Santorini Recommendations for restaurants and tours

Any of the fish tavernas below Oia in Amoudi Bay are worth a try. My long-time favorite there is Katina's. Metaxi Mas in Exo Gonia for a moonrise while seated at an outdoor table. The food is excellent. In Pyrgos Village for lunch: Taverna Kallisti. In Oia for sunset: Pelekanos Cafe, Kastro Restaurant, Ochre Wine Bistro, Katharos Lounge.

Take a winery tour. Go to Akrotiri to the archaeological site and hire one of the excellent guides there.

we just spent some wonderful days in firostefani, and found a restaurant ( suggested by our host) that was away from the awesome view of the caldera was much better than the food in the restaurants that had the incredible view.
also while at a restaurant in oia (with a spectacular view) we got a 'not so great' comment from the waiter when we paid the bill and didn't leave a large tip. or maybe it was because we were Australian or maybe it because we didn't buy wine and spend up big?? either way, when the cruise ships were in port parts of the island were 'overrun' by tourist.

if you are in fira, checkout 'pelican kipos' ( a nice garden cafe) and opposite the post office is a restaurant ( we did not get to try) but was suggested as the 'locals' restaurant, called theonis kitchen
hope this helps.

Glennlorrainer - Was that restaurant in Firostefani? What is the name? Is it Aktaion?

We loved the food and the service at To Brikki in Firostefani.

We were in Santorini in May 2016. Below is from the trip report I posted.
"The first day, we took a five hour cruise on a Spiridakos catamaran. The cost was 150 Euros per person and included hotel pickup/drop-off, buffet lunch and drinks. There were 10-12 plus crew on board. The weather was perfect and cruise very relaxing. There is time to swim in the Mediterranean in clear water and the hot springs. Probably would pass next time on the hot springs as the water is murky with a rocky bottom in the shallow water. The second day we took an all day Nostotravel bus tour of the island. We visited the excavations of Akrotiri (included guide), Black Beach, walking through Megalochori village, a stop at the highest point on the island, Santo wines with wine tasting and Oia village. The tour lasted from 11:30 to 9:00 with hotel pickup/drop-off. I believe the cost was 43 Euros not including meals and Akrotiri entrance fee. Akrotiri city was destroyed in the Theran volcano 3500 years ago and was buried in volcanic ash. Only about 3% of the city has been excavated. It was probably my favorite ancient site we visited in Greece."

We also took the Noto tour, and thought it was a good value. The guide was very knowledgeable. At Akrotiri, especially, it's hard to get a full understanding without some expert guidance.

Hi Donna,
We were on Santorini two summers ago and hired Kostas (another couple that did the RS tour we were on arranged it).http://santorini-private-guide.com/. He picked us up at the hotel, took us all around the island (with our luggage), then dropped us at the airport in time for our late flight back to Athen. It was wonderful, relaxing, and he was simply amazing. Because it's the island he grew up, on he knew everything and everywhere!

Enjoy!!

Julie your glowing report about Kostas is terrific -- but if you really want it to be helpful, you should include what his fee was, as Brian did. People who are on a stricter budget than yours may feel let down when they hope to follow your advice, but find they cannot afford the cost of a private guide.

I booked Kostas for a 5 hour private tour for me and my husband. cost is 350. I gave a deposit of 100 via paypal and the remaining balance is due at the end of our tour. I booked him based on the glowing reviews he has. I booked this for the end of September

Restaurants: There's lots of good ones, and the most important rule to follow, in my experience, is: Get out of the radius of cruise ship tourists. They get to spend half a day on shore, and the restaurant owners know those tourists will be there once and never again. So anything within that radius very likely is a tourist trap, with mediocre and overpriced food.

Guides: If someone wants to hire a guide, that's fine with me, and the Greek economy can certainly use a boost. But personally, I see absolutely no need for that. Santorini is such an easy island to explore by yourself, by rental car or by bus (we never even booked a rental car). Get a good guide book and be done with it.

Anna, alas, your last line is one that seems unheeded by millennials ... their research all too often is limited to what they can access via their smartphones... not realizing that many websites are promotional and don't give a full picture. Guidebooks that hope to have a longterm following must give the downsides as well as the high points, and help travelers to avoid disappointments. On one recent forum post, a new traveler complained "I did all the research possible but found there were Myths, such as: all Greek islands have the white 'cube' houses with blue shutters -- and I saw that wasn't so!!" She also complained about restaurants being empty at 6 pm (since Greek dining is typically around 9pm), about Greek bathrooms being small, and beds being firm, in small pensions, acting as if she'd been misled. Fact is, if she'd read even one guidebook, none of this would have surprised her. We need to emphasize for our children -- read REAL books sometimes, and you'll have happier trips, need fewer guided tours! And guess what?? Guides are widelyl available FREE, in libraries (another undiscovered resource, he he).

Yeah, but it takes so much work. You actually have to physically open a book, and then - just imagine - you have to READ! :-)

Joking aside, I just remembered one Thira tavern that we really liked. It's not on the caldera side of town, so the cruise ship tourists usually don't find it: Kapari Taverna. Great food.
(And no commission for me.)