Why Kamari, Santorini should be on your luxury travel list
First thoughts of Santorini are almost always the iconic whitewashed buildings of Oia, overlooking the deep blue Aegean Sea and the mesmeric Caldera. Kamari, Santorini is on the opposite side of the island – but, depending on what you’re after, it’s arguably an even better place to stay to enjoy one of the most romantic and spectacular islands in Greece.
Located on the island’s southeast shores Kamari, Santorini is a picturesque Greek seaside village and, although less famous than Oia, still a popular travel destination. Home to the beautiful black sand Kamari beach, a wonderful promenade lined with restaurants, bars, cafes and boutiques, and some of the best luxury hotels in Santorini, and with plenty to see and do on its doorstep – Mesa Vouno mountain is nearby, where you can see the ruins of Ancient Thera – there are plenty of reasons Kamari, Santorini should be on your luxury travel list.
We picked Kamari, Santorini to visit partly because of Kamari beach – we wanted to combine Santorini sightseeing with a beach vacation – and partly because we fell in love with the hotel online.
Santorini Kastelli Resort is absolutely stunning, and is reason enough alone to stay on this side of the island. We had an unforgettable stay and the next time we visit it would be hard not to return to the same spot as our base.
Scroll down to find out more about our trip and why you should add Kamari, Santorini to your luxury travel list.
You might also like to browse our full collection of luxury island vacation ideas and if you’re planning your Greece honeymoon, take a look at our guide to the most beautifully laid-back Paros and Mykonos honeymoon spots. You can also read our feature on some of the most beautiful Crete hotels with private pools for more Greek island inspiration.
Have you been to Kamari, Santorini? Where did you stay? Tell us about your experiences and let’s raise the profile of the places that are truly unforgettable.
Wild Bay Co is as much a celebration of the people who make these incredible experiences possible, as it is a celebration of the luxury resorts and hotels themselves. If you’ve stayed somewhere outstanding that deserves recognition for its exceptional attention to detail as well as its stunning setting then contact us and let us know.
Romantic laid-back luxury in breathtaking surroundings.
Stunning luxury hotels
Kamari boasts some of the best luxury hotels in Santorini.
Secluded Santorini paradise
One of the best reasons to add Kamari, Santorini to your luxury travel list is the hotels and resorts. Santorini Kastelli Resort, Cavo Bianco and Casa Vitae Suites are just some of the most highly regarded 5 star resorts in Kamari, Santorini but there are other glamorous places to discover here too.
We stayed at Santorini Kastelli Resort, a 5 star whitewashed secluded paradise just minutes from Kamari Beach. We stayed in a breathtaking superior room with a semi-private pool. The décor mirrored the resort, and the view right outside our patio doors, with whitewashed walls and white and light grey and pool blue furniture and cushions. The grounds of the resort were an extension of the room, whitewashed walls everywhere acting as the perfect backdrop for the bright pink flowers blooming from trellises, the lush gardens and the inviting blues of its four swimming pools. Santorini Kastelli Resort is an exquisite example of laid-back luxury and a great place to stay for a mix of beach life and island exploration.
Strolling along the beautiful promenade alongside Kamari beach became our daily routine – and one of the highlights of our trip.
Dazzling Kamari beach
Picturesque black sand beach with a beautiful promenade full of taverns, cafes, and boutique shops.
Beachfront promenade
Kamari Beach with its volcanic black sand and rugged rocky hills jutting out of the clean blue waters of the Aegean Sea is a unique and striking beach. It’s a great place to lounge in the shade of a straw beach umbrella and enjoy the heat of Santorini’s sun while watching the waves, but we probably loved the promenade that runs alongside this 5km stretch of sand and pebbles the most.
We found some superb restaurants, cafes, bars and boutique shops and it became a really enjoyable routine to first browse the many fresh seafood restaurants to find lunch and then, later on, take an evening stroll along the promenade before settling somewhere for dinner and doing a bit of gift shopping, mainly for ourselves, afterwards. The dazzling beach, promenade and its tempting smorgasbord of things to look at, eat, drink and buy is a great reason to add Santorini, Kamari to your luxury travel list.
Santorini is well worth exploring. Oia is unmissable.
Beautiful base to explore the island
Kamari, Santorini is a great base to combine a beach vacation with exploring the island.
Legendary sunsets
Even if you do decide, like we did, to stay on the southeast coast and opt for Kamari, Santorini you should still definitely take a trip to see Oia, and some of the other incredible landmarks and spectacular scenery across the island.
Oia is special. It’s one of those places that encapsulates everything that’s great about travel. Stepping out of your usual hustle and back in time, immersing yourself in scenery so breathtaking you have to frequently stop and marvel at where you are every few minutes, in this case with an ice cream or a chilled glass of wine. And it should absolutely be on your travel list. The cobbled streets, the pretty bright blue paint contrasting the brilliant white buildings, the magnificent view across the deep blue Aegean Sea to the spellbinding half-moon Caldera of Santorini. And the views don’t get much better than at Mystique Hotel Santorini if you are considering staying in Oia, and want to admire as many legendary Caldera Santorini sunsets as possible.
Kamari, Santorini is around a half an hour drive away from Oia and we hired a car to get there and back and explore the rest of the island too – there’s plenty more to see. The roads can be steep, narrow, and windy though, so best to plan your route, get your Google maps and sat nav working, and take your time. And if you’re not feeling brave enough to venture out on your own you can hire a taxi to take you to some of the best spots, and simply sit back and enjoy the views. Santorini is a relatively small island so it shouldn’t take too long to get to any destination that takes your fancy.
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