Friday, July 13, 2012

{Absolute Bliss // Santorini,Greece}

So. Greece.
We’ve been back for almost three weeks and it has taken me this long to be able to even begin to talk about this incredible trip.
I kind of feel like a freak about Santorini. It’s hard to explain. We had such a memorable vacation that part of me doesn’t even want to try to blog about it because I know I won’t be able to explain how remarkable it all was. I couldn’t even think of the words to express how blissful it was. How romantic it was. How perfect it was.
But of course here I am trying to do just that. I’m a blogger, after all!
I’ll begin where every great trip to Santorini should – a fantastic hotel. 
The best part about the island is the views. So find a room with a ridiculous terrace overlooking the caldera and you’ve got it made.
We knew we wanted to go all out for this trip – we weren’t looking for a budget hotel – so as you can imagine I spent countless hours on TripAdvisor, on hotels.com, on boutique hotel websites, the list goes on, trying to find the perfect place.
And what did it end up coming down to? A personal recommendation. A rave review from Ms. Ashlee Gadd (one of my favorite bloggers out there!).
Goodness I am glad we listened to her!!
We stayed at Absolute Bliss in the town of Imerovigli. And it was just that – Absolute. Utter. Bliss.
Now, most people who know about Santorini know about Fira and Oia. Fira is the busy heart of the island – where all the action is. And Oia is where you watch that famous sunset. But if you’re like us, we’d never heard of Imerovigli. Don’t let that sway you against it. After having seen all three, we couldn’t have been happier to stay in Imerovigli.
It sits between Fira and Oia (walking distance to Fira, a cab ride to Oia) and is the most relaxed and luxurious town on the island – and also happens to boast the best views of the caldera. And as my Greek coworker told me “It’s where all the celebrities and rich people stay”, so you know it’s good (no, we’re not rich or celebrities, but we sure did feel like it for a week!)!
At Absolute Bliss the owner Sofia treats you like royalty. She knows how special a visit to Santorini is and she does everything in her power to make it the best vacation of your life. She’ll help you book four-wheelers to explore the island, plan a boat excursion, or recommend you some of the most incredible Greek restaurants. She’ll also back off and leave you to enjoy your gorgeous room and private terrace if that’s all you want to do while you’re there – which is exactly what we did J We pretty much left our room once a day – for dinner. Sometimes for the sunset, too, but we found that the best place to watch it was from our terrace (yes, even better than watching it in Oia).
So all this to say that if you’re planning a trip to Santorini you’d be wise to choose Absolute Bliss. Feel free to email me if you need any advice or have any questions! Without further ado… the first of many, many photos you’ll see of our trip!

{Photos ©  Liz Denfeld}