Santorini has a chokehold on a lot of travellers. The magical sunsets, the royal blue coloured domed, white washed buildings and the promise of an unforgettable trip that will leave you with memories of a lifetime. All of these perceptions of this small island are all in fact true, as I recently discovered as I embarked on my first trip to Greece and to the sought after island. It’s a trip I’ll be reminiscing about for months and years to come for many reasons, but one particular standout is the boat trip around the Santorini caldera, the experience was unforgettable.
We were fortunate enough to be hosted by my wonderful friends at Original Travel on this occasion, who kindly set us up with an experience with Captain Ted’s Santorini Sailing. They have two times they embark on these trips, one is around 10am and the other is at 3pm, we opted for the latter as we wanted to experience Santorini’s remarkable sunsets by boat (spoiler: it was so worth it!)
The catamaran set sail from Vlychada Marina in Thera, which happened to be a 5 minute drive from our hotel, Sea Breeze Santorini Beach Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, which made the whole experience that little bit more convenient.
The experience itself is very intimate, as it only allows a maximum of 12 people at a time, which is great if you’re a group of friends or coming on as a duo but not wanting to on the same experience as the masses – especially as there are many areas to sit and bask in the sun on the boat, so you don’t find yourself near others often making it a more luxurious experience overall.
The whole boat trip lasts for around 5 hours, of which you get to stop at various points to swim in the turquoise waters, ogle at the views of the
Caldera and even swim into the natural hot springs nestled away between the rocks – a unique experience in itself.
Once we set off out into the open waters and the sails went up, we took a perch up with Captain Ted himself, who was the honorary captain for our voyage, as he often has other captains taking the boats out for him. It was so interesting to see his team at work when the winds changed direction and how agile they had to be in switching the direction of the sails – it truly takes a village. Ted shared so many stories about the past 20 years he’s spent in Santorini and how he was the first to bring these catamaran tours to the island, he even has the only sushi restaurant on the island called Ginger Lounge. A true entrepreneur!
As a part of the experience, drinks are served throughout the trip with a choice of wine, beers, soft drinks and water, the team looked after us the whole time. Not to mention, they know how to put a spread for lunch too.
Fresh meat was cooked on the grill, with greek salads, prawns, mussels in a white wine sauce, pasta, ratatouille and so much more. Everyone gathered around the on-deck dining table and it was such a wholesome experience sharing stories from various parts of the world.
After we concluded our late-lunch, it was time to turn around and head back to the Marina allowing us to catch the sunset on the route home, and let’s just say it didn’t disappoint.
Overall, the catamaran trip around the caldera was a huge hit in our eyes and highly recommend booking an experience with Santorini Sailing on your visit – you won’t regret it! The caldera experience can be one of the fantastic luxury tailor-made trips developed by Original Travel, here is an example of an itinerary.
