Five Days in Santorini + how much money do you need for five days in Santorini?

Santorini is such a gorgeous island. I know it has been all over Instagram the past year, but being there in person is just amazing. Plus, all the gram fuss is real! It's the perfect photo destination. I would love to go back with a new set of clothes for more photos! My Santorini photos were the most loved from all my trips. Here's my Santorini Hijab friendly look book if you haven't seen it! However, visiting the island and the type of activities you would do is so weather dependent. I went the first week of April and it was rainy and a little cold, which meant absolutely no pool or beach. The girls and I did try to take a dip and it was just FREEZING! The weather was nice for long walks, little hikes and food! (Spendings down below!)

Benefit of being in Santorini in the off-season

If you wear the scarf or like your modest fashion, then the off season is perfect weather wise because that means you can be covered without feeling over heated. You can even hike without getting sweaty. 

Six Things to do in Santorini (in the off-season)  

1. Enjoy the Santorini view
   As the title suggests, Santorini is the perfect photo destination, so take the opportunity of being there and have your own special photo shoot! It's easy to ask others to take photos of you, but if you want to do it yourself, some parts are very quiet and you can spend hours setting your own tripod and timer.  
2. Take a walk from Fira to Imerovigli
   The main Santorini activity on Trip Advisor is the walk from Fira to Oia, but the locals don't recommend it because you end up walk on the very tight highway. You can take a shorter one from Fira to Imerovigli because there is a walking path. Google Maps gave me the highway route first because it's the fastest, but ignore that and go on the inside. It will be 15mins longer, but it's so much better because there isn't a pavement. Even though this walk is shorter, it is still very beautiful.   
3. Hike the Skaros Rock
   This was my absolute favourite thing in Santorini. This rock is located in Imerovigli (The town between Fira and Oia). You can walk from the main town Fira to it, which will take you an hour. Luckily we were already staying in Imerovigli so it was only half an hour walk from us. Then about two hours to hike up there slowly and take photos when we got to the top. The higher up you go, the more challenging it is because you have to climb the rock without any help. I thought it was fun. It was one of the trip's highlights.  
4. Get lost
   Unfortunately, I didn't have time to get lost in this beautiful island, but if I ever visit again, that's on top of my list. I just want to wander and find where the locals eat and chill. With the limited time I had on the Island, I only stuck to the main touristy spots. There are few walking paths that seem very interesting. I encourage you to look them up! 
5. Enjoy the Greek food
   I had really high hopes for the food. I know that I would have loved and the Greek food and the fresh catches of the day, but being there in the off-season meant that many restaurants are yet to open and being in the touristy spots meant expensive choices. For some reason almost every restaurant we went to had an extended pasta menu. The off-season also meant no fish! The water was too cold to fish, so that was a little sad. I was really looking forward to that. I had lots of Greek salads though!  
   Halal food: We found one shop that said it was halal in Fira, but there wasn't any certification to prove it. I just ate vegetarian dishes and a few sea food ones. 
6. Sail Away
   You can try a boat trip if you want to do something different during your time there. Here's what I thought of my Yacht experience in details.   

Santorini views

Eos Villa

Santorini views

Church painted in white in Oia in Santorini

Santorini views

Beautiful Tucked Away Church

Hiking Skaros Rock

The Sunset in Santorini

The red beach in Santorini

Lighthouse in Santorini

My favourite shop in Santorini

Bringing you back to reality with the spendings for five days in Santorini:

How much money you need for five days in Santorini

• Flight 50GBP each way from London 
• Eos Villa 215 GBP for five nights (shared with 14 other girls)
• Food 200 euros including groceries for home cooked meals + two course meals.  
• Transportations: the odd taxi here and there 30 euros 
• Activities: Boat Trip 75 euros + cable cars 12 euros   

It's not cheap as one might think and little things add up really quickly. I imagine it could be done on a budget especially if you are staying in Fira and eating sandwiches rather than big meals. 

PS. Shopping for gifts and things in Santorini was very expensive especially in Oia.  

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Is a boat trip worth it in Santorini?

Santorini was so beautiful no doubt, but after few days on land, I thought going on a boat trip should be exhilarating. I am not sure it fully was, but instead of answering the question: "Is a boat trip worth it in Santorini?" I am going to tell you all about the trip first and you can decide for yourself.

