Going Greek: The Allure of Imerovigli

Greece. It’s just one of those places that calls to me. A few days in Athens and a week cruising the islands with my mama the summer I graduated college didn’t even come close to sating the hunger I’ve always seemed to have for all things Greek. If anything, that perfect tease of a trip only made my desire to return stronger.

So when Heather and I started brainstorming places to recover post-Tomorrowland, and a casual flight search from Brussels to anywhere revealed Athens as the cheapest choice? There was no convincing needed.

While I’d spend just under a month in total traipsing through gorgeous Greece, Heather had a week to spare. And there was only one thing on the agenda for it — recovering from the four nonstop days of festival intensity we’d just put our bodies through.

While I can’t say it was on purpose, serendipity led us to stumbling upon the world’s most perfect place to do it. While Santorini is far from a hidden gem, its two top draws, Oia and Fira get most of the attention — and most of the tourists. So allow me a moment — or a thousand words, give or take — to obsess over the dreamy village I fell in love with, nestled between the two: Imerovigli.

Considering our plans for Santorini involved an extensive rotation of napping, floating in the pool, staring out at the ocean, casually grazing on snacks, more napping, and occasional unconscious meditation (also know, to some, as even more napping), we weren’t going to stray very far from home base. Where to stay was critical.

I had never even heard of Imerovigli when I discovered Hara’s Houses. But the five bright and colorful studios, the charming interconnected balconies, and the poolside caldera views left me swooning. We were sold.

I mean, can we talk about that view for a minute? I was hypnotized, completely. Every morning I’d wake up, blink into consciousness, and suddenly remember where I was. Then I’d rush out of bed and fumble to fling open the door, somewhat skeptical that my memory must be deceiving me about what lay beyond it. But no — there it was, that endless cobalt ocean and that beautiful ancient caldera, just waiting to be dreamily stared at all day long.

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

I know much of the travel world had this revelation a few years back, but I am in the midst of a great love affair with renting apartments instead of staying in hotels. As someone who is on the road constantly, it’s such a luxury to stay somewhere that truly feels like a home. But for any traveler, you can’t beat the treat of having a homemade breakfast in bed, making a simple dinner and watching the sunset from your balcony, or being able to keep a bottle or two of white wine chilled for emergency toasting situations.

Five nights? I could have stayed five weeks.

And actually, the best part of Hara’s Houses can’t be shared through a photo. Even warmer than the light on the cliffs at sunset was the hospitality of the property manager Stamos, who treated us like old friends. When Heather needed antibiotics for a raging sinus infection, he personally drove her to the hospital and stayed with her the entire time, translating and keeping her spirits up.

He refused our money but we paid him back the Santorini way — with a bottle of the finest Vinsanto we could find.

We did, in fact, leave the comfortable clutches of Imerovigli a few times, to go diving, to do a grand winery tour, and to take in an infamous Oia sunset — but those adventures will get posts of their own. For the vast majority of our time, however, we could not have been happier kicking around Hara’s Houses, or taking one of the winding knot of paths that makes up Imerovigli, and seeing what surprises awaited us around the corner.

It is possible to walk all the way to either Oia and Fira in opposite directions, never losing sight of the caldera along the way.

Not that we really needed to ever leave the village, technically. Everything we needed was just a white-washed stroll away. Need a massage? We made our way to the neighboring Avaton Resort, where Heather treated us to an indulgent afternoon at the spa.

Need a good meal? Imerovigli is home to some of Santorini’s finest restaurants. I had the best meal of my entire month in Greece at Kapari Restaurant, where every single course, backed by one of the most famous sunsets in the world, made me feel like I was losing my actual mind. Heather and I just spent the entire dinner wide eyed, mouths full, gesticulating wildly between our plates and the horizon, unable to speak.

We are excellent dining companions.

My favorite course was an appetizer made entirely from ingredients found on Santorini’s fifty-six square miles. Fava, white eggplant, capers, and lots of love went into those bites. From the homemade bread still warm from the oven to the carmelized banana dessert, we were still talking about this meal on the ferry back to Athens.

Another favorite was La Maison, which was as hospitable as it was delicious. The waitstaff was sweetly accommodating of our particular dietary needs (I eat meat but no fish, and Heather eats no meat but does eat fish, but only after a ten minute interview on ethical sourcing), they handed out pashminas when it got a bit chilly, and they also had a seriously bumpin’ playlist. When they saw us waving our phones in the air trying to Shazam various songs, they brought over a handwritten list of what had been on rotation.

I can say from personal experience that I highly recommend you come here and order every dessert on the menu.

Yes, overall, Imerovigli was enchanting. It even inspired Heather, who is a professional photographer and arrived in Europe in the midst of a bit of a creative burnout, to pick up her camera again. And I’m seriously glad she did — look at these beautiful shots she captured!

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

We left Belgium broken after pushing ourselves to the limit in every capacity at Tomorrowland. We crawled our way onto Santorini  — I mean, okay, technically we flew in an airplane but crawling more accurately depicts our mental state — and Imerovigli healed us. It’s a special place, and it captivated me completely.

I think it was the view.

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Photo courtesy of Heather Holt

Greece, you got me again.

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Many thanks to Hara’s Houses and Kapari Restaurant for their generous hospitality. As always, you receive my honest opinions regardless of who is footing the bill.