Villa Cowrie

Villa Cowrie can be found on the outskirts of the iconic picture postcard town of Oia, on the north coast of Santorini, a Cycladic island in the southern Aegean Sea. The villa is eighteen kilometres from Santorini’s International Airport, and twenty kilometres from the port of Athinios. Arrive by plane from European destinations and Athens, island hop by ferry and catamaran, or if you are feeling super stylish, you can even make an entrance by helicopter. The villa is just a few minutes walk from the nearest minimart and shops for provisions to cater for your holidays. Cafes and bars, restaurants and nightclubs are within walking distance.

The nearest beach is Katharos, a seven hundred metre walk away, this secluded unspoilt, unorganised beach has dark sand and pebbles, and is far away from the madding tourist crowds. The town of Oia is rather magical, a fishing village, with a maze of colourful lanes, populated with exclusive boutiques, leading down to the harbour. Seek solace in blue-domed Greek Orthodox churches, tilt at windmills, visit the Naval Museum, cliff dive off Ammoudi Bay, and then enjoy freshly caught seafood, on the seafront. Stay for the famous sunsets, after all, it’s what we all came on holiday for. Stroll the nine-kilometre trail and hike the Caldera edge until you get to the capital town of Fira, on the west coast. In Fira town centre there are lots of museums, choose from the Santorini Wine Museum, the Archeological Museum of Thera, the Museum of Prehistoric Fira, or the Tomato Museum. Take a walk up the top of Thera Mountain, where you can explore the ancient city ruins, and admire the views from the world’s only sunken caldera.

Take a boat trip to the uninhabited islet of Nea and Palia Kameni, an active volcano, with a path of black lava rock, smoking craters, and sulphurous hot springs. Visit the villages and find out what life was really like. Highly recommended is Pyrgos, found in the foothills of Mount Profitis, surrounded by vineyards that produce the highly prized Assyrtiko white wines. Take a trip back in time as you walk down the steep medieval alleyways, populated with tavernas and wine bars, art galleries and gift shops, a museum that showcases traditional island life, and one that is home to religious relics in the former Agia Triada chapel. Don’t miss a visit to Akrotiri, a prehistoric city, that was believed to be the first settlement on the island dating back to Neolithic times. For more recent history, The Arygyros Mansion has guided tours of this neo-classical Venetian merchant’s home. Santorini hosts an annual film festival, and the twice-daily film screenings at the alfresco Cine Kamari are not to be missed.

The island is renowned for its fabulous wines, most especially the crisp dry whites, take a tour of one of the many vineyards, and make sure you take a bottle home with you. The Cycladic architecture, the blue domes, and the most stunning sunsets are what the island is famous for, and to help you capture those memories, you can even take a photography tour. If you can bear to tear yourself away from this most mystical of destinations, spend a day island hopping, swimming and snorkelling in the azure Aegean Sea, enjoying a meal of Greek meze on board, or simply watching the sunset as you sail back into the harbour.

Read more about Oia and the Caldera