation for this place before the trip based on reviews, only to be told that reservations were full most of October. Well, it turns out if you are just walking aimlessly around Fira, shopping etc, you can still get one on the upper balcony with a view of the caldera. We ordered escargot in pesto and garlic sauce, seafood medley appetizer in a spicy feta and tomato cream sauce, and truffle risotto. It was way too much for us, but we did a fair job on it. Excellent food, wine pairing was also perfect, and a little complimentary mastikah at the end.