DESTINATIONS SANTORINI | GREECE & CYPRUS


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As BA restarts its Gatwick flights to the Greek island next week, Natalie Marsh finds the perfect spot to watch the sky change


antorini is known for its sunsets: a quick scroll through Instagram during the summer months will confirm this is no secret. Every


night, the cobbled streets and white-walled buildings that cling to the cliffside turn into a theatre where visitors can watch the display. Oia, at the top of this crescent-shaped island, is one of the most popular spots for sunset-seekers. Holidaymakers flock to the town in the late afternoon to capture a perfect shot of the magical moment the sun starts to disappear over the Aegean Sea, shooting red and orange hues across the sky. But I don’t need to share my viewing spot with anyone else. I’m staying at Omma, a boutique luxury hotel along the coast from Oia and just outside the town of Imerovigli. It will be reopening this spring as the first Nobu property in Greece. I take my place on a sunbed next to the infinity pool and soak it all in.


After Greece scrapped its passenger locator form last month and with BA restarting its flights to Santorini from Gatwick on April 15, the Aegean island is expected to regain its status as one of the country’s most-visited destinations.


CRUISING THE CALDERA It took courage, but I finally jumped into the sea – not from a high cliff edge, but from the back of the catamaran on which we spent half a day. My entry into the water was a little easier thanks to the warmish temperatures generated by seismic activity under the surface. Here, on the sea bed, is a caldera, or hollow, formed during an eruption. There was something special about swimming here and getting close to the rocky islands, formed over millennia by volcanic activity. Caldera Yachting offers private and semi-private cruises in the day or at sunset, and passengers get


² travelweekly.co.uk 7 APRIL 2022 33


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