Perivolos Beach, Santorini

We stayed near Perivolos Beach in Santorini which is dotted by grass thatched umbrellas, sun loungers, and even pillow strewn 4 poster king sized beds atop long stretches of black sand. Parallel to the beach is a road lined with tavernas and fully decked out bars with a spring break atmosphere not shy about blaring techno from their speakers and intermingling with their neighbors soundtrack. We enjoyed the beach for several days but it is a bit busier than our tastes. Paying $10 for an umbrella and then getting the constant sales pitch. There are the Nigerians selling DVD’s and the Asian women selling pressure point massage and the one Greek native with his shoulder harnassed display case of sugared donuts. Alrite, he can stay. The water is glassy and blue and slightly colder than you would expect in the middle of summer. It is much better to jump right in and deal with the 15 seconds of exhilaration before hypothermia sets in.

Our hotel was a short walk from the beach and had everything we could have hoped for (including an ocean view balcony, kitchenette, and a nice pool) all for 25E a night. The place is supposedly called Kouklakis Villas but they must be trying to rebrand themselves or something because the only sign you will find is for Roberto’s, which has confused many a traveler, including us.


The only downside was the crazy mother running the place that speaks zero English (and I don’t kid, she is crazy) and her equally crazy daughter upselling us overpriced goods and services in our room while we are trying to cook dinner. One euro for the safe, fifteen euro for the scooter, twenty euro for the tour. Oh yes, and two euro for a bottle of water, same as the store. Uh, no it is 50 cents in the store! But I guess we all have to make a living. Santorini is the first place we haven’t been able to drink the tap water, even filtered through our pump, because the taste is just undrinkable.

On our quest for internet access one day we stumbled upon the best bakery in the world. I know that is a pretty bold statement. The place is run by a burly yet kind man named Spirro and has been in business for 70 years, once run on the same spot by his grandfather. It has every kind of phyllo stuffed pie and sweet treat your heart can imagine. We sampled the chicken parmesan pie and the ham n cheese pie and the double sausage pie and the ‘hamburger baked inside a pie’ pie. Not all in the same meal mind you! But the absolute standout was the buttery chocolate sprinkled croissant slathered with hazelnut nutella. Ron said it is the most delicious sweet he has ever eaten. Period. If you are in Santorini you should definitely head over to this holy church of baked goods. Did I mention it's also open 24 hours a day, so you can eat a pie at 3 in the morning?!