My friends insisted on going on a luxury yacht instead of a cheap wooden boat to avoid sea sickness and to travel in style. I went with the group's decision. I was not too bothered by the type of boat/yacht we are using. I would have preferred the cheaper option with my very limited student income, but the thought of the "hot springs" and volcanic island was too tempting to resist. We chose the sunset yacht trip option because it just sounded so romantic and we are a group of girls who are swayed by sunsets!

Is a boat trip worth it in Santorini? 

The trip started with a pick up at 2pm. We did a few rounds to pick the rest of the people. We finally arrived to the port to the Yacht. The group size was decent. This was the "semi private" tour. There was about 13 of us with mostly couples. The second we were about to get on the yacht, we were told to take our shoes off, which was slightly annoying, but it was for safety and we weren't allowed on it unless shoes were off. 

We sailed away looking at the beautiful sights in the Island. There were few scattered information about the main spots. We finally reached to my awaited Volcanic Island, which was a pile of black rocks that we couldn't even get that close to. Then we got slightly closer to the hot springs. It turns out, the hot springs were not hot or even considered springs. They were little shallow holes between the shore and the deep sea. The yacht did not even take us close to it.  The time of the trip contributed to the lack of stops for us to swim. The water was FREEZING in the first week of April. I actually took ONE dip and could not carry on. I imagine I would have had a very different experience if I have had gone during the hot months. 

The food was the main disappointment. We were told it was to be dinner and we all had to write our food preferences. Due to my halal meat requirement, I opted for the sea food option, but I was very specific when I told them I only ate fish or prawns. I told them in the time of the booking that I did not eat any other types of sea food. I even said if that was too hard to accommodate, I will be happy with the vegetarian option. Unfortunately, they did not take notice. I was given ONE prawn, two spoons of rice, one spoon of hummus, 2 spoons of salad and three small pieces of bread. we got two orange and apple slices for dessert. Like seriously, I am an adult and I was promised a meal. I don't know what that was. If they said it would be like that, I would have brought my own packed meal with me. 

We sailed back for a while longer. Then the sun started to set. The weather was cloudy so we could not fully get the glorified experience, but it was still beautiful to witness. Although, I didn't fully enjoy the yacht experience, I appreciated the ability to do it, the views and the new lovely people we met. Plus, I got to take a few pretty photos!  

Interesting Fact about Santorini Beaches: Each beach is named after the colour of the rocks around that beach (As you will see in the photos below). 

Yacht Trip in Santorini

Church painted in white in Santorini

Red Beach in Santorini

White Beach in Santorini

Black Beach in Santorini

Lighthouse of Santorini

Santorini Yacht Trip Facts: 
Yacht Company: Caldera Yachting http://www.calderayachting.gr/en/cruises/catamaran-caldera-classichere's a similar yacht trip I found on Get Your Guide if you are interested. 

Yacht Company: Caldera Yachting . Here's a similar yacht trip I found on Get Your Guide if you are interested.

Price of trip: 75 Euros each
Duration: 5 hours
Time of the Trip: First week of April from 3pm to 8pm

Summery: I spent 75 euros for 5 hours of sea with a kid portion meal and barley any swimming time. 

The sunset in Santorini from the Yacht

Over to you: Have you tried a boat/yacht trip in Santorini? Would you recommend yours? Share with us in the comments below please! :) 

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Santorini Hijab Friendly Look book

Santorini is such a gorgeous Island. It is also the perfect backdrop to photos. I think I got the most Instgram likes on the outfit photos from Santorini. Here's what I wore the beginning of April. It was actually colder than expected (10-17 C), so I didn't feel warm with any of my outfits. They are more suited for the summer. Hope you get some inspiration! Ps. All was packed in carry on! :D 

First Hijab Friendly Island look: 

Top: Basic light jeans jacket from H&M

Neck Scarf: Primark 

Skirt: Next. I added the black panel at the bottom to make it Maxi

Shop the look: 

Second Hijab Friendly Island look: 

Top underneath: Basic light jeans jacket from H&M

Sunglasses: ASOS

Dress: ASOS

Shop the look: 

Third Hijab Friendly Island look: 

Dress: ASOS

Shop The Look

Fourth Hijab Friendly Island look:

Top: H&M

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Clarks  

Shop The Look

Fifth Hijab Friendly Island look:

Dress: American Eagle

Shop The Look

Sixth Hijab Friendly Island look:

Dress: Inayah

Shop The Look

By the way, You can pin these looks to your Pinterest board! 

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Graffiti Photos in Athens, Greece

When I went to Athens in March 2017, I noticed the abundance of graffiti especially as I was hiking up to Acropolis and shopping around the old town and Plaka. I don't know much about the artists, but I enjoyed spotting their pieces like the ones pictured below. If you know the artists' names please leave them in the comments!

Fisher man Graffiti

What's next? Graffiti

Where is my mind? Graffiti

Bookshelf/ Reading Graffiti

Floating Heads Graffiti

Graffiti Letters

Calligraphy Graffiti

Searching My Inner Peace Graffiti 

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Weekend itinerary to Athens, Greece

Reading about Athens didn't excite me, but I needed to be in Santorini for a hen do and the tickets via Athens were significantly cheaper. I knew I would enjoy the history so I decided it might be nice to check Athens out. I can tell you in confidence that it was much more than just nice. I only had two nights there. I wanted to see the main sights, but at a leisurely base. I really enjoyed what I got to see and do. My favourite was speaking to the locals and hearing their stories. It is really worth visiting! Here are eight things I loved doing to get you started when you visit! 

Note on Transportation: You can get the day pass for €4.50 and that allows you to use the buses, trolleys and metros. It's cheap, but be prepared for the very crowded carriages. I felt like a sardine in a tin.

Tips for Muslim Travellers in Athens: 

Hijab: I wore my turban with a light scarf around my neck. I didn't get any uncomfortable looks or strange treatments. People were very kind and chatty. I made about four friends in two days. I also wasn't the only hijabi. There were few Arab tourists and residents who wore the hijab too.

Halal: I haven't looked into this because I was only there for two days and I ate in the same vegan/vegetarian restaurant mentioned above! 

Trip Budget for two days including flight (RyanAir) + hotel + food: 150GBP

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Weekend itinerary to Athens

1- Hike up to Mighty Acropolis

This was my main reason to visit Athens. I know it's the most touristy bit, but it was fantastic and much better than I thought. Finding the entrance was a little tricky but with the help of google maps, the signs and the locals I found it. Students enter for free (with a student card) and I loved that. I spent about two hours and a half there. I started with the main monuments then down to the theatre and the South slope, which took me right to the North slope. Everything is marked and there are posters near each main part with relevant information. When I went midday, it was heaving with people and the March sun was getting hot, but there was shade and lots of breeze.

Tip: bring water with you. There is a drinking water fountain there as well so you can top up.

There are tour options to see Athens Acropolis either in the morning or the evening that look good as well if you need a tour.

Plaka, Heading to Acropolis

Plaka, Heading to Acropolis

Acropolis of Athens

THE PROPYLAIA

THE ERECHTHEION

2- Visit the Olympic park

Another monument worth visiting is the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It's just at the bottom of the hill. I took the photo below from Acropolis because I spotted it from there. I got closer after hours to get better photos from the fence after the visitors left. It's a lovely walk and it's very close to the Museum. 

TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS STILI OLIMPIOU DIOS

3- Shop around the old town

The picture below does not show you how crowded the area is because I took it at midday, but old town and specifically Plaka are extremely crowded, full of tourists and you have to be very careful from pickpocket -ers. It is not the cheapest area to shop, but there are a few nice places to see.  

4- Spot the cool graffiti  

Walking around Athens, I couldn't help noticing lots of creative graffiti. I am not sure who the artists are, but just looking around at them was fun. 

5- Roam the town with a local!

This is an initiative by the tourism board. I read about it in a blog and it sounded interesting. I signed up via the official website, "This Is My Athens". I was paired up with my awesome local, Magi. I wasn't sure what to expect. We met up in the evening right after I landed and dropped my luggage. It was really fun! I loved hanging out with someone from the area, who knew the history and the cool hidden spots I didn't read about in the guide books. 

6- Try some phenomenal Vegan/ Vegetrian food

Magi, from the pic above, took me to Avocado, an amazing vegetarian restaurant. This is not totally Greek, but I would go there again if I am ever back in Athens. Their recipes are inventive and delicious. Portions are massive, so one order is more than enough! 

7- Watch the change of the guard

This was not even planned, but I passed by the parliament and saw a crowed so I joined in! It was fun for ten minutes, but it gets a little long after that. If you are in the area check it, but I wouldn't make it a priority. 

8- Chill at a cafe in the afternoon and friend the table next to you!

True story. After my epic walk/hike up and down Acropolis and the historic centre of Plaka, I needed to sit down with a good cup of tea. Luckily, there is a cafe culture in Greece. The weather was just right so I sat outside for two hours and got chatting to the table next to me until it started getting dark. 

Watch the Athens Video! 

Over to you: Have you been to Athens before? What were your favourite things that you did there!

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