The Romantic Port of Ammoudi Bay

If you are staying in Santorini for more than a couple of days, then one place you should make a visit to is Ammoudi Bay. Ammoudi Bay is a port just below Oia, which has some lovely seafood restaurants with the most gorgeous view. I went during the day for lunch and it couldn’t have been anymore perfect. I feasted on seafood, wine and that impressive view.

Restaurants

There are a number of restaurants lining the port and all specialising in seafood. I was recommended to come down to Ammoudi for some delectable seafood, by a friend who had been there a couple of months earlier. The area is really quaint and intimate, shielded by a red rock cliff face. I strolled about checking out each restaurant menu and decided to try a restaurant that was simply called Ammoudi.

The delicious mussels I ordered at Ammoudi fish restaurant. The outlook was dreamy, with beautiful blue waters, boats drifting by and fabulous food. It’s well suited to taking a very long lunch with a few bottles of wine. The atmosphere and vibe was simply superb, I could have sat there all day.

Ammoudi fish restaurant entrée and my fabulous friendly waiter Akis.

Ammoundi Bay is also very popular in the evening, when diners will grab a table to watch the sunset as they dine. Like most restaurants in Santorini, if they boast a sunset view, then you will need to book ahead.

Fresh seafood cooking at Sunset restaurant.

Swimming

Ammoudi Bay is also a popular swimming spot. There are a few tall rocks located out in the bay that are popular for locals and tourists to jump off. There are plenty of boats that can take you out in to the bay and the rocks.

Getting there

If you are brave, take the stairs down from Oia. It’s quite a walk and especially so when it’s hot. One word of advice is to wear decent shoes. It can get a little slippery in parts and it’s steep, my friend who I mentioned earlier broke her ankle on these steps.

As for me, well I decided to take up the challenge and walk down. It actually wasn’t too bad, albeit a bit hot, but reasonable. Now the climb back up was a different story. From the bottom it looks like a hell of a walk and I will tell you it was a struggle.

On my way down, I had passed a couple of girls that were heading back up the hill. I caught wind of a few choice words and as they got closer, one girl stared me straight in the eyes and warned me that the “STRUGGLE is REAL”.

So here I was in 40 degree heat, climbing what seemed like a concrete Mount Everest and the “struggle is real” statement going through my head over and over, along with why didn’t I just take a taxi?

Yes, you can take a taxi back up to Oia for around 10 Euro.

The other option is to take a donkey ride up the steep steps, and many tourists do. I chose not too as it didn’t look safe to me and for the fact that I felt sorry for these beautiful creatures. These poor donkeys stand in the full sun all day long waiting for tourists ride them up the hill. I will point out here that they only go halfway up the hill, so it’s not really worth putting the donkeys through the steep climb.