Santorini is up there with the British Virgin Islands in our "beautiful places we hope to visit again." Even flying in you could tell this place was special. We stayed at the Oia Mare Villas, which was absolutely amazing but we wish we would have known about the arrival...logistics.

Our arrival in Santorini can be summarized as follows:

• 6:45 am flight from Athens, €83
• Cab from the Santorini airport to Oia, €20
• Knowing that there is a donkey taxi to carry your luggage down the cliff to the Oia Mare Villas, priceless.
  

When the taxi dropped us at the entrance to the main street in Oia, we didn't think anything was odd. The driver told us "go in there, to the right" - which we did, but we soon realized that there were no car-accessible streets and the village was a mess of curving cobblestone stepped streets. Very scenic yes, but not good for luggage schlepping. We did eventually find the hotel, and learn about the "donkey taxi" that carries luggage (note to self, when making a reservation at a hotel, always ask "will I need any four-legged assistance to reach your facility?").

We absolutely loved Santorini and hope to return someday. Santorini is the Greece you see on postcards - blue domed churches, villages on the top of steep cliffs, and lots of white stucco. Our room (the balcony directly over the pool) had a great view of the sunset and surrounding islands. Our legs got used to the climbing, because you have to climb up or down 1000's of stairs to get just about anywhere. We walked down to the port area (Amoudi Beach) to take a dip in the ocean. We rode donkeys back up the hill though - ridiculously bumpy and awkward ride but better than the hike. We also visited Fira, another village on top of the cliffs. Fira is where the cruise ships anchor, so it is more populated and even has a gondola to get from the port to the village.