Prioritizing Santorini

During our time in Greece, it was hot, hot, hot. We never looked at the tv, or newspaper, so to be honest I have no idea how hot it really was... you'll just have to take my word for it. :) One day in Santorini we decided that our MN core body temp had enough of the heat and needed to cool off. While we were staying at an amazing traditional cave house hanging off the cliffs of Oia, Santorini... The agency we booked through did not have access to one of those amazing pools you see in travel magazines. While I searched and searched for a hotel with a pool AND caldera view, it just wasn't in the budget for the young, FABULOUS, and broke.

Our stay in a traditional cave house was the only time Nick and I have put money toward a nice hotel, besides our honeymoon. Normally we stay at a budget hotel, campground, or hostel. Santorini to us though, was all about the caldera view - we wanted to wake up and just sit on our balcony staring out over the ocean. We were not planning on spending money doing other things there, so this worked out. In fact, my favorite evening in all of Greece was spent with a bottle of wine and 2 baklavas we bought from a local bakery, just relaxing on our private balcony, marveling over the view. (If you ever travel to Greece and feel oh so compelled to send your favorite blogger some baklava, I won't turn you down... I promise!)

Nick loved that he could sit on the toilet and
shower all at the SAME time! lol... men.

Our traditional cave house

The view off our balcony

Lioyerma's FREE pool

While our cave house was amazing - when the time came to cool down and retreat from the heat, I was thankful to have done my usual pre-trip planning and found a FREE pool to relax in.

Look for this!

This pool is located at the Lioyerma Lounge in Oia (www.lioyerma.gr). There are no streets or house numbers to find your way around Oia, just sidewalks and steps literally hanging off a cliff. (Which brings up another point... if you can't lift your bag and carry it a long ways... don't bring it here.) Therefore, here are some landmarks to reference this pool: northern most point of Oia, overlooks the Aegean Sea - not the Caldera, near the old windmill, and just north of the Ammoudi fishing village. There is no fee to enter this pool, however, they do ask that you purchase something while you are there, so plan to have one of your meals here, or order a drink.

The cruise ship crowds are fierce in the mid-afternoon

The pool was amazing, the view was amazing, our cavehouse was amazing... and if there was anywhere in the world where I felt most at peace, it was here. 

Our PERFECT escape from the crowds... instead
we toured after they left, and during the
best time of the day... SUNSET!

Staying in Oia overnight was key to enjoying everything this village has to offer without the bustling afternoon crowds of cruise ship travelers. However, the key to your budget, is to then remember where your spending priorities lie, when you face temptation. It would have been very easy for us to spend our budget all on the hotel, and then make excuse after excuse on why we needed to do a tour, buy souvenirs, or go out to a fancy dinner... "because we never know when we'll be back, if ever." For us budget travelers however, that thought process is toxic and will cut your traveling experiences short. Don't budge on your budget, and set your priorities ahead of time. A lot of joy can be found in getting off the beaten path and utilizing your free options!

Bon voyage